Store Systems Analyst

Title: Store Systems Analyst
Classification: Non-exempt

Reports to: Store Systems Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Position Summary:

The Store Systems Analyst supports the implementation, deployment, and delivery of retail store systems and store technology initiatives across locations from Southern to Central California. This role supports point-of-sale (POS) systems, payments, self-checkout (SCO), and other store technology solutions by coordinating projects, executing deployments, supporting testing and stabilization, and driving vendor coordination to resolution.

Note:
Vallarta has an in-house Help Desk and Field Support teams responsible for day-to-day user support and break/fix. This role focuses on project delivery and provides technical guidance, documentation, and handoff materials for IT operational support.

General Duties and Responsibilities:

• Lead assigned initiatives from intake through closeout, including scope definition, requirements gathering, acceptance criteria, and stakeholder alignment.
• Create and maintain work plans (milestones, timelines, dependencies, owners, and deliverables) and adjust plans as conditions change.
• Facilitate cross-functional execution with Store Operations, Vendors, IT teams, Continuous Improvement, and Store Leadership.
• Keep a tracker of risks, issues, assumptions, and key decisions to stay ahead of problems; communicate trade-offs early and escalate blockers or approvals when needed.
• Provide concise status updates (weekly or as required) and document key decisions, actions, and outcomes.
• Drive closeout by validating results, documenting outcomes, and transitioning support materials (Helpdesk KB Articles, job aids, known issues, etc.) to operational teams.
• Execute store technology deployments, including configuration, software/hardware installation, and on-site/remote validation.
• Support deployments across POS, SCO, Electronic Payment Systems, digital signage, fresh department scales, scale labeling, restaurant kiosks, and department queuing systems.
• Coordinate cutover activities to minimize operational impact. Confirm readiness with site checklists and communicate expectations to stakeholders.
• Maintain deployment documentation and checklists to enable repeatable execution and consistent outcomes.
• Develop and execute regression testing scripts for upgrades/changes (POS workflows, payments, peripherals, and other department workflows as applicable).
• Document test results and support go/no-go decisions with clear evidence and defined acceptance criteria.
• Track issues discovered during testing and rollout. Prioritize fixes and coordinate remediation plans with stakeholders and vendors.
• Support post-deployment stabilization and ensure completed solutions are transitioned with usable documentation and support procedures.
• Manage vendor incidents related to assigned initiatives end-to-end, including impact summary, supporting evidence, and clear reproduction steps.
• Coordinate troubleshooting with vendor partners and drive follow-ups until resolution is confirmed.
• Validate vendor fixes in-store and/or via remote verification (as appropriate) prior to closure. Confirm stability to prevent repeat issues.
• Maintain clear case notes and other evidence (logs, timestamps, screenshots) to reduce back-and-forth and speed resolution.
• Coordinate and execute vendor software updates/upgrades for assigned store systems, including scheduling, dependencies, and rollback considerations.
• Maintain versioning documentation (current version by store/system, release dates, upgrade history, and configuration notes) to support troubleshooting.
• Track and document known issues, workarounds, and incident trends by version. Validate fixes and update records as issues are resolved.
• Review and analyze vendor release notes to assess operational impact, define testing/regression scope, and communicate changes to stakeholders in plain language.
• Ensure updates follow change management and validation practices, with documented test evidence and clear go/no-go criteria prior to rollout.
• Maintain a positive, professional communication style when working with store teams, operations leadership, and vendors.
• Translate technical status into clear updates for non-technical stakeholders. Set expectations, communicate risks early, and confirm decisions.
• Contribute to standard operating procedures, checklists, and training materials to support consistent adoption and supportability.
• Use remote support tools (for example: BeyondTrust/Bomgar, VNC, RDP, Aloha CMC) and review common configuration artifacts (.INI/.XML/.CFG).
• Create and maintain basic scripts (PowerShell/batch) as needed for support and deployments.

Knowledge and Skills:

• 3+ years of experience supporting retail POS systems and store technologies in a multi-store environment.
• Demonstrated ability to plan and execute initiatives (milestones, timelines, dependencies) and drive them to closeout with minimal oversight (planning, coordination, execution, validation, and documentation).
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills, including the ability to assess ambiguous issues, identify root causes, and recommend practical solutions.
• Demonstrated experience working with vendors: opening cases, providing technical details, following up consistently, and validating fixes prior to closure.
• Positive, professional communication style. Able to work effectively with all levels of users and management and maintain a customer-service mindset in alignment with the company’s core values.
• Strong troubleshooting foundation across network and application layers (OSI model concepts), including the ability to apply these concepts when diagnosing store endpoint connectivity and application issues (for example: cabling/Wi-Fi, VLANs, IP/DNS/DHCP, ports/timeouts, and application connectivity).
• Experience troubleshooting Windows Server environments (physical and virtualized) and enterprise (LTSC) Windows workstations.
• Strong understanding of network environments for store endpoints (TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP).
• Strong organization and documentation skills (clear status updates, action tracking, and stakeholder alignment).
• CompTIA A+ certification (or equivalent foundational IT certification) preferred.
• Experience with Grocery and/or Hospitality POS platforms such as Encor/Aloha (or comparable enterprise POS/SCO platforms).
• Experience supporting self-checkout environments, restaurant kiosks/KDS, digital menu boards, digital signage implementations, and other store technology integrations.
• Experience with fresh department technologies such as weight scales and/or customer queuing systems (meat/seafood).
• Payment device experience (EMV/contactless/EBT), including coordination with payment processors and vendors.
• Experience supporting pilots/phased rollouts and building rollout playbooks, regression test scripts, and readiness checklists.
• Familiarity with logs and configuration artifacts used in POS environments.
• Basic scripting exposure (PowerShell/batch).
• Basic familiarity with PCI concepts as they relate to store payment environments.
• CompTIA A+ certification (or equivalent foundational IT certification) preferred.
• Experience with Grocery and/or Hospitality POS platforms such as Encor/Aloha (or comparable enterprise POS/SCO platforms).
• Experience supporting self-checkout environments, restaurant kiosks/KDS, digital menu boards, digital signage implementations, and other store technology integrations.
• Experience with fresh department technologies such as weight scales and/or customer queuing systems (meat/seafood).
• Payment device experience (EMV/contactless/EBT), including coordination with payment processors and vendors.
• Experience supporting pilots/phased rollouts and building rollout playbooks, regression test scripts, and readiness checklists.
• Familiarity with logs and configuration artifacts used in POS environments.
• Basic scripting exposure (PowerShell/batch).
• Basic familiarity with PCI concepts as they relate to store payment environments.

Physical Demands:
This position requires the ability to perform work for extended periods while seated and/or standing for extended periods, as business needs dictate and using a computer and standard office equipment, with or without reasonable accommodation. Occasional travel across all locations, Southern and Central California up to approximately 15%. This role may involve occasional light lifting of supplies or materials, with or without reasonable accommodation. The ability to effectively manage multiple tasks, priorities, and requests simultaneously in a fast-paced environment is required.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work:
This is a Non-exempt Level Position; Monday – Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm; business hours and is primarily on-site, with occasional travel between locations.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive, and employees may perform other duties as directed. All employees are expected to perform any reasonable task or request that is consistent with fulfilling company goals and objectives.

As of 2022, Vallarta counts on 53 stores throughout California (Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Tulare, Orange, and Fresno counties), and more than 8,000 team members. The Gonzalez family promises to continue to strive for excellence in everything we do so that our valued customers always have a Vallarta supermarket to call their own.From one small carnicería in Van Nuys in 1985 to 53 full-service markets across California, Vallarta Supermarkets is a living, breathing tribute to the hard work and customer dedication of our founding family and all of our valued employees.Vallarta Supermarkets was founded by Enrique Gonzalez Sr., who was later joined in the business by his four brothers, his son and nephew. Their family roots and humble origins began in the tiny town of Jalostotitlán, Jalisco, Mexico, where Enrique and his brothers were raised on a meager farm. Their parents instilled in them at very young ages the importance of family and the power of a strong work ethic to overcome challenges.When the opportunity arose to immigrate in the 1960’s, the Gonzalez family was thankful to stake their claim in the “land of opportunity,” the United States of America. Right away, the five brothers got to work in restaurants, either as short-order cooks or bussing tables. Even though some of the brothers were still in school, they all worked to help the family make ends meet.In 1985, Enrique Gonzalez Sr. began his journey in the grocery business when he opened Carniceria Vallarta in a 1,000 sq. ft market in Van Nuys, CA. He focused on selling the traditional cuts of meats popular in his native Mexico with an emphasis on unequaled quality and the friendliest of customer service. He soon expanded the business to a second location and brought his four brothers into the business. From there the adventure truly began, as they worked together as a family to build both a reputation for excellence and a successful business.The Gonzalez brothers believed that the key to Vallarta’s success would be to combine elevated customer service with the highest quality products to serve the growing Hispanic community whose needs may not be addressed by big chain stores.That’s why, from the beginning, Vallarta Supermarkets offered a wider variety of the freshest, traditional foods from Mexico, and Central and South America than any other store. They offered specialty and traditional items customers couldn’t find anywhere else: cut-to-order Latin-style meats (ranchera, diesmillo, lomo de res), spices, fresh fruit and produce, delicious prepared foods, pan dulce made daily, plus everything else you would expect from a traditional grocery store. Fast forward to today where Vallarta has expanded its offerings to include a juice and aquas frescas bar, tortilleria, bakery (panaderia), a cevicheria and more.