Business Analyst – Fast-Track Apprenticeship Program
SIA Innovations · Transformation (Strategy) Analyst · Montréal, QC · Full-Time, Permanent · On-Site · Start: June 1, 2026
Is This Opportunity Right for You?
Before reading further, ask yourself three questions. Your honest answers will tell you whether this is the right fit.
1. Do you have the ambition to grow a career, not just hold a job?
SIA is structured like a top-tier professional services firm. We recruit entry-level talent with a single long-term objective: to develop your potential into a working equity partner, earned on merit, over the forthcoming years.
2. Are you passionate about leveraging technology to raise the bar on performance?
At SIA, the role is more thinking than doing. You are always "on" - always observing, wondering: "How could my clients benefit from this?" You seek improvements before anyone asks.
3. Do you have the drive to invest meaningfully in your own success?
We value thinkers who raise the bar through insight, not hours. Your contribution is measured by how well you learn, adapt, anticipate, and deliver - not by how long you sit at your desk. Fail fast. Reflect. Improve. That is our culture.
If you answered yes to all three, we want to hear from you.
About SIA Innovations
SIA Innovations is a boutique digital transformation consultancy operating at the forefront of AI and hybrid cloud adoption. Our mission is to propel organisations into the future with intelligent, user-centred solutions built primarily on IBM's enterprise technology stack.
Strategically located in the heart of downtown Montréal - with underground access to the Metro and REM - we work alongside Fortune 500 companies and leading public-sector organisations across Québec, Ontario, the Caribbean, and the United States. We guide these organisations in reimagining their business models, modernising their operations, and building AI-first, data-driven enterprises.
Our purpose: continuously raising the bar of expected business performance through applied, technology-enabled innovation.
The Role
As a Business Analyst (Apprentice), you are the bridge between client business needs and technology solutions. You help clients reimagine their processes, coordinate project delivery, and create value you can point to - starting from your first month.
This is a 16-month structured apprenticeship designed for driven recent graduates ready to launch their careers at the intersection of business strategy and enterprise technology. It combines hands-on client project work with dedicated learning, building both range and depth progressively.
Beyond project responsibilities, you are expected to invest a minimum of 8 hours per week in structured internal learning across cognitive skills, interpersonal development, industry knowledge, and technical expertise. Staying current with the evolving landscape of AI and enterprise technology is a core expectation, not an optional extra.
What You Will Do
Your responsibilities at SIA are a direct expression of the firm's five core values. We hire for attitude and behaviour first; technical skills are developed on the job.
Value Creation - Seek better ways to serve clients and improve processes
- Work on consulting mandates helping clients reimagine their business processes using IBM AI and hybrid cloud technologies
- Contribute to R&D initiatives developing new SIA intellectual property and proprietary methodologies
- Conduct applied research to enhance SIA's service offerings and delivery frameworks
- Support the onboarding of new team members into SIA's tools, processes, and culture
- Maintain an active professional presence through IBM TechXchange communities, industry meetups, and networking events
Commitment to Clients - Take ownership of outcomes, not just activities
- Partner with client stakeholders to elicit needs, document requirements, and manage expectations with clarity
- Estimate, plan, and coordinate project activities, keeping all parties informed throughout the engagement lifecycle
- Design test plans, support testing phases, and deliver end-user training
- Manage end-to-end project delivery coordination: tasks, communications, dependencies, and progress reporting through to client sign-off
Servant Leadership - Elevate your team and share knowledge generously
- Support technical leads by managing schedules, tracking task interdependencies, and preparing progress reports
- Contribute to business development through discovery meetings, client presentations, and proposal development
- Guide new team members through SIA's culture, ways of working, and professional standards
- Develop your professional brand through LinkedIn activity and IBM partner community engagement
- Participate in SIA corporate events, IBM and Arrow learning sessions, client relationship activities, and industry conferences
Sustainable Practices - Communicate effectively and foster continuous improvement
- Prepare and deliver monthly internal knowledge-sharing presentations on IBM products and emerging technologies
- Participate actively in your assigned IBM TechXchange community
- Contribute to solution designs that are innovative, operationally viable, and built to last
- Engage in ongoing research and experimental development to refine SIA's methodologies and service offerings
Empowered Teams - Act with initiative, autonomy, and ownership
- Take shared ownership of business outcomes with your project team
- Manage project delivery end-to-end: activities, communications, and progress reporting
- Support the marketing and sales team through discovery meetings, business case development, and RFP responses
- Relieve technical service leaders of administrative burden by managing schedules, interdependencies, and resource availability
The Consulting Environment: What to Expect
Working in a boutique IT consultancy is both rewarding and demanding. Here is an honest overview.
What You Gain
- Challenging, high-impact work across AI, hybrid cloud, and digital transformation engagements
- Direct exposure to Fortune 500 and leading public-sector clients across Canada, the United States, and the Caribbean
- Hands-on experience with IBM AI and hybrid cloud platforms in production environments
- A dynamic, Agile work environment with empowered, cross-functional teams
- Accelerated career advancement on a clearly defined partner track
- Competitive compensation, performance incentives, and a comprehensive benefits package
- Structured mentorship, continuous learning, and real opportunity for personal growth
- Access to IBM partner events, industry conferences, and professional networking communities
What We Expect of You
- A commitment to prioritising your professional development alongside client delivery
- Flexibility to adapt to client working hours, site requirements, and dress codes when on-site
- Willingness to invest time outside regular business hours in learning, networking, and corporate activities
- Readiness for occasional travel, including overnight stays, to meet client timelines
- Personal agility when priorities shift unexpectedly; ownership of outcomes, not just assigned tasks
- Availability for client or project-critical situations, even during personal time off
- Vacation and time-off planning (maximum two consecutive weeks) within designated slow periods
Skills That Will Help You Thrive
We hire for talent and attitude. Technical skills can be developed; character cannot. Candidates are evaluated across four dimensions.
1. Hard Skills – Your Academic and Technical Background
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Management Information Systems, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Business Technology Management, or a related field. Minimum 3.5 GPA required; a master's degree is an asset.
- Business analysis fundamentals: requirements gathering, process mapping, gap analysis, and use-case documentation
- Familiarity with project management and collaboration tools such as ClickUp, Mural, FigJam, Figma, or Miro
- Foundational understanding of IT architecture concepts sufficient to collaborate with technical teams
- Basic data literacy and exposure to analytical tools, including SQL, Python, prompt engineering, or large language model (LLM) interfaces
- Proficiency with Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint) and communication platforms such as Webex or Slack
- Prior experience with IBM offerings is a strong asset
2. Soft Skills – How You Operate
- Full professional bilingualism in French and English, spoken and written, is required
- Strong presentation and storytelling skills: the ability to distil complex ideas into clear, compelling narratives for any audience
- Consistent, reliable delivery against milestones and deadlines
- Proactive, outcome-oriented communication with clients, project leads, and senior stakeholders
- Discipline, organisation, and time management across concurrent priorities
3. Human Skills – Who You Are
- You demonstrate integrity: you say what you mean and consistently do what you say
- You are emotionally intelligent - self-aware, empathetic, interpersonally sensitive, and composed under pressure
- You bring a creative mindset grounded in business and technology context, going beyond conventional solutions
- You lead by attitude and behaviour, not by title
4. Brain Skills – How You Think
- A structured problem-solver: you navigate complex, open-ended challenges with no predefined answer
- A strategic thinker: you connect business context to technology possibilities
- A multi-threaded thinker: you hold and advance several lines of analysis at once
- An agile learner: you absorb new tools, frameworks, and domain knowledge quickly
- Intellectually resilient: you sustain rigorous thinking in high-intensity, fast-moving environments
- A systems thinker: you understand how the components of a business or technology ecosystem interact and influence one another
The Fast-Track Apprenticeship Program
Growth here is aggressive, structured, and merit-based. You will not wait years for a title change.
The FTA Program is a structured 16-month apprenticeship designed to develop a high-potential recent graduate into the next generation of transformation consultant. By the end of the program, you will have built a strong foundation in business strategy and technology delivery, ready to generate real, measurable client value.
Phase 1: Pre-Fast-Track Apprentice (Months 1–8)
The foundational phase. Three pillars are developed simultaneously: business consulting craft, technology fluency, and SIA methodology. This phase builds breadth, giving you the vocabulary, frameworks, and client-facing confidence to contribute from day one.
Phase 2: Fast-Track Apprentice (Months 9–16)
The depth phase. Industry-specific knowledge, client insights, and domain expertise take centre stage. You will contribute as an active analyst on real internal and external client engagements - not as an observer, but as a delivering team member.
Note: The first two months require approximately 12–15 hours of project work per week, alongside onboarding and structured learning. This is real, not theoretical. You will be working on live projects from your first week.
Career Growth and the Partner Path
Upon successful completion of each stage, you progress in title, responsibility, and compensation.
| Program |
Title |
Timeline |
Salary Range |
| Fast-Track Apprenticeship |
Associate Business Analyst |
Months 1–16 (Year 1–2)
|
$80,164 – $85,735 |
| V-Based Skills Development |
Senior Business Analyst |
Months 17–32 (Year 2–3)
|
$91,533 – $102,784 |
| PCP Leadership |
Lead Solution Analyst |
Months 33–48 (Year 3–4)
|
$111,780 – $122,863 |
The ultimate destination: Working Equity Partner. Upon demonstrating sustained individual performance, leadership capability, and a meaningful enterprise contribution (approximately $500,000 in gross profit from client work), you become eligible for equity partnership in eight years or fewer. This is earned, not guaranteed.
How Your Performance Is Measured
Success at SIA is defined by outcomes, not activity. These KPIs form the basis of your performance evaluation:
- Personal Billings: Quarterly billing attainment against entry-level FTA minimum and target thresholds
- Quality of Deliverables: Accuracy, clarity, and completeness of requirements documents, process models, test plans, and client reports
- Client Satisfaction: Structured feedback from clients and project leads on delivery quality and professionalism
- Learning Milestones: Timely completion of FTA modules, IBM certifications, and internal knowledge-sharing presentations
- Corporate Objectives: Contribution toward quarterly attainment of four defined corporate goals ($300 incentive per objective, per quarter)
- Financial Contribution: Gross profit generated, net of direct and indirect costs, measured quarterly
- Pre-Sales Support: Contribution to RFPs, proposals, discovery meetings, and client-facing presentations
- Social & Brand Engagement: Professional networking activity, event participation, IBM TechXchange community involvement, and promotion of SIA's brand
You are also expected to consistently demonstrate:
- A genuine growth mindset: coachable, teachable, and adaptable in the face of challenge
- Reliable delivery against milestones and project deadlines
- Active participation in team learning sessions, peer coaching, and internal knowledge-sharing
- Alignment with SIA's five core values in your daily attitudes and behaviours
- Proactive, outcome-oriented communication with clients, project leads, and senior stakeholders
Eligibility and Position Details
- Work Model: 100% on-site, five days per week, Montréal, QC
- Location: Downtown Montréal (underground connection to the Metro and REM station)
- Travel: Available for domestic and international travel (Canada, USA, Caribbean), including overnight stays as required
- Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
- Start Date: June 1, 2026
Why 100% on-site? Consulting is a thinking profession, and great thinking happens in proximity to your team. Collaboration, creative problem-solving, and the informal mentorship that shapes strong consultants are all fundamentally in-person experiences. We build a culture where ideas travel fast and relationships run deep.
Your Well-Being Matters
SIA offers a comprehensive total rewards package designed to support your health, financial security, and quality of life:
- Comprehensive group insurance plan (dental, medical, life insurance, disability, and more)
- Competitive base salary with performance-based incentives
- Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP)
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Fully stocked snack and refreshment station
- Active social event program, including family-friendly engagement activities throughout the year
How to Apply
If what you have read speaks to who you are and what you are looking for, we want to hear from you.
Submit your CV and your unofficial transcript, along with a focused cover letter of one page maximum that addresses two questions:
- Why is the SIA Fast-Track Apprenticeship the right fit for you at this stage of your career?
- Why does digital transformation matter to you, personally and professionally?
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
SIA Innovations · siainnovations.com · careers@siainnovations.com · Montréal, QC
