Preparing for a Business Analyst interview at Peraton requires a balanced focus on technical execution, structured communication, and mission awareness. You should approach your preparation by focusing on the core areas where the hiring team will focus their evaluation.

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a strong grasp of business analysis frameworks, requirements engineering, and Agile/Scrum methodologies. Be ready to explain how you write user stories, define acceptance criteria, and manage a product backlog.

Clear Communication & Documentation – Because Peraton serves federal clients with strict compliance standards, your documentation must be flawless. You will be evaluated on your ability to write clearly and structured, which may include completing a writing sample during the interview process.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability – Government programs are subject to changing mandates, budget shifts, and evolving security requirements. Interviewers want to see that you can navigate ambiguity, think logically under pressure, and structure solutions to unexpected challenges.

Mission & Culture Alignment – Working at Peraton means supporting critical national security and public sector programs. Show that you understand the unique constraints of government contracting, value data security, and are motivated by contributing to a larger national mission.

The interview process for a Business Analyst at Peraton is designed to be thorough, structured, and team-oriented. Candidates typically experience a multi-stage process that moves at a steady pace, focusing heavily on both your technical competency and how well you will integrate into the existing team structure.

The process generally begins with an initial screening by a recruiter, followed by a first-round interview with the hiring manager. This initial conversation focuses on your background, your experience with federal systems or large-scale projects, and your high-level alignment with the team's needs. The second round is typically a panel interview featuring two to three team leads and managers. This round goes deeper into your situational judgment, technical skills, and behavioral competencies. Additionally, candidates are often asked to submit a writing sample to prove their ability to draft clear, professional documentation.

This timeline outlines the typical path from your initial application to a final decision. While the overall process is highly structured, the exact timing can vary depending on the specific program's clearance requirements and contract timelines. Candidates should use this overview to pace their preparation, ensuring they are ready for both conversational screens and deeper technical assessments.

To succeed in the Peraton interview process, you must understand the specific areas where the hiring panel will focus their evaluation. You will be assessed on your practical application of business analysis principles within a highly regulated environment.

Requirements Engineering & Analysis

This is the core of the Business Analyst role. The panel will evaluate how you elicit, analyze, document, and manage requirements throughout the project lifecycle. They want to see that you do not just act as a "pass-through" for requirements, but that you actively analyze them for feasibility, security, and business value.

Be ready to go over:

• Elicitation Techniques – How you run workshops, conduct interviews, and use document analysis to uncover hidden requirements.
• User Story Mapping – Your process for breaking down high-level business goals into epic-level initiatives and detailed user stories.
• Acceptability Criteria – Writing clear, testable acceptance criteria using frameworks like Given-When-Then (Gherkin).
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) 2.0, data dictionary creation, and system interface mapping.

Example scenarios:

• "Draft a set of functional requirements for a legacy database migration where the original system documentation is completely missing."
• "Explain how you would handle a situation where a developer tells you a prioritized requirement is technically impossible within the current sprint."

Stakeholder Management & Communication

Working in federal contracting means dealing with a diverse set of stakeholders, from military personnel and government program managers to internal software engineers and security officers. You must demonstrate that you can adjust your communication style to match your audience and manage expectations effectively.

Be ready to go over:

• Client-Facing Communication – Presenting technical updates, managing scope creep, and handling difficult client conversations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration – How you work alongside developers, QA testers, and project managers to keep the team aligned.
• Conflict Resolution – Navigating disagreements regarding project priorities or system design choices.

Example scenarios:

• "A government stakeholder insists on adding a feature that violates the agreed-upon project scope. How do you handle this conversation?"
• "Describe how you would prepare for a major system demonstration to a group of high-level federal executives."

Agile Methodologies & SDLC

Peraton utilizes modern software development methodologies to deliver solutions efficiently. You need to show a deep familiarity with how a Business Analyst operates within these frameworks, particularly in Agile and Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) environments.

Be ready to go over:

• Sprint Planning & Backlog Grooming – Your role in organizing, prioritizing, and preparing the backlog for development team sprints.
• Agile Ceremonies – Your participation and leadership in daily standups, retrospectives, and sprint reviews.
• Jira & Confluence – Utilizing these industry-standard tools to track progress, document requirements, and maintain a single source of truth.

Example scenarios:

• "How do you ensure that your user stories are 'Ready' for development before a sprint planning session begins?"
• "Describe your experience working in a SAFe environment and how you coordinate requirements across multiple Agile Release Trains (ARTs)."

As a Business Analyst at Peraton, your daily work will revolve around ensuring that project teams are building the right solutions to meet complex government needs. You will be embedded within a program team, working closely with technical leads and project managers.

• Eliciting and Documenting Requirements: You will lead requirements gathering sessions, workshops, and interviews with federal stakeholders to define clear system requirements.
• Creating Functional Specifications: You will translate business needs into detailed functional specifications, user stories, acceptance criteria, and process flow diagrams.
• Managing the Product Backlog: You will assist the Product Owner or Project Manager in prioritizing the backlog, ensuring that development work aligns with overall contract milestones.
• Supporting Testing and QA: You will work alongside testing teams to ensure that developed features meet the defined acceptance criteria and align with the original business requirements.
• Facilitating Communication: You will act as the primary point of contact between the technical development team and non-technical client stakeholders, translating complex concepts into clear language for both groups.
• Assisting with Change Management: You will support the implementation of new systems by drafting user manuals, training materials, and system documentation to ease the transition for government users.

To be competitive for a Business Analyst position at Peraton, you must meet a combination of technical, professional, and compliance-related standards.

• Must-have skills:

  • 3+ years of professional experience as a Business Analyst or Systems Analyst, preferably within a structured software development environment.
  • Strong proficiency in writing detailed functional requirements, user stories, and acceptance criteria.
  • Practical experience working within Agile, Scrum, or SAFe development methodologies.
  • Excellent technical writing skills, with the ability to produce clean, professional documentation under tight deadlines.
  • U.S. Citizenship, as the vast majority of positions require eligibility to obtain a federal security clearance (e.g., Secret or Top Secret).

• Nice-to-have skills:

  • An active federal security clearance (Secret or TS/SCI).
  • Prior experience working on government contracts or supporting federal agencies (DoD, DHS, VA, etc.).
  • Professional business analysis certifications, such as the IIBA Certified Business Analysis Professional (CBAP) or PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA).
  • Hands-on experience with tools like Jira, Confluence, Microsoft Visio, and SQL for basic data querying.