Power BI Developer

Power BI Developer

Type of Employment: EC

Job Summary

NCS is seeking an experienced BI Developer with strong Power BI Paginated Reports and SSRS expertise to join a major data platform transformation engagement. The role centres on re-developing 100+ Cognos List, Crosstab, and Active Report designs into pixel-perfect, print-ready Power BI Paginated Reports (Power BI Report Builder / RDL), including a subset migrating via or coexisting with SSRS during transition.

The successful candidate must be hands-on with RDL report design, tabular data regions, expressions, and parameterised/subscription-based delivery - not just interactive Power BI dashboards. They will work closely with the Data Engineering team, business stakeholders, and end-users to ensure delivered reports match Cognos originals exactly in layout, pagination, and numerical accuracy.

- Analyse existing Cognos List, Crosstab, and Active Report designs - including backend SQL, prompts/filters, and print layout rules - to fully understand business logic and formatting requirements.

- Redevelop 100+ Cognos reports as Power BI Paginated Reports using Power BI Report Builder, replicating exact page layout, headers/footers, grouping, and pagination behaviour required for operational and regulatory reporting.

- Build and optimise RDL-based tabular data regions, sub-reports, and drill-through structures for large, dense, print-oriented datasets.

- Configure report delivery via subscriptions in Power BI, scheduled rendering, and export formats (PDF, Excel, Word) matching current Cognos distribution patterns.

- Validate converted paginated reports against Cognos originals for numerical accuracy, pagination fidelity, and filter/parameter behaviour.

- Prepare source-to-target mappings for shared and report-specific datasets supporting paginated report requirements.

- Design efficient dataset queries (SQL / DAX) against the Databricks data mart layer, tuned for the larger row volumes typical of paginated/tabular reports.

- Collaborate with the Data Engineering team to define aggregated views and mart-layer structures required for high-performing paginated reports.

- Use AI-powered tools (Claude Code, Microsoft Copilot, Power BI MCP) to accelerate RDL and DAX conversion from Cognos source definitions.

- Critically evaluate AI-assisted output, apply corrections, and ensure final deliverables meet production quality, especially around exact-match pagination and formatting.

- Conduct workshops and walkthroughs with business users to validate report layouts, gather feedback, and obtain sign-off at each sprint review.

- Produce and maintain report specifications, RDL design mockups, and UAT scripts covering both on-screen and print/export validation.

- Provide post-migration support including bug fixes, performance tuning, and incremental enhancements during hypercare.

- Strong hands-on experience building Power BI Paginated Reports using Power BI Report Builder, including RDL authoring, expressions, and parameters.

- Proven hands-on experience with Cognos or SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) - report design, shared data sources/datasets, subscriptions, and the Report Server environment.

- Demonstrated experience migrating reports between paginated/tabular platforms (SSRS Power BI Paginated, or Cognos Power BI Paginated).

- Strong command of grouping, sub-reports, drill-through, and print layout control (page breaks, headers/footers, page sizing).

- Working knowledge of Power BI Desktop, Power BI Service, and DAX/Power Query - sufficient to support hybrid paginated + interactive reporting scenarios.

- Hands-on experience with Azure data services relevant to reporting: Azure SQL, Azure Synapse Analytics, and the Databricks connector.

- Minimum 3-5 years of relevant BI development experience, with at least 2 years specifically in paginated/tabular reporting (SSRS and/or Power BI Report Builder).

- At least 1-2 years of direct experience in a BI or reporting platform migration project.

- Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst (preferred)

- Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals (advantageous)

- IBM Cognos Analytics certification (advantageous)

- Strong technical and logical reasoning - able to independently decode complex Cognos/SSRS report logic and determine the best paginated-report implementation approach without hand-holding.

- Ownership and delivery accountability - takes full responsibility for report accuracy, layout fidelity, and timely delivery.

- Proactive risk awareness - anticipates migration complexity early, raises risks with proposed solutions rather than waiting for issues to escalate.

- Client stakeholder management - comfortable presenting report designs, conducting walkthroughs, and managing feedback sessions with business users.

- Vendor collaboration - works professionally with the incumbent data platform vendor, particularly in resolving schema gaps that affect report accuracy.

- Clear written and verbal communication - produces clean report specifications and communicates design decisions clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.