Assurance Analyst

Assurance Analyst

Department Overview

The Technology division leads and supports all aspects of technology delivery across the Bank, from maintaining critical systems which underpin the UK economy, to providing big data analytics, implementing comprehensive cyber security programmes, and introducing innovative solutions in support of a digital workplace.

Technology’s key objective is to support all other areas of the Bank in achieving our collective mission to promote the good of the people of the UK by maintaining monetary and financial stability. This is achieved through the delivery of appropriate, high performing, resilient solutions and information services across the organisation and externally.

Job description

The Assurance Analyst role sits as part of Test Enablement function within Digital Assurance & Productivity Domain within the Digital Platform Division. This function is principally responsible for defining, establishing and forward planning the Bank’s portfolio release & test environment management function. Collaborating with other related functions to coordinate release and test environment activity and to take charge of and own risks. It is also responsible for the process of managing, planning, scheduling, governing and controlling a software release through the different development lifecycle stages and environments; this can include deploying software releases, contention management and working closely with delivery and testing teams as well as the Business. Main responsibilities include:

• Scheduling and planning releases
• Maintaining and distributing a release schedule
• Working collaboratively and managing communication with relevant stakeholders
• Maintaining records and controlling environment usage to support release and change management activities
• Engagement with Service to ensure Releases follow the Change Management process
• Co-ordinate software implementations across test (controlled environments) and Live environments
• Written and verbal communication skills for presenting across both Business and Technology teams
• A firm grasp of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Provide input and support for Releases being represented at the Change Advisory Board (CAB)
• Knowledge of Change, Release and Test Environment Management tools (e.g. Remedy, Plutora, Jira, Azure DevOps)
• Provide support in collating and reviewing the artefacts required for every release (Release Acceptance Criteria)
• Provide administration support including arranging meetings, minute taking, documentation, resource request for release, change request closure, record keeping and audit support
• Flexibility (there will be some out of hours work)

Role Requirements

Minimum Essential Criteria

Core Skills

• Previous experience working in a service management role
• Knowledge of change and release management principles and the processes required for supporting them
• Understanding of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
• Knowledge of test environment management (route to Live)
• Knowledge of Service Management tool (Remedy, Service Now or similar tool)

Soft Skills

• Clear planning and organisation skills
• Can do attitude
• Attention to detail
• Time management
• Excellent team working skills
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Analytical thinking
• Problem solving

Desirable Criteria

Technical Skills

Our Approach to Inclusion

The Bank values diversity, equity and inclusion. We play a key role in maintaining monetary and financial stability, and to do that effectively, we believe we need a workforce that reflects the society we serve.

At the Bank of England we want all colleagues to feel valued and respected, so we're working hard to build an inclusive culture which supports people from all backgrounds and communities to be at their best at work. We celebrate all forms of diversity, including (but not limited to) age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, race, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. We believe that it’s by drawing on different perspectives and experiences that we’ll continue to make the best decisions for the public.

We welcome applications from individuals who work flexibly, including job shares and part time working patterns. We've also partnered with external organisations to support us in making adjustments for candidates and employees in the recruitment process where they're needed.

For most roles where work can be carried out at home, we aim for colleagues to spend half of their time in the office, with a minimum of 40% per month. Subject to that minimum requirement, individuals and managers should work together to find what works best for them, their team and stakeholders.

Finally, we're proud to be a member of the Disability Confident Scheme. If you wish to apply under this scheme, you should check the box in the ‘Candidate Personal Information’ under the ‘Disability Confident Scheme’ section of the application.

Salary and Benefits Information

This specific role offers a base salary of circa £32,000 - £36,000 per annum (depending on skills and experience) on a full-time basis. We encourage flexible working, part time working and job share arrangements. Part time salary and benefits will be on a pro-rated basis as appropriate.

In addition, we also offer a comprehensive benefits package as detailed below:

• A non-contributory, career average pension giving you a guaranteed retirement benefit of 1/95th of your annual salary for every year worked. There is the option to increase your pension (to 1/50th) or decrease (to 1/120th) in exchange for salary through our flexible benefits programme each year.
• A discretionary performance award based on a current award pool.
• A 7% benefits allowance with the option to take as salary or purchase a wide range of flexible benefits. (Note that from April 2023 and for the Benefits year 2023/24, this will increase to 8%)
• 26 days’ annual leave with option to buy up to 12 additional days through flexible benefits.
• Private medical insurance and income protection.

National Security Vetting Process

Employment in this role will be subject to the National Security Vetting clearance process (and typically can take between 6 to 12 weeks post offer) and the passing of additional Bank security checks in accordance with the Bank policy. Further information regarding the vetting and security clearance requirements for the role will be provided to the successful applicant, and information about how the Bank processes personal data for these purposes, is set out in the Bank's Privacy Notice