Senior Business Analyst

The Home Office has one of the most challenging and critical jobs in Government. The Home Office is the lead government Department for immigration and passports, crime, police, fire, and counter terrorism. These significant issues are at the heart of the agenda of HM Government and intellectually stimulating, often controversial and regularly in the news. The challenges and opportunities the Department faces are significant and rapidly changing in the global environment in which we operate. Strong analytical advice is needed to navigate these challenges, and the Home Office has a reputation for putting analysis at the heart of decision-making.

Part of the Home Office Analysis & Insight directorate, the Performance Reporting & Analysis Unit (PRAU) provides reporting and analysis of performance for the Migration & Borders Mission and associated operational Capabilities. We support Ministers, the Executive Committee, Policy and Operational leads and other analytical functions with the management information (MI) that they need, as well as producing data for publication and other forms of external release. The Unit also provides advice and support to others in the Department on how to make best use of performance information and is leading on the transformation of MI systems and capabilities.

This post provides an opportunity to work in a fast-paced environment, which is inclusive by instinct, engaging with projects that work across the department to understand and deliver reporting requirements both short and long term, and provides an opportunity to understand first-hand how the different parts of the Home Office, and external bodies use and interact with key performance information. In addition, PRAU along with other areas of the Home Office, are going through a significant and exciting transformation to provide an enhanced MI service to the Department. The transformation encompasses technology and process, meaning that the role will require a degree of flexibility to deliver innovative activities to support and endorse the transformation, in addition to the responsibilities outlined below.

A Senior Business Analyst will lead small to medium sized projects managing specific epics/high level requirements. You will work on MI Product design, defining and embedding Business Analysis best practice and governance and ensure outcomes are aligned with the service vision and business strategy. You will also be involved in supporting and informing product iteration, evolution and optimisation.

You will build and manage effective stakeholder relationships internally and externally, regularly interacting with other technology deliveries. You will challenge constructively and act as a critical voice to stakeholders, delivery colleagues and customers in order to achieve solutions that are fit for purpose.

Your main day to day responsibilities will be:

• Understanding and defining the problem to be solved and ensuring strategic decision-making supports business outcomes as well as customer needs.
• Investigating operational and business needs and problems to assist in the recommendation of service improvement and MI product development.
• Working with other teams to develop and embed clear and consistent Business Analysis standards, guidance and templates.
• Eliciting, analysing and validating business requirements and customer needs, as well as business strategy problems, in the most appropriate and effective manner and format.
• Planning and leading large areas of Business Analysis delivery in collaboration with wider delivery teams (including other programmes), owning the challenge and driving through to conclusions.
• Supporting PRAU teams with the development of new MI products, from triaging demand of new MI requests, through to determining business requirements and delivery of end-product.
• Helping to build capability in BA methods and tools, ensuring consistency and quality in implementation, and acting as a subject matter expert and key point of contact.
• Modelling processes/procedures using established techniques with understanding of their purpose and importance.
• Contributing towards the development of Business Analysis practice and standards by managing communities-of-interest activities and coaching/mentoring colleagues.
• Supporting business process testing, through development of scenario-based acceptance criteria and BDD (behaviour driven development) to support automated testing.
• Production of periodic performance measures to inform stakeholders and drive discussion around the required service.

Important Information

PRAU is geographically spread across four primary locations (London, Liverpool, and Sheffield and Croydon).

Where business needs allow, some roles may be suitable for a combination of office and home-based working.  This is a non-contractual arrangement where all employees will be expected to spend a minimum of 60% of their working time in an office, subject to local estates capacity, by Spring 2024. Applicants can request further information regarding how this may work in their team from the Vacancy Holder (see advert for contact details).

Candidates will need to agree a base location of either Croydon, Sheffield or Liverpool with a requirement for periodic attendance at other Home Office locations.