Principal Business Analyst

At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over seven million GCSEs and A-levels each year and it’s our people who make this happen.

Principal Business Analyst 

Permanent

Manchester: £58,000 - £65,000 per year

Hybrid/Smart Working

If you are adept at leading a team of dedicated and knowledgeable software solutions professionals this could be your next job.

You are an experienced Business Analyst with experience and motivation to line manage a team of 5+ skilled software solution analysts and you are looking for a role which truly makes a difference in the lives of millions of learners and teachers -  look no further.

You will be leading a team of Business Analysts working on one of AQA’s Strategic Programmes to review, optimise and embed processes, supported by innovative and intuitive technologies, transforming assessment services into world class products, your work will be varied, interesting and exciting.   You will be essential in helping to complete AQA’s ongoing transition to a single, consistent set of cloud based technologies and move to an agile delivery model in line with current software development best practices and continually improving and enhancing that technology for new and changing business needs once that transition is complete.

 What’s in it for me?

• Generous Leave: Start with 25 days of annual leave, growing to 30 days, plus additional closure days between Christmas and New Year. 

• Volunteer Time: Take up to 5 paid days to volunteering for charities close to your heart. 

• Health Coverage: Enjoy private medical insurance through Bupa, covering all conditions from day one. 

• Wellbeing Support: Access the cycle-to-work scheme, on site gym and yoga room with a discounted on site café, corporate Headspace access and more

• Pension: Benefit from up to 11.5% employer pension contributions. 

• Smart Working: Enjoy a balanced 35-hour workweek with a mixture of in person and remote working – at AQA great things happen when we work together. 

What will I need to succeed?

• To live within a commutable distance of the Manchester office (M15 6EX)

• The  ability to provide leadership on analysis best practice and delivery

• The skills to line manage, mentor and coach other team members on business and technical analysis, driving personal and professional development to facilitate cross skilling in the team

• The ability to identify ways to continually improve team processes and ways of working and support the Head of Analysis in the creation of a centre of excellence for Analysis in AQA.

• Evidenced practical Business Analysis experience leading on process optimisation and change management

• Experience of problem solving, analytical thinking, workshop facilitation and driving project objectives to successful outcomes

• Effective communication and experience of working closely with cross-functional teams and different stakeholders

• Up to date knowledge of various techniques to elicit and manage requirements

• Are you skilled at developing detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and process flow diagrams?  

What next?

Read the full job description then upload your most recent CV with a cover letter explaining your suitability for the Principal Business Analyst job.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received so apply sooner rather than later.

Following a screening call from a recruiter, interviews will be over two stages, a Teams call with the hiring manager followed by a full panel interview lasting approximately one hour.

All applications will be responded to.

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Recruitment Agencies

We have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.

Unsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.

Full Job Description

Summary

To provide both hands-on delivery and leadership in the delivery of Software Solutions by the efficient and accurate translation of business need into requirements consumable by the technical delivery teams, in-line with agreed practices and under the direction of the Head of Analysis.

To help complete AQA’s ongoing transition to a single, consistent set of cloud-based technologies (technology re-platform) and move to an agile delivery model in line with current software development best practices (Scrum/Kanban; continuous delivery) – and to continually improve and enhance that technology for new and changing business needs, once that transition is complete.

Using excellent interpersonal skills and broad experience to provide hands-on support and mentoring to advance the skills of other software solution analysts, promoting the sharing of business and technical knowledge and adoption of analysis practices through mentoring, team meetings/lunch and learns, etc as well as formal written documentation.

Through strong leadership and technical skills, engender a culture of trust, openness, collective ownership, efficiency and technical excellenceKey Accountabilities
Support the Head of Analysis in implementing and continuously improving software and analysis practices, processes and tools aligned to agile and lean principles.
Ensure the successful delivery of software solutions projects in line with agreed timescales and priorities.
Provide leadership on analysis best practice and delivery for software solutions that are portable and can be supported, easily maintained and onwardly developed.
Mentor and coach other team members on business and technical analysis driving personal and professional development to facilitate cross skilling in the team, identify ways to continually improve team processes and ways of working and support the Head of Analysis in the creation of a centre of excellence for Analysis in AQA.
Drive the continuous improvement of ways of working in Software Solutions and of wider departmental practices.
Work with the business and technical teams to deliver the translation of requirements into statements of work, user stories, feature sets, use cases, identifying business benefits, high level designs, proposed solutions and prototypes in line with business priorities agreed as part of sprint planning & product backlog management.
Ensure all deliverables/documents, requirements catalogues, system, data and business process models – are comprehensive, consistent and accessible and are appropriate in order for the intended operational benefits to be achieved.
Work with the delivery teams (developers, testers, devops, architects, etc) to translate business needs into viable detailed specifications, architectural designs, data and information requirements and acceptance criteria, ensuring alignment with AQA’s Technology and Information strategies, standards and architecture (including non-functional requirements).
Work with business stakeholders to map “as is” and “to be” processes, to clarify requirements, features, improvements and potential solutions and to understand and describe the impact of change to the business and systems.
To support business in design and delivery of User Acceptance Testing (UAT) aligned to BSG’s overall Testing Approach and Strategy:
supporting the business in coordinating and designing the testing approach
supporting the business in defining the acceptance criteria
working with user communities to identify business scenarios
supporting user communities to write scripts against which to test to ensure that the changes being made meet the customers’ needs
supporting the production of test outputs/reports and the resolution of issues.
Work with business, other technical teams and external partners (third parties) to design, plan and deliver software solutions and software solution integrations.
To build and foster strong working relationships with colleagues, key business stakeholders, 3rd party partners and throughout AQA.
Undertake appropriate mitigation and avoidance actions as assigned, in accordance with identified Issues and Risks.
Facilitate product backlog management and iteration planning by providing estimates and advising on development approaches and options in the context of delivery cost and risk.
Keep systems of record (VSTS, Sharepoint etc) up to date to maintain a clear audit trail of software solutions work undertaken – and in turn produce and facilitate clear and accurate reporting and metrics on software solution activities.
Play a key role during the estimation phase, including the translation of requirements into statements of work, high level designs, proposed solutions and prototypes where appropriate.
Provide regular, simple, clear and accurate reporting and tracking on analysis activities.
Keep abreast of current state-of-the-art software solution analysis practices by undertaking reading and attending external events, and share learnings within the Software Solutions group to ensure practices remain appropriate and up to date.
Support the continuous professional development of team members and actively develop and facilitate cross skilling in the team to grow individual careers and reduce business risk to AQA Line manage Analysis team members to get the best outcomes for individuals and AQA in line with AQA’s practices, policies and procedures.
Support software solutions through the delivery of exam series, especially during the critical Summer exam period.
Deputise for workstream delivery leads as required.

General Accountabilities
To model leadership behaviours with confidence and to get the very best from direct reports and teams by providing clarity, feedback, coaching and development, while continuously seeking to enhance performance in line with business objectives.
To comply with all AQA’s policies and other legislative requirements, including but not limited to HSE, Equal Opportunities and ISMS.
Where business needs change, to undertake other responsibilities which are of a commensurate level outside the terms of this role profile.

Person Profile
Knowledge
I/P - A broad understanding of business in either a commercial or an educational environment
A/I/P - An expert knowledge of analysis techniques and the ability to analyse and produce accurate artefacts consumable by business stakeholders and technical delivery teams
A/I/P - A strong understanding of financial management in a project environment including supporting the creation of robust business cases
A/I/P - Understanding of at least one Systems Development Life Cycle methodology (eg Agile, Waterfall, Iterative)
A/I/P - Knowledge of data modelling techniques (eg Entity Relationship Modelling, Class Modelling, etc)
A/I/P - Sound knowledge of database tools and techniques used in the development of IT applications (querying databases, understanding models, creation and query of test databases)

Qualification
A - Degree level qualification in Software Engineering or a scientific discipline, or equivalent professional experience

Skills
A/I/P - Expertise in using a variety of tools and techniques to analyse business processes and recommend process improvements, including the use of requirements management, user stories and modelling tools/techniques when appropriate
I/P - Proven aural, oral and written communication skills to explain issues to technical and non-technical staff
A/I/P - Proven analytical skills to identify business objectives and potential solutions, with ability to analyse and document highly complex requirements and produce specifications
I/P - Proven ability to provide suitable test support for unit, system and User Acceptance  purposes
I/P - A proven ability to manage issues, risks and problems from identification through to  resolution
I/P - Strong interviewing skills to identify and capture core business goals and requirements
P - Demonstrable ability to produce and maintain high quality documentation
A/I/P - Demonstrable ability to manage, mentor and develop a team to achieve personal and business success
I/P - Demonstrates excellent facilitation skills (eg running workshops) to produce desired outcomes
I/P - Demonstrates excellent interpersonal skills in a variety of situations
I/P - Demonstrates resilience and calmness under pressure to meet tight deadlines in complex contexts
I/P - Receive feedback and learn from mistakes for continuous self-development
I/P - Ability to influence people at all levels, across the organisation and outside, including negotiating and successfully facilitating joint decision making
I/P - A proven ability to adapt to new IT methods, tools and procedures
I/P- Demonstrates proactive collaborative working across functional areas to deliver shared goals

Leadership skills
A/I/P - Ability to inspire and motivate team members and other colleagues
I/P - Ability to take ownership of both software solution delivery and continuous improvement activities, delivering through self and others
I/P - Ability to coach and mentor individuals to support individual development and wider departmental continuous improvement
I/P - Ability to lead by example to develop and maintain effective working relationships with a range of partners and stakeholders

Experience
A/I/P - Significant experience as a successful Analyst, with evidence of delivering tasks at a high level of quality, at all stages of the project lifecycle, from requirements gathering and clarification through to successful implementation
A/I - Experienced in conducting investigative interviews, requirements gathering and running associated workshops
A/I/P - Experience of the use of Prototyping tools and techniques to clarify user requirements
A/I - Experience of successfully redesigning processes and delivering benefits from business cases  across complex multi-functional and multi-site businesses
A/I/P - Demonstrable experience in successfully leading small Software Solutions teams to achieve personal and business success
A/I/P - Experience of line managing teams of technical staff, including active performance management
A/I/P - Experience using Application Lifecycle Management tooling, eg TFS, JIRA etc

AQA’s Behaviour Framework which is assessed through the selection/probation process
Assessment key (criteria to be assessed at the selection stage)
A – application (it is essential to provide evidence on application for shortlisting purposes)
I - interview
T – test (or work sample)
P – probation