Senior IT Analyst

Senior IT Analyst - Unsecured lending

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Welcome to Hastings Direct – From our Director of Unsecured Lending

You’ll probably know Hastings Direct as a digital insurance provider, but did you know we also have a growing unsecured lending business? We have a competitive product on market-leading systems offering customers guaranteed eligibility and real rates through price comparison websites (PCWs).

We have over four million customers, but know there’s even bigger opportunity out there and have ambitious plans to become The Best and Biggest in the UK market. We’ve made huge investments in our data and tech capabilities over the past few years, along with nurturing our 4Cs culture. We’re proud of the journey we’re on as a company and know that our continued success will rely on the contribution of our talented colleagues.  

The fact you’re now reading this job advert means we’ve tempted you to find out more about #lifeatHD – we really hope you like what you see, and you’ll join us to share in the success of the exciting chapter that lies ahead. We understand some people may not apply for jobs unless they feel they tick every box. If you are excited about joining us and think you have some of what we are looking for, even if you’re not 100% sure we would love to hear from you.  

Role overview   

We are looking for a skilled and proactive Senior IT Analyst to join our IT team. This role is responsible for overseeing and ensuring the smooth and efficient functioning of IT infrastructure and operations across the organization. 

The Senior IT Analyst will monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, support critical applications, and play a key role in optimizing our IT environment. This position requires a deep understanding of IT operations best practices, strong problem-solving skills, and experience managing complex IT environment.

Job details:

• The day to day roles and responsibilities will be varied and likely to develop over time as the team expands but we have managed to summarise it below into 5 categories:
• Lead troubleshooting efforts for complex incidents, diagnosing issues quickly and effectively to minimize downtime and service disruptions.
• Identify areas for operational improvement, develop workflows, and implement best practices to enhance efficiency, reliability, and scalability of IT systems.
• Support and lead change management processes, including system upgrades, patches, and configurations to ensure system integrity and minimize impact.
• Collaborate with security teams to ensure IT operations adhere to security standards and compliance requirements, including vulnerability management and access controls.
• Create and maintain detailed documentation on system configurations, processes, troubleshooting steps, and operational best practices for continuity and knowledge sharing.

Essential skills/experience:

• Effective decision making and problem-solving skills
• Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders and suppliers
• Possess strong analytical thinking, problem-solving and team management skills
• Experience with virtualization and cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud).
• Proficiency in automation and scripting (e.g., PowerShell, Python, Bash).
• Knowledge of backup, recovery, and disaster recovery best practices.
• Familiarity with IT service management frameworks, such as ITIL.

The interview process

• Recruiter screening call

• 1st stage introductory interview with hiring leader

• 2nd stage interview with hiring leader's leader

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you’re applying for a job with us, you’ll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS).For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our careers website  

Benefits: In addition to a competitive salary you will also receive… 

Flexible working – we champion a flexible hybrid working approach – please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail 

Competitive bonus scheme - all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus 

Financial wellbeing – as well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award winning package which includes – discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support 

Mental wellbeing programme – we have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs 

There's more! – 25 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your  weeks, access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more …. 

Join us and you’ll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you’ll be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we’ll give you all the support, training and development you need. Our 4Cs principles are simple: we believe by creating the right culture for our colleagues and giving them the right tools to do their job, we’ll deliver good outcomes for every customer, helping us to grow the company profitably and sustainably and allowing us to invest in the communities we serve.