Head of Business Analysis

The primary focus of this role is to own and drive the organisation’s Business Analysis capability, ensuring that the organisation can effectively translate business needs into clear, actionable requirements for delivery and execution. Your role will be pivotal in delivering against our ambitious transformation strategy which includes delivery of digital, operational, regulatory and technology & infrastructure initiatives.

As the Head of Business Analysis, you will lead a team of Senior Business Analysts and Business Analysts, driving the best practice disciplines and consistent approaches required as part of building a high performing Business Analyst capability. In addition to your management role, you will also be expected to act as the oversight and escalation point for key projects and programmes, which may require supporting Business Analysis activities as needed.

You will establish strong working relationships with key Openwork sponsors and Product Owners to understand business goals, requirements and organisational constraints. You will work closely with Heads of Portfolios and delivery teams to ensure key requirements and design milestones are met on time and to a quality standard as part of projects roadmaps. You will establish effective working relationships with Architecture and Technology teams, to ensure business needs are documented and communicated for delivery. You will also play a key role in shaping solutions and be a critical member of the Enterprise Design Authority. This is a hybrid role based in our Swindon office.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading a team of Senior Business Analysts and Business Analysts, providing management, coaching and support.
• Manage and advise on resource demands from the business for business analysis support.
• Proactively support the prioritisation of business analysis activities across the organisation.
• Be the guardians of business analysis and design discipline, process, toolkits and frameworks.
• Ensure high quality business analysis capability is being provided to projects across the organisation.
• Support Heads of Portfolios to identify where business analysis capabilities are required and prioritise effectively.
• Support Heads of Portfolio Delivery, Programme Managers and Project Managers to monitor the quality of business analysis on projects.
• Provide hands on business analysis for highly complex projects and programmes, solutions may cover multiple business areas.
• Provide oversight and quality assurance over key business analysis deliverables and milestones.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for senior stakeholders, including business stakeholders, technology teams, and external partners for the successfully provision of business analysis.
• Constantly monitor quality of business analysis provision.
• Communicate risks, and issues to stakeholders in a clear and timely manner.
• Foster strong relationships with stakeholders to ensure alignment and support for project objectives.

What will you need to succeed?

• Extensive experience in business analysis, having worked within the financial services industry.
• Experience of building or managing business analysis teams from inception.
• Experience of delivering high quality business analysis outputs as part of a multi-year transformation programme including digital, technology and operational initiatives.
• Experience of broader Enterprise Design concepts, governance and track record of working closely with Architecture Teams.
• Strong communication skills; ability to synthesise complex information.
• Problem solving skills with the ability to filter, prioritise, analyse and validate potentially complex and dynamic material.
• Budget, risk and plan management.
• Analytical thinking and quantitative oversight, ability to provide quality assurance on the analysis of complex data and derive meaningful insights.
• Ability to adapt to changing business environments and priorities.
• Able to ensure wide understanding and buy-in, be able to simplify complexity for wider understanding.

Why us?

We’re a dynamic, fast paced, and growing business with huge ambition. This is all made possible by the brilliant people who are part of The Openwork Partnership family. We’re investing heavily in our colleagues, continuously striving to give them the platform to develop personally and professionally and reach their full potential. We’re also very proud of our culture, as one of the Best 100 Large Companies to work for in 2022. The Openwork Partnership values, and respects individuality and we are committed to building an inclusive culture and environment which truly recognises and celebrates our colleague’s individual differences and identities – just like our financial advice, for us, it’s personal. We believe everyone can make a difference and your race, religion, disability, and gender will never be a barrier. At Openwork, we have a strong ethic of care for each other where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. We believe that you will bring your best self to work if you are trusted to choose when, where and how you do it.