At a Glance
- Tasks: Join our team to analyse business needs and drive improvements in publishing systems.
- Company: Be part of Penguin Books, a leading name in the publishing industry.
- Benefits: Competitive salary up to £55,000, generous bonus scheme, and hybrid working.
- Other info: Enjoy a dynamic work environment with opportunities for professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on projects while working with a creative and innovative team.
- Qualifications: Experience as a Business Analyst with strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
We have a new opportunity for an experienced Business Analyst to join our Technology team in London on a 9‑month FTC basis. This role is offered with hybrid working, requiring 2 days per week onsite at our Embassy Gardens office.
As Business Analyst, you'll work within the Publishing Systems Centre of Excellence to support both project‑based initiatives and continuous improvement activities across Publishing Systems and operational workflows. You'll report to the Publishing Product Manager and will have responsibility for engaging with stakeholders across the business to understand challenges, identify opportunities for improvement and translate business needs into clear and actionable requirements. You'll use your expertise to support initiatives from initial ideation and discovery through to solution delivery, implementation and transition into production support.
Key Responsibilities- Business analysis and requirements management: Work with stakeholders to understand business needs and translate these into clear requirements, user stories, process flows and acceptance criteria. Produce clear, practical documentation to support delivery, testing, transition and change adoption. Ensure requirements are prioritised, traceable and aligned to business value throughout the delivery lifecycle. Facilitate workshops, requirement gathering sessions and stakeholder reviews.
- Project delivery and continuous improvement: Support a mix of strategic projects, system enhancements, operational change and continuous improvement activity. Help identify opportunities to improve workflows, reporting, system usage and operational consistency. Support backlog refinement, sprint planning, testing, implementation and post‑release activity. Help define business outcomes, success measures and expected benefits for change initiatives.
- Solution, change and data support: Work closely with Product Managers, technical teams, suppliers and business users to ensure solutions meet business needs. Support change requests from assessment and prioritisation through to delivery, communication and adoption. Assist with testing coordination, release planning, service transition and hyper‑care where required. Use business and system data to support analysis, validation, issue investigation and informed decision making.
- Proven experience as a Business Analyst working across the full Software Development Lifecycle, from discovery through to production delivery.
- Strong experience of gathering, analysing and documenting business, functional and non‑functional requirements.
- Experience of supporting both project delivery and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Confident in producing process maps, gap analysis, user stories, acceptance criteria and as‑is / to‑be documentation.
- Experience of working in Agile and/or Waterfall delivery environments, using tools such as Jira and Confluence.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to work with structured data, data mapping and system or process analysis.
- Experience of coordinating testing activity, including UAT support, defect tracking and post‑release validation.
- Able to track and manage change requests through the delivery lifecycle, including assessment, prioritisation and delivery.
- Exposure to Microsoft Power Platform technologies, including Power Apps.
- Experience of working within publishing, media, content management or similar operational environments.
- Experience of supporting operational change, process improvement and workflow optimisation.
- Exposure to data mapping, data validation or system configuration activities.
- Experience of supporting enterprise‑scale systems and business‑critical operational workflows.
- Familiarity with Azure DevOps or similar delivery and tracking tools.
- Experience of working with third‑party vendors or external suppliers.
The salary for this opportunity is up to £55,000 depending on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus a generous bonus scheme and benefits.
For this role we expect that you will work from our head office in Embassy Gardens, London a minimum of 2 days per week (with additional days for team meetings, town‑halls etc as required).
Business Analyst (9m FTC) employer: Bertelsmann
At Penguin Books Limited, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters creativity and collaboration. Our London office at Embassy Gardens provides a vibrant environment with hybrid working options, ensuring a healthy work-life balance while supporting your professional growth through diverse projects and continuous improvement initiatives. Join us to be part of a team that values innovation and empowers you to make a meaningful impact in the publishing industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Business Analyst (9m FTC)
✨Join Business Intelligence Meetups
We can’t stress enough how beneficial it is to attend local Business Intelligence meetups and events. These gatherings often bring together industry professionals and can lead to short-term, temporary roles—perfect if you’re looking to land something quickly. Plus, you’ll get to learn some insider tips and tricks from those already in the game!
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Whether you’re working on a personal project or a past endeavour, put your work out there! Create a public portfolio that highlights your best Business Intelligence analyses or visualisations. It’ll give you a leg up when you’re approaching companies like Bertelsmann, showing exactly what you can bring to the table.
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If you're currently studying or recently graduated, make sure to use your university's career services. Many educational institutions have partnerships with companies looking for temporary talent in Business Intelligence, so keep an eye out for exclusive job postings or internship fairs that could lead to a quick placement.
We think you need these skills to ace Business Analyst (9m FTC)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Data Skills:In business intelligence, it's crucial to highlight your analytical skills and experience with data tools. Make sure your CV showcases any relevant software you’ve used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Add specific examples of how you've used data to drive insights or improvements in previous roles, even if they were in academic projects or internships.
Keep it Concise and Impactful:For a temporary role like this, hiring managers often have limited time to sift through applications. Get straight to the point in your CV and cover letter. Use bullet points for your achievements, showcasing the impact you've made, like percentage increases in efficiency or specific results from your analyses.
Flexibility is Key:Since this is a temporary position, make sure to emphasise your adaptability. Mention your quick learning abilities and experiences where you adapted to new tools or processes rapidly. This will show that you can jump in and start contributing effectively from day one at Bertelsmann.
Craft a Tailored Motivation Statement:In your cover letter, focus on why you’re excited about this temporary role at Bertelsmann. Talk about your interest in business intelligence and how this position aligns with your career goals. Remember, it’s not just about what you can offer, but why you’re passionate about becoming part of their team, even for a short time!
How to prepare for a job interview at Bertelsmann
✨Brush Up on Your Data Skills
For a business intelligence role, you'll want to showcase your analytical skills and familiarity with data visualisation tools like Tableau or Power BI. Be ready to tackle technical questions or case studies demonstrating your ability to interpret data and make insightful recommendations.
✨Plan Your Portfolio of Projects
Since this is a temporary position, we should highlight any past projects you've worked on in business intelligence. Prepare a portfolio that includes a couple of key pieces where you've effectively utilised data to drive decisions—this will show that you're not just a quick fix but someone who can deliver immediate value.
✨Demonstrate Your Adaptability
Temporary roles often require us to hit the ground running, so be ready to discuss how you quickly adapt to new tools, teams, and environments. Share specific examples from previous experiences where you thrived under pressure or had to learn a new system or process in a short time frame.
✨Have Your Metrics Ready
In business intelligence, quantifying your impact is key. Come prepared to share metrics from your past work: think percentages, growth figures, or efficiency improvements. This will really help us paint a picture of how your contributions directly benefited those previous roles.
