At a Glance
- Tasks: Shape and deliver innovative projects by defining business needs and translating them into actionable requirements.
- Company: Join Costain, a leader in smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's key sectors.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, professional development, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth and collaboration in a forward-thinking company.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on projects that improve lives and drive efficiency in essential services.
- Qualifications: 4-7 years in tech project support, with strong analytical and communication skills.
The predicted salary is between 49500 - 60500 £ per year.
The Business Analyst plays a critical role in shaping and delivering project initiatives and programmes by defining business capabilities, modelling enterprise processes, and translating strategic objectives into actionable requirements. Operating across strategic, operational, and compliance domains, the postholder ensures that solutions are architected with integrity, governed effectively, and aligned to regulatory, stakeholder, and delivery expectations. The role heavily supports project and programme definition, benefits realisation, and continuous improvement through structured analysis. The role is key to unlocking the delivery of projects and programmes within the IT function and across the business and forms a critical part of the governance process within the PMO.
Key Accountabilities
- Strategy and Discovery
- Conduct stakeholder interviews, workshops, and process reviews to elicit business needs and pain points
- Analyse current-state operations, systems, and data flows to identify transformation opportunities
- Support the development of business cases, benefits maps, and strategic alignment artefacts
- Design and document business models illustrating the interaction of processes, systems, and functions that underpin the delivery of products and services to clients and intermediaries
- Define underlying business capabilities and associated requirements
- Responsibilities Requirements and Documentation
- Translate business needs into clear, testable functional and non-functional requirements
- Maintain traceability matrices linking requirements to strategic objectives, KPIs, and compliance standards
- Produce board-ready documentation, process maps, and operational artefacts to support delivery and assurance
- Maintain business models and architectural artefacts in a structured, accessible format
- Ensure models reflect changes from regulatory updates, market evolution, business strategy, or technology advancements
- Project and Change Support
- Collaborate with project managers, architects, and delivery teams to validate feasibility and alignment
- Support change control processes and impact assessments for evolving requirements
- Assist in planning and execution of UAT, defect triage, and post-implementation reviews
- Assess the business impact of change and support the development of clear business and IT requirements
- Ensure alignment of solutions with architectural and operational integrity
- Governance and Compliance
- Ensure documentation meets audit, legal, and regulatory scrutiny (e.g. ISO, GDPR, sector-specific standards)
- Contribute to governance forums, steering groups, and assurance reviews
- Support risk identification and mitigation through structured analysis and reporting
- Support governance processes including architecture reviews, standards, and delivery pipelines to ensure alignment with strategic goals
- Contribute to continuous improvement of business analytical tools, templates, and methodologies
- Stakeholder Engagement and Communication
- Engage with internal and external stakeholders to capture needs, validate requirements, and manage expectations
- Facilitate workshops, walkthroughs, and review sessions to ensure shared understanding and alignment
- Communicate analysis outputs clearly across technical, legal, and operational audiences
- Communicate with key internal stakeholders to ensure clarity around the impact of change, resolve issues, and gain consensus on future state design and implementation
- Performance Monitoring and Benefits Realisation
- Support definition and tracking of KPIs and critical success factors
- Contribute to benefits realisation frameworks, ensuring requirements and models are linked to measurable outcomes
- Assist in validating benefit assumptions and embedding accountability for delivery
- Technical Awareness and Opportunity Identification
- Maintain awareness of emerging technologies and digital trends relevant to programme objectives
- Identify opportunities for automation, optimisation, and innovation through structured analysis
- Collaborate with technical teams to ensure solutions are scalable, secure, and sustainable
Knowledge, Skills, and Experience
- Essential
- 4-7 years' experience in supporting technology projects and programmes
- Experience in business analysis and business architecture within technology projects and programmes
- Professional certifications (e.g. BCS, IIBA, TOGAF, Lean Six Sigma)
- Strong understanding of Agile, Waterfall, and hybrid delivery models
- Demonstrated ability to produce compliant, auditable documentation and architectural artefacts
- Experience engaging senior stakeholders, legal teams, and technical leads
- Familiarity with governance, risk, and compliance frameworks in regulated sectors
- Skilled in tools such as Jira, Confluence, Visio, BPMN, and enterprise modelling platforms
- Facilitate workshops and collate outcomes and actions to be communicated to different levels within the business
- Desirable
- Experience in construction, legal, or other regulated environments
- Knowledge of digital twin, BIM, or sector-specific platforms
- Experience supporting procurement, contract analysis, or supplier engagement
Personal Attributes
- Strategic and analytical thinker with attention to detail
- Resilient and adaptable in dynamic, multi-stakeholder environments
- Committed to clarity, traceability, and continuous improvement
- Able to translate complex concepts into actionable insights and business models
- Comfortable operating across strategic, operational, and compliance domains
- Excellent communicator, both verbally and written
Qualifications
- Degree level
About Us
Costain helps to improve people's lives with integrated, leading edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK's energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK's leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future-shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery.
Our culture and values underpin everything we do. Costain appreciate the time and effort taken when applying for one of our positions but, due to the high volume of responses, we are unable to provide individual feedback on candidates at application phase. We do share individual feedback following an interview. A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that disclose they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people.
IT Business Analyst - employer: Costain
Costain is an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic work culture that prioritises employee growth and development within the vibrant environment of London Heathrow. As a leader in smart infrastructure solutions, we provide our team with unique opportunities to engage in transformative projects that contribute to a sustainable future, while fostering strong relationships across diverse stakeholders. Our commitment to safety, inclusivity, and professional advancement makes us an attractive choice for those seeking meaningful and rewarding careers.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land IT Business Analyst -
✨Get to Grips with Data Visualisation Tools
If you're aiming for a full-time role in business intelligence, brush up on your skills with popular data visualisation tools like Tableau or Power BI. Showcasing projects where you've transformed raw data into clear visual insights can give you a real edge.
✨Join Local Business Intelligence Meetups
Look for local business intelligence meetups or analytics conferences in your area. These events are not just great for learning but also for networking with industry professionals who could lead you to opportunities at companies like Costain!
✨Engage with Online BI Communities
Join online forums or communities focused on business intelligence—think LinkedIn groups, Reddit threads, or even dedicated Slack channels. Engage actively by sharing your insights and asking questions; this can help you build visibility and connect with potential employers.
✨Leverage Your University’s Career Support
If you're a recent graduate, definitely tap into your university's career services. Many have connections with companies in need of full-time BI specialists, and they can guide you on how to pitch yourself effectively—don't miss out on that!
We think you need these skills to ace IT Business Analyst -
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
Showcase Your Business Acumen:Don't just focus on data; show us how you can apply your insights to real-world business problems. Highlight projects where you made a tangible impact on company performance, and be prepared to explain your thought process in your cover letter.
Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at Costain, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
Include Relevant Certifications:Certifications like Google Data Analytics or similar qualifications can really make you stand out in business intelligence. Include these in your application, as they demonstrate your commitment to the field and your willingness to stay current with industry standards.
How to prepare for a job interview at Costain
✨Show off your analytical skills
In a business intelligence role, you're going to need to demonstrate your analytical prowess. Be prepared to discuss specific tools you've used, like SQL, Tableau, or Power BI. Have real-world examples ready where you’ve turned data into actionable insights – this is what makes us shine in interviews!
✨Practice your technical know-how
Expect some technical questions during the interview that dive deep into your understanding of data modelling and analytics frameworks. Brush up on your knowledge of data warehousing concepts and be ready to tackle any real case scenarios they might present. They’ll want to see how you approach problems using your BI toolkit.
✨Portfolio of Projects
Since it's a full-time role, having a strong portfolio is key! Compile case studies demonstrating your previous projects, preferably showing how your insights led to business improvements. This can help us display how you think through complex datasets and your problem-solving process, which is what employers are keen on seeing.
✨Know their business model
Get familiar with Costain’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.
