Associate Business and Quality Analyst

Location: Haywards Heath, Home Office (Remote) or Manchester

Salary: £30,000 – £38,000 depending on experience

Department: Commercial

We’re First Central Insurance & Technology Group (First Central for short), an innovative, market-leading insurance company. We protect the things customers love so they can get on with what matters to them in life.

Data drives us. It fuels our outstanding distribution, finance, technology and legal services. Our underwriting skills are built on data expertise; it creates the insights we need to give the right cover to the right customers at the right price. But, it’s the people inside and outside our business that power us. They make us stand out, help us succeed. We’re ambitious. We’re growing. We’ve won awards.

Are you a Business or Quality Analyst with a knack for requirements gathering and a solid understanding of Agile and Scrum methodologies? Do you have a passion for ensuring data quality, managing DevOps practices and thrive in dynamic environments? If so, we are looking for someone like you to join our team and help drive our projects to success.

We’re looking for an Associate Business & Quality Analyst to join our Commercial & Marketing team either working remotely or based in our Salford Quays, Manchester or Haywards Heath, West Sussex offices.

In this role you’ll play a critical role in ensuring the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of data reporting and analytics within the Commercial Data team. You will be joining us in a hybrid between a Business Analyst (BA) and a data/report Quality Assurance (QA) specialist.

The role involves gathering and understanding business requirements for BI and data-related projects while ensuring the quality of reporting and analytics outputs through rigorous validation and testing processes. You will be central to both the delivery of high-quality data insights and validating their accuracy.

Core skills we’re looking for to succeed in the role:

• Proven Business Analyst experience
• Strong requirement gathering skills
• Data Validation and integrity checking experience
• Understanding of DevOps practices
• Understanding of Data Governance frameworks and controls

What’s involved:

• Collaborate with business stakeholders to gather requirements for data projects, reports, and BI dashboards
• Translate business needs into detailed documentation and technical specifications for the Commercial Data team to develop effective BI and data solutions
• Facilitate workshops and discussions to ensure clarity and alignment on project objectives and deliverables
• Conduct thorough testing and validation of data outputs, reports, and dashboards to ensure they meet business requirements and are free from errors
• Develop and execute QA test plans for data projects, including data quality checks, data migration validation, and report accuracy testing
• Responsible for prioritising data issues and communicating to individuals who may be impacted
• Participate in the development of data quality standards that must be applied to the data sets that are both used and produced within the Commercial Data Team
• Own and manage the backlog in Azure DevOps, including prioritisation of tasks, sprint planning, and ensuring that PBIs, features and epics are up-to-date and aligned with team objectives
• Lead team scrum meetings, ensuring clear communication of progress, blockers, and task allocation across the team
• Assist in planning sprint activities, managing timelines, and coordinating with developers and analysts to ensure efficient delivery of tasks
• Ensure all team members and stakeholders are aware of current priorities and any changes that may impact ongoing work, ensuring alignment across departments
• Support process refinements within the Commercial Data team by identifying bottlenecks or inefficiencies and recommending improvements
• Act as the liaison between the Commercial Data team and various business departments, ensuring smooth communication and alignment of priorities
• Comply with the requirements, and act in accordance with, the Group Code of Conduct and Fitness and Propriety policies at all times
• Ensure compliance with Company Policies, Values and guidelines and other relevant standards/ regulations at all times
• Participate in annual staff appraisal, staff development and in-service training activities in line with the Commercial Data Team Competency Framework
• Any other reasonable duties

Experience & knowledge

• Knowledge of FCA requirements (including individual responsibilities in relation to Consumer Duty)
• Experience in a Business Analyst or QA Analyst role, preferably within a data, analytics, or reporting environment
• Experience working in a cross-functional environment, with exposure to various teams and gathering detailed requirements
• Experience working with large datasets, databases, and reporting tools (ie Power BI)
• Experience in testing, validating, and ensuring the quality of reports and dashboards before release to business users
• Strong understanding of data governance and data quality principles
• Intermediate experience using SQL, with the ability to query databases to validate data
• Experience of SAS or DataBricks advantageous
• Experience of a commercial / insurance environment advantageous

Skills and Qualifications

• Good communication skills, both verbal and written
• Good time management and organisation skills
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to identify BI or data discrepancies and provide actionable recommendations
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to convey complex technical issues in simple terms to non-technical stakeholders
• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively in a team and liaise between technical and business departments
• Flexible and able to adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

Behaviours

• You’re always collaborating: you place team success over personal success and you enjoy working in an open, collaborative environment
• You demonstrate responsible ownership: when you see something not working, you\’ll flag it and be part of the solution
• You seek continuous improvement: you’re always developing new skills and insights, while exploring ways to do things better
• You’re mindful of balance: you\’re conscious of your own health and that of others. You think carefully about how best to focus your efforts, knowing when to push yourself to reach a goal
• Self-motivated and enthusiastic
• An organised and proactive approach
• Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
• A flexible approach and positive attitude
• Strives to drive business improvements to contribute to the success of the business

So, if you’re up for the challenge and would like to join our vibrant and busy team, we want to hear from you today.

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