Business Intelligence Analyst in Burnley

The Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst will support East Lancashire Alliance's strategic and operational objectives through high-quality data extraction, analysis, interpretation, visualisation and insight. The postholder will extract, process and analyse data from healthcare and organisational systems, with particular emphasis on EMIS Web, providing accurate and actionable intelligence across ELA's services.

A key responsibility will be working with EMIS Web data, including extracting clinical and operational datasets, understanding coding and recording, identifying trends and variation, validating data quality and translating findings into intelligence that supports service improvement, contractual performance and decision-making. The postholder will lead the development of ELA's BI reporting capability. ELA has invested in Power BI licences, ready for deployment, and the successful candidate will take ownership of developing and implementing Power BI dashboards and reporting solutions to establish an effective BI function.

Working closely with Service Delivery, Operations, clinical and corporate teams, the postholder will understand information requirements and ensure data is translated into practical intelligence. The role requires autonomy and professional independence, with the postholder taking ownership of their workload, identifying opportunities to improve how ELA uses data and using expertise and initiative to develop effective solutions.

Main duties of the job

• Data Extraction & Management
• EMIS Web Data Extraction & Analysis
• Business Intelligence & Power BI Development
• Analytics & Insight
• Contract & Bid Support
• Reporting & Visualisation
• Data Quality & Governance
• Operational & Service Delivery Support
• Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement

Place of Work and Working Arrangements

This is an office-based role and is not a hybrid position. The nature of the role requires regular face-to-face collaboration with ELA's Service Delivery, Operations, clinical and corporate teams. The successful postholder will be expected to work from ELA's designated office base and be readily available to colleagues to support the development, interpretation and application of business intelligence across the organisation. The office-based nature of the role is considered important to enable effective collaboration, rapid problem-solving, knowledge sharing and the development of strong working relationships with the teams who generate and use the data. The postholder may be required to travel between ELA locations, GP practices and other relevant sites as required by the needs of the role.

About us

East Lancashire Alliance (ELA) is a not-for-profit community interest company providing services to our GP practice members and offering a portfolio of patient services. All our clinical services are led by clinical leads who work as part of a team with Federation managers. We are a network of nine PCNs which consist of 48 GP practices covering a population of over 390,000 patients across East Lancashire. Patients are at the heart of everything we do, and we pride ourselves in ensuring our patients feel safe, supported, communicated with and respected, at a time when they may be feeling vulnerable. The Alliance are proud to represent our member practices and to champion our Primary Care Partners, by working with local general practice and other system partners in the provision of patient centred local healthcare services. Each practice has a close-knit team of staff who collectively seek to improve the health of their patient populations.

Job responsibilities

1. Data Extraction & Management: Extract, transform, cleanse and analyse data from clinical systems, commissioning datasets and internal organisational systems. Develop a detailed understanding of the data held within ELA's systems and how it can be used to support operational and strategic decision-making. Ensure data is accurate, reliable, appropriately interpreted and fit for purpose. Identify data quality issues, anomalies, gaps and inconsistencies and work with relevant teams to resolve them. Maintain appropriate documentation relating to data sources, definitions, methodology and reporting processes. Ensure all data handling complies with information governance, confidentiality and data protection requirements.
2. EMIS Web Data Extraction & Analysis: Develop and maintain a strong working knowledge of EMIS Web, including the extraction and interpretation of clinical, demographic, activity and service-level data. Extract relevant datasets from EMIS Web to support service monitoring, contractual requirements, performance reporting, population health analysis and service development. Understand and interpret EMIS Web coding, searches, reporting outputs and underlying data structures sufficiently to identify meaningful trends and patterns. Work with clinical and operational colleagues to understand how data is recorded within EMIS Web and how this may affect reporting and analysis. Validate EMIS Web data and investigate anomalies, discrepancies and unexpected results. Translate EMIS Web data into meaningful reports, dashboards and actionable intelligence for clinical, operational and senior leadership teams. Identify opportunities to improve the consistency and quality of data recording across services and practices. Support the development of repeatable and efficient processes for extracting and analysing EMIS Web data.
3. Business Intelligence & Power BI: Take ownership of ELA's developing Business Intelligence capability and support the organisation in maximising its investment in Power BI. Lead the initial deployment and development of Power BI within ELA, creating dashboards and reporting solutions that meet operational, contractual and strategic requirements. Develop interactive dashboards that provide clear visibility of KPIs, service activity, performance, workforce information, contractual delivery and other organisational measures. Work with Service Delivery and Operations colleagues to identify opportunities to replace manual reporting processes with efficient and sustainable BI solutions. Develop reporting solutions that enable appropriate users to access timely information and reduce reliance on manually produced reports. Maintain and continuously improve Power BI dashboards as organisational requirements develop. Ensure BI outputs are accurate, clearly presented and appropriately controlled.
4. Analytics & Insight: Provide meaningful analysis to support service delivery, contract performance monitoring, workforce planning, business planning and service improvement. Identify trends, variation, risks, opportunities and areas requiring further investigation. Translate complex datasets into clear, evidence-based insights for clinical, operational and senior leadership audiences. Undertake analysis to understand activity, demand, capacity, patient populations, service utilisation and outcomes. Challenge data and assumptions where appropriate and provide professional interpretation rather than simply presenting figures. Proactively identify information that may be useful to ELA rather than relying solely on requests for reports.
5. Contract & Bid Support: Produce high-quality data analysis to support new service development, business cases, contract monitoring and tender submissions. Support the development of evidence-based bids through analysis of activity, population need, demand, capacity and service performance. Model population demand, activity forecasts and other relevant measures to support proposed service models. Provide data to demonstrate performance, outcomes, value and service impact to commissioners and other stakeholders.
6. Reporting & Visualisation: Develop and maintain dashboards and reports using Power BI, Excel and other appropriate BI tools. Produce clear, concise and visually effective reports for a range of audiences. Use advanced Excel functions, pivot tables, lookups, formulas and other appropriate analytical techniques. Present information in a way that enables non-technical audiences to understand the key messages and implications. Develop reporting that focuses on insight and action rather than simply presenting data.
7. Operational & Service Delivery Support: Work closely with ELA's Service Delivery and Operations teams to understand operational requirements and translate them into appropriate data and reporting solutions. Provide timely intelligence to support service mobilisation, monitoring, performance management and continuous improvement. Support service leads to understand their performance data and identify areas for improvement. Attend relevant operational and service meetings where data, performance or reporting expertise would add value. Develop strong working relationships across the organisation to ensure that BI solutions reflect the practical needs of the services being delivered.
8. Autonomy, Initiative & Continuous Improvement: Manage and prioritise own workload with a high degree of autonomy, ensuring organisational priorities and deadlines are met. Take ownership of the BI function and proactively identify opportunities to improve ELA's use of data and information. Determine appropriate analytical approaches and reporting solutions based on the needs of the organisation. Work independently to investigate problems, develop solutions and implement improvements, escalating matters where appropriate. Avoid unnecessary reliance on established processes where a more efficient, effective or sustainable approach can be developed. Ensure that independence and autonomy are balanced with effective communication, collaboration and alignment with organisational priorities.

Person Specification

Personal Attributes/Other

• Highly analytical, methodical and detail-oriented approach to work.
• Strong IT skills and advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Excel.
• Strong practical understanding of healthcare data and its application to operational decision-making.
• Demonstrable ability to work independently and take ownership of a portfolio of work.
• Ability to use initiative, identify problems and develop practical solutions.
• Pragmatic and solutions-focused approach.
• Ability to work strategically while managing competing operational priorities.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to explain complex information clearly to non-technical audiences.
• Strong collaborative skills and ability to build effective relationships with clinical, operational and corporate colleagues.
• Commitment to data quality, confidentiality and information governance.
• Ability to work from an office-based environment and collaborate closely with colleagues.
• Ability to travel between ELA locations where required.
• Right to work in the UK. Please note that ELA is unable to provide visa sponsorship for this position.
• DBS check, where appropriate to the role.
• Willingness to undertake further training and professional development.

Experience

• Proven experience of working in a data analysis, business intelligence, or performance role within a healthcare or public sector environment.
• Strong understanding of NHS data sets, coding structures (e.g., SNOMED, ICD-10), and data flows across primary, community, and secondary care.
• Demonstrable experience in extracting, cleansing, and analysing complex datasets.
• Experience of producing reports and dashboards for senior managers, clinicians, and commissioners.
• Understanding of information governance and data protection regulations.

Desirable

• Experience of supporting business case development or bid writing through data analysis.
• Knowledge of population health management approaches.
• Familiarity with demand and capacity modelling, service evaluation, or predictive analytics.

Skills and Abilities

• Strong practical EMIS Web data extraction and analytical skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, lookups, formulas, and data manipulation.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience of handling large and complex datasets.
• Ability to interpret healthcare data and identify meaningful trends, variations, and exceptions.
• Power BI development and dashboard design.
• Ability to convert raw data into actionable intelligence.
• Strong understanding of data quality and validation.
• Ability to produce clear, accurate and visually effective reports and dashboards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to present complex data clearly to clinical and non-clinical audiences.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple projects independently.
• Ability to meet deadlines and respond effectively to changing organisational priorities.

Desirable

• Experience of developing automated or semi-automated reporting solutions.
• SQL, R or Python.
• Statistical analysis and/or predictive modelling.
• Knowledge of population health management and healthcare commissioning.

Qualifications

• Degree in a numerate, analytical, health-related, or information-related subject, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Evidence of continuing professional development in data analysis, business intelligence, health informatics, or a related field.
• Relevant Power BI or Microsoft certification.

Desirable

• Postgraduate qualification in health informatics, data science, business intelligence, or a related discipline.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer details

Employer name: East Lancashire Alliance
Address: Burnley Business Centre, Empire Way, Burnley, BB12 6HH, United Kingdom