Lead Business Analyst

As a Lead Business Analyst, you will play a key role within the Digital team at Thames Water, supporting the delivery of digital transformation initiatives across a portfolio of projects. This role contributes to Thames Water’s digital transformation by managing the ideation, analysis, and implementation lifecycle of digital initiatives, while leading and developing a team of Business Analysts. You will collaborate across the organisation to ensure effective delivery, high-quality analysis, and continuous improvement in ways of working.

What you’ll be doing as a Lead Business Analyst:

• Build and maintain strong stakeholder relationships, influencing and communicating effectively across all levels of the organisation.
• Champion the Business Analysis function, promoting its value, vision, and strategic direction.
• Manage the allocation and utilisation of Business Analysts across initiatives, ensuring optimal resourcing and alignment with skills and development goals.
• Take ownership of early-stage requirements through structured processes such as Stage Gate requests.
• Provide leadership and management to a team of Business Analysts, including coaching, mentoring, and performance feedback.
• Adopt a strategic approach to business analysis, focusing on complex solutions and identifying new opportunities for value creation.
• Support stakeholders in visualising outcomes, prioritising work, and delivering minimum viable products (MVP).
• Support Digital transformation objectives, including improvements to processes, adoption of new ways of working, and capability development.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives within the Business Analysis practice, including adoption of Agile principles and cultural change.

What you should bring to the role:

• Extensive experience working in a Digital Business Analysis environment.
• Experience managing portfolios of initiatives and early-stage demand (e.g., “Front Door” requests).
• Proven experience leading and managing teams, with the ability to coach and mentor others.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence and build relationships.
• Ability to communicate complex business and technical concepts clearly and effectively.
• Strong customer-focused mindset with the ability to manage expectations and priorities.
• Experience directing business analysis activities, including requirements elicitation and problem-solving.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.

Technical experience and skills:

• Strong knowledge and application of Business Analysis methodologies and practices.
• Ability to work across a range of delivery methodologies, including Agile and Waterfall.
• Experience supporting portfolio prioritisation, planning, and delivery tracking.
• Ability to produce high-quality documentation and analysis outputs aligned to business objectives.

Desirable qualifications and experience:

• Proactive and adaptable approach, with the ability to work independently and manage varied workloads.
• Deep expertise in Business Analysis practices and frameworks.
• Understanding of the water industry, including regulatory and operational considerations.
• Experience working across both large and small project teams.

Desirable technical skills and qualifications:

• BCS Diploma or equivalent qualification in Business Analysis.
• Experience or certification in DevOps tools, processes, and methodologies.
• Management or leadership qualification.
• Degree-level qualification in Information Technology or a related field.
• Experience working within a Digital Cyber Security Portfolio, including supporting security-focused initiatives, understanding cyber risk, and collaborating with security architecture, operations, and governance teams.

What’s in it for you?

• Competitive salary from £65,000 to £80,000 per annum.
• Annual Leave: 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service (plus bank holidays).
• Car Allowance.
• Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets.
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON.
• Private Medical Health Care.
• Access to a range of benefits to support health and wellbeing, including annual health MOTs, physiotherapy, counselling, Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers, and life assurance.