Job summary
- Main area
- Senior Business Analyst
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 7
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed term contract of 12 months from start of contract)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 980-HRA8202857-C
- Employer
- Health Research Authority
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Health Research Authority
- Town
- London
- Salary
- £49,387 - £56,515 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/08/2026 23:59
Employer heading
Senior Business Analyst
NHS AfC: Band 7
The HRA is a Non Departmental Public Body with the remit to protect and promote the interests of patients and the public in health and social care research. We do this by supporting and promoting a robust and efficient regulatory and governance framework in the UK. We provide the Research Ethics Service (RES), Confidentiality Advice function, assessments and assurances on behalf of the NHS, and learning, guidance and advice for the research community. Our ambition is to make the UK a great place to do research, where more money invested in research goes into carrying out relevant, good quality research.
Our purpose is to ensure that research involving NHS patients and members of the public is approved through a proportionate and robust system, that they are provided with the information they need to help them decide whether they wish to take part, and that their opportunity to do so is maximised by simplifying the processes by which high quality research is assessed. We have already delivered significant improvements by centralising and simplifying the approval of research in the NHS in England, and are undertaking a range of significant programmes to deliver further improvements.
Job overview
Business analysis is central to the delivery of digital systems within the Health Research Authority (HRA). We are looking for a qualified senior business analyst who has experience of working in the full business analysis lifecycle, ideally in Scrum or SAFe on large digital developments.
As a senior business analyst you will have expertise in business analysis, including requirement gathering and analysis, process mapping, gap analyses and the creation of detailed documentation, user stories and acceptance criteria.
Main duties of the job
Some of the key duties are:
- Apply structured approaches to identify, investigate, analyse and communicate complex business problems and opportunities, within a defined project
- Identify, analyse, challenge, document and validate business and user requirements
- Work with limited direction and use appropriate requirements management life cycle methods to complete tasks and defined outputs
- Ensure proposed solutions meet business and user needs
- Understand the impact of potential changes and how business processes, systems, data, roles and responsibilities interact
- Develop models and system requirements for bespoke IT systems or software packages
- Identify business scenarios and develop acceptance criteria to ensure requirements can be traced to develop functionality
- Work collaboratively with subject matter experts, user centred design, product and development/test teams to capture and articulate user requirements.
This is not an exhaustive list, see the job description for details.
Working for our organisation
At the HRA, we are committed to fostering a supportive and inclusive working environment where we actively invest in the development and empowerment of our staff, enabling them to perform at their best. We strive to promote a healthy workplace culture where wellbeing, collaboration, and professional growth are valued and encouraged.
Working at the HRA, we support flexible working, recognising that home based or hybrid arrangements provides us with the most productive environment to work well. Where possible, we’ll offer a working pattern that suits you.
The HRA offers home based contracts for all locations. Newcastle, Manchester and Nottingham based staff can be office based and hybrid working arrangements are also possible. We encourage you to speak with us to explore how this could be accommodated.
We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity. We know from experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds create a stronger, more creative workplace that helps us to deliver the best services. We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community: age, disability, gender identity and expression, ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation and other diverse characteristics, and we have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please refer to the attached job description and person specification documents for full details about this role.
When completing your application, ensure you clearly demonstrate how your experience and skills align with the criteria outlined for this position.
We recognise that generative AI tools can be helpful in supporting applicants during the recruitment process, particularly for tasks such as proofreading, structuring, or refining written responses. However, we encourage candidates to use AI responsibly and sparingly. Applications should reflect your authentic voice, personal experiences, and genuine qualifications. Over reliance on AI-generated content can result in generic or inaccurate submissions that fail to meet the criteria or convey your individuality. Misrepresentation of skills, knowledge, or experience, including through AI-generated content, may lead to the rejection of your application, withdrawal of your offer, or your dismissal if you do start with us. If you choose to use AI, please ensure it enhances rather than replaces your own input, and be transparent about its use where appropriate. False and insincere examples go against our values of integrity and transparency.
Important information
We are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement as we do not hold a sponsorship licence. Applications requiring sponsorship will not be considered.
Applications that do not clearly demonstrate how the essential criteria outlined in the person specification are met will not be shortlisted.
Only the information provided in the application form will be considered. CVs will not be reviewed. We do not accept applications via recruitment agencies or other third parties.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.
Our fixed term roles are also open to applicants who wish to apply on a secondment basis. Applicants who fit this category are advised to speak with their line manager before applying and visit their organisations Secondments Policy.
Organisational structure and directorate overview
The HRA is made up of five directorates: Approvals, Chief Executive, Digital, Policy and Partnerships and Resources.
This role sits within HRA Digital. The digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRA’s portfolio of UK-wide information systems for health and care research. This includes a major programme to build new systems, and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems. The directorate owns, develops, and delivers the HRA’s digital strategy in line with government digital and functional standards.
The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Recognised business analyst certification (either BCS Foundation / Practitioner or IIBA CCBA/CBAP certifications)
- Evidence of commitment to ongoing personal and professional development and training
Desirable criteria
- Educated to master's degree or equivalent experience showing capability to work at this level
- Recognised certification in Agile (for example Scrum Alliance)
Knowledge, skills and expertise
Essential criteria
- Working effectively with a diverse group of internal and external senior business and IT stakeholders along with management of relationships across different levels of seniority
- Deep understanding of elicitation, documentation and management of high-level and detailed business requirements, working collaboratively with design and technical teams to ensure feasible, user-centred and deliverable solutions
- Proven ability to translate business requirements and designs into clear, testable user stories and acceptance criteria
- Capture and lead end-to-end process mapping using BPMN 2.0 and visio; identifying impacts, dependencies and opportunities for improvement across people, process and technology
Experience
Essential criteria
- Large portfolio of experience demonstrating successful working at a senior business analyst level supporting the entire projects, programmes and development lifecycle
- Working at both a strategic and low level, assuring the feasibility of proposed solutions along with the ability to take a holistic view
- Experience of working in complex multi-stakeholder environments (for example complex regulatory settings or where managing divergent stakeholder views)
- Advising senior stakeholders on business change priorities within the context of the organisational strategy and objectives
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working in NHS and/or health research
Interpersonal skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent presentation, oral, written and communication skills with the ability to gather, understand, interpret and disseminate information across all levels
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Bruna Catena
- Job title
- Lead Business Analyst
- Email address
- [email protected]
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