Job summary
- Main area
- Business Analyst
- Grade
- NHS AfC: Band 6
- Contract
- 12 months (Fixed term until 31/07/2026 Possibility of permanent role due to multiple positions available)
- Hours
- Full time
- Flexible working
- Home or remote working
- Compressed hours
- Job ref
- 980-HRA7311225
- Employer
- Health Research Authority
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- Newcastle Upon Tyne
- Town
- Newcastle
- Salary
- £38,682 - £46,580 per annum
- Salary period
- Yearly
- Closing
- 20/07/2025 23:59
Employer heading
Business Analyst
NHS AfC: Band 6
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
As a Business Analyst you will be part of a highly successful team working within the HRA Digital Directorate, supporting the development and delivery of complex solutions within the HRA’s portfolio of national information systems for health research.
These currently include a major programme to build a new research application and workflow system, the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems (IRAS and HARP) and the implementation of a new service management system (HaloITSM).
You will liaise with internal stakeholders (business, technical and project management teams). External stakeholder management will also be required as you will be liaising with HRA partners and system suppliers to ensure that the system requirements of all stakeholders are understood and clearly defined. This will involve the production of complex specifications using different tools and techniques (e.g., user stories, acceptance criteria, workshop facilitation, business process mapping) to enable the recommendation of solutions.
For those IT systems being developed in an agile environment, the business analyst will take part in daily scrums, presenting complex information to large groups, including senior stakeholders, at show and tells and play a key role in sprint planning.
This role requires a professional business analysis qualification and expertise in business analysis, process mapping, stakeholder engagement, and IT service management frameworks.
Main duties of the job
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Key Responsibilities Leading on medium size complex projects and supporting larger projects.
Working closely and effectively with a diverse group of senior level internal and external business and IT stakeholders to identify, document, and analyse complex requirements to produce requirements documentation, user stories and acceptance criteria that will be signed off by stakeholders and used to quality assure the development.
Developing a detailed and expert understanding of HRA work areas and policies through the documenting of existing and designing of new processes.
Supporting the implementation of an effective support structure for all HRA systems, ensuring successful deployment and user acceptance testing (UAT) of systems.
Support the design and implementation of improved and aligned service processes that drive consistency, standardisation, and efficiency of the BA function
You will work closely with the business and technical teams contributing to the production of complex requirement specification documentation, including writing technical business and functional requirements.
Playing an active role in the HRA BA community, collaborating in the sharing and development of best practice. |
Working for our organisation
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for you, not just us and the work we do.
We’re 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 help us to deliver the best services.
We welcome applications which represent the rich diversity of our community. This includes:
• age
• disability
• ethnicity
• gender identity and expression
• religion or belief
• sex
• sexual orientation
• other diverse characteristics
We have policies in place to ensure that all applicants are treated fairly and consistently at every stage of the recruitment process.
When applying to work here, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement – if it works for you, we’ll do our best to make it work for us.
Please note, if applying to our Manchester, Nottingham or Bristol locations, we are only able to offer the role as home based.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
This role sits within HRA Digital. The HRA Digital directorate is responsible for developing, delivering and supporting complex solutions within the HRA’s portfolio or national information systems for health research. This includes a major programme to build a new Integrated Research Application and Workflow system and to achieve the successful migration and eventual closure of current systems (IRAS and HARP).
The HRA Digital team is a collaborative, supportive team consisting of HRA employees, secondees, contractors and vendors.
To find out more and to understand the full duties of the role, please refer to the job description attached.
In submitting your application with us, please note the following:
We currently do not accept applications via recruitment agencies.
We do not hold a sponsorship licence and are unable to offer employment under any sponsorship arrangement.
Where applicants fail to demonstrate how they meet any one of the essential criteria of the person specification, the application will not be shortlisted. You will be considered based only on the
information in your application form. CVs will not be considered.
The HRA reserves the right to close this vacancy early should it receive a sufficient number of applications.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Recognised Business Analyst certification (either BCS Professional or IIBA CCBA/CBAP certifications)
- Educated to Degree level in a relevant area or equivalent experience showing capability to work at this level
Desirable criteria
- Agile certification or experience of working on agile developments
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
- Planning, arranging and facilitating meetings and workshops with stakeholders throughout the business change and product development lifecycle
- Support the configuration and implementation of new processes.
Desirable criteria
- Knowledge of ITIL 4 principles and ITSM best practices
Experience
Essential criteria
- Working as a Business Analyst supporting digital projects or programmes in multi-stakeholder environments
- Producing timely progress reports and updates
- Producing detailed technical user stories and acceptance criteria
Desirable criteria
- Experience of working with/implementing IT service management tools (e.g., ServiceNow, HaloITSM)
- Working in health research, the public sector and/or in line with the government digital service standard
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Essential criteria
- Excellent problem solving and analytical skills
Interpersonal Skills
Essential criteria
- A self-starter, highly self-motivated and disciplined, able to work under pressure and meet challenging deadlines
Qualifications
Essential criteria
- Evidence of commitment to ongoing personal and professional development and training
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise:
Essential criteria
- Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to gather, understand, interpret and disseminate information across all levels to technical and non-technical stakeholders
Other
Essential criteria
- Commitment to inclusivity and valuing diversity
Knowledge, Skills and Expertise
Essential criteria
- Working with internal and external business and IT stakeholders, to ensuring business requirements are clearly understood and documented by analysing, capturing and identifying stakeholder perspectives
- Proficient in the use of a range of business analyst and project management methodologies and tools
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience in supporting user acceptance testing (UAT) and process implementation
Analytical and Judgemental Skills
Essential criteria
- Identify, document and analyse current services through process mapping and business process reengineering to assess the impact of new processes
- Ability to analyse complex logical problems and business requirements and translate them into effective system requirements
Interpersonal Skills
Essential criteria
- A flexible team player, able to adapt to changing needs and contribute to a high performing team
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Simrat Kaur
- Job title
- Lead Business Analyst
- Email address
- [email protected]
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