Business Analyst

The GOV.UK One Login Programme represents a once in a generation opportunity to simplify and widen access to all digital government services. Sitting at the heart of the government, we are building one simple, safe and secure way for users to log in and prove who they are that will work across all government services. 

GOV.UK One Login is being designed and built for the many, not the few. It will unite services across government, revolutionising the way government departments digitally interact with users. One Login will deliver an accessible and essential function that will help millions. We are an ambitious and visionary team so if you want to be at heart of this truly groundbreaking programme keep reading…

The GOV.UK One Login programme is full of talented and passionate people who are consistently delivering high quality products for services and individuals. We’re half way through our build phase and features are being shipped almost weekly as we work to mature our product set so that we can expand the range of services and departments benefitting from our work. 

The right person will join a well motivated and dynamic multi disciplined delivery team working to deliver on our commitments and roadmap. 

If you’ve got a background in software delivery and are used to working in a scaled agile environment then this could be the place for you!

Sometimes described as the most strategic programme in government, GOV.UK One Login represents a once in a career opportunity to work on a software product that will be used by the majority of the people living in the UK. It’s a fast paced, dynamic and challenging environment that is sure to offer you career satisfaction as well as a chance to develop and enhance your skills. 

If this sounds like the next role for you on your career journey then we’d love to hear from you. 

Find out more at the GDS Blog. 

Job description

The Government Digital Service is looking for business analysts who want to add rigour and value to an organisation where business analysis as a specific profession has only recently been introduced. This is an exciting opportunity to be a part of the growth of an internal analytical capability in a fast paced environment. You will be an experienced practitioner who can own and produce outstanding analysis.

As a Business Analyst you’ll:

• perform analysis activities in agile delivery teams or cross-cutting programme teams, providing advice and guidance on Agile ways of working, the benefits of the methodologies, and how they support software and product development 
• conduct critical analysis activity independently to help guide and prioritise team scope and delivery
• manage stakeholder relationships internally and externally to support Product Managers in building, managing, prioritising and refining story backlogs
• ensure that epics and stories are well documented and contain suitable acceptance criteria to support development and test activity
• map processes, user interactions, and data flows to support the product and delivery objectives of the team
• perform analysis activities on live services across a range of support channels to understand user requests, model and forecast future volumes and find opportunities for greater self service and automated resolutions
• support Service Leads and senior stakeholders with data insights, performance reports and service improvement recommendations, enabling them to make products better and manage third party supplier contracts effectively
• maintain knowledge of the changing digital and technology landscapes and the opportunities they provide to improve the delivery of programme objectives

Learn more about what business analysts do in government.

Person specification

We’re interested in people who:

• have at least 3 years experience as a business analyst working on medium to large scale, software development programmes and are able to provide practical examples of how you have identified have improved products and user experiences. Your experience must include a minimum of 1 year in at least one of the following environments: Digital Product Design and Delivery, Service Operations, Digital Identity, Mobile Application Development or Account Management.
• can demonstrate the ability to manage multiple pieces of analysis across a fast paced programme of work, defining needs, pain points, dependencies, flows and journeys of high-volume digital products, working with multidisciplinary, agile teams – covering the full product lifecycle, driving continuous, data-led and iterative improvement, ensuring that requirements are well defined, understood, managed, prioritised and addressed appropriately
• have strong communication skills that enable you to manage and influence stakeholders, and engage with people through a range of channels to identify a common set of needs and priorities, challenge assumptions, or to explain what what is required or how things might need to change in a clear and open manner
• can work with colleagues and stakeholders to effectively model complex systems, processes or data, identifying opportunities to make changes and improvements that benefit end users and the business. You’ll be able to demonstrate how you managed the change from understanding the problem to delivering the solution
• can work independently with minimal guidance to produce quality requirements, user stories and acceptance criteria which lead to high quality features and products, you should be able to demonstrate the use of a variety of different analysis techniques in doing so
• have an understanding of modern technologies used in delivery of cloud-based software products - and able to explain the high level purpose and constraints of these technologies with non-technical people
• have the practical experience of Agile methodologies and be able to demonstrate how you’ve utilised them to assist in the continuous iteration and improvement of software products in medium to large scale organisations
• can use analytics data and first-hand research to understand user behaviours and inform product and design improvements and challenge opinions and decisions where the data draws differing conclusions

Benefits

The benefits of working at GDS

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

• flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours
• a Civil Service Pension with an employer contribution of 28.97%
• 25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days
• an extra day off for The King’s birthday
• an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance
• career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development
• paid volunteering leave
• a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme
• job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK
• advances on pay, including for travel season tickets
• death in service benefits
• cycle to work scheme and facilities
• access to children's holiday play schemes across different locations in central London
• access to an employee discounts scheme
• 10 learning days per year
• volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)
• access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

GDS offers hybrid working for all employees. This means that everyone does some working from home and also spends some time in their local office. You’ll agree to your hybrid working arrangement with your line manager in line with your preferences and business needs.

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Things you need to know

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

• a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and cover letter of up to 500 words. Important tip - please ensure that your cover letter includes how you meet the skills and experience listed in the “person specification” section above
• a 60 minute video interview

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

Whilst we value the use of AI technology to enhance our daily work, we also value the personal touch and urge applicants to write cover letters without the use of AI to emphasise their own unique experiences.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: 

• have at least 3 years experience as a business analyst working on medium to large scale, software development programmes and are able to provide practical examples of how you have identified have improved products and user experiences. Your experience must include a minimum of 1 year in at least one of the following environments: Digital Product Design and Delivery, Service Operations, Digital Identity, Mobile Application Development or Account Management.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

• working together
• changing and improving
• making effective decisions
• communicating and influencing
• delivering at pace

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Digital, Data and Technology Profession Capability Framework for the Business Analyst role: 

• agile working
• business analysis
• business modelling
• business process improvement
• methods and tools
• requirements definition and management
• stakeholder relationship management
• user experience analysis

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: 3rd December 2024

Panel interviews: From 10th December 2024 onwards

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Other information: Occasionally, business pressures, priorities or critical delivery may mean that we move you into a different team or work area within GDS. This will always be within the same grade and discipline within which you were hired, but does mean that your focus or objectives may shift in order to deliver GDS business.

You may be aware that there are plans for the Government Digital Service (GDS) & the Central Digital & Data Office (CDDO) to move into the Department of Science, Innovation & Technology (DSIT). This move is to bring together the digital transformation of public services into one core department. The move itself will offer huge opportunities whilst allowing DSIT to lead the way and drive forward the new Government's digital agenda. 

As the announcement is relatively new, we are awaiting more detailed information. Therefore, we encourage you to apply for this role, and will keep you informed with updated information throughout the application process.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.