Business Analyst

GCHQ

Cheltenham, UK

On-Site

Expires: Expiring in less than 4 weeks

Business Intelligence

Flexible

£53,496 per year

Job summary

As one of our Business Analysts, you’ll be at the heart of delivering change across GCHQ. Leading analysis for a portfolio of projects and contributing to larger, more complex initiatives, the focus is on understanding and define problems, then recommending and supporting the delivery of solutions. The work involves collaborating within a multidisciplinary team and engaging a wide range of stakeholders to understand strategic goals, assess options, and translate business and user needs into clear, actionable outputs. The aim: solving the right problems, in the right way, and delivering value for colleagues who depend on this insight.

Job description

On a day-to-day basis, the role centres on producing clear, high-quality analysis such as business models, process designs, option appraisals, requirements artifacts, and written briefings. This include eliciting, understanding, and prioritising the needs and goals of different colleagues and business areas, while managing differing perspectives and constraints. As an experienced practitioner, there is also the opportunity to contribute to higher-level strategic work, translating policy and wider organisational objectives into practical impacts on services, teams, and delivery plans.

The role involves a blend of independent work, acting as a primary business analysis contact within a team, and collaborating with external partners such as suppliers and government departments. Line management may come later, but mentoring and supporting colleagues is an important part of the role from the outset. As involvement in more complex projects grows, so does the responsibility for guiding less-experienced team members, sharing knowledge, helping them develop their skills, and strengthening the wider business analysis community.

You could be working within departments such as technology, facilities, people or information, giving you a varied workload that spans both vital internal systems and new technology supporting mission-critical activity. It is an opportunity to be part of significant projects across GCHQ that keep the UK safe, applying analytical skills to meaningful and unique challenges.

Person specification

Extensive practical experience as a Business Analyst is essential, including independent delivery analysis across a range of projects and programmes. Sound business-modelling skills mean confidence in leading process analysis and improvement, and in creating high-level organisation, process, system, and data models to support decision-making. A solid background in requirements management, process improvement, stakeholder engagement, digital systems, assurance activity, and cross-organisation working is important.

The environment can be complex, with shifting priorities and ambiguous requirements, so adaptability and resilience are crucial. Robust capability in eliciting and managing user requirements is vital, along with the ability to tailor outputs to different audiences and collaborate effectively across multiple teams.

Leadership potential is also important, particularly the motivation to progress into line management over time, with training and support provided where needed. Confidence working independently and representing the business analysis community in conversations with senior stakeholders will also contribute to success in the role.

A degree or specific qualifications are not required; the focus is on skills and experience. Business analysis expertise may have been gained in any sector from government to large private enterprises.

Benefits

You’ll receive a starting salary of £53,496 plus other benefits including:

25 days’ annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years' service, plus an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
an interest-free season ticket loan
an excellent pension scheme
a cycle to work scheme
facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at some locations)
paid parental and adoption leave

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. The scheme encourages employers to think differently about disability and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled people. As a Disability Confident organisation, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who best meet the essential criteria for this position, assessed at sift, are offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. This is known as the Offer of Interview. To secure an interview for this role, the minimum criteria (in order of application process) are:

experience designing and owning end-to-end solution architecture, interpreting business and user needs and translating them into designs and artefacts aligned with architecture strategies and standards

experience making and owning architectural decisions involving trade-offs (e.g. cost, risk, scalability or maintainability), managing risks and delivering within governance and standards

ability to work effectively with technical and non-technical stakeholders across teams or programmes, communicating architectural concepts and influencing alignment to agreed solutions

There is a wide range of extra support available throughout the recruitment process to enable you to do your best, visit our 'How to Apply' page for information on the reasonable adjustments we can offer.

Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a brief overview of each stage, in order:

Application sift.

Virtual interview (assessing your technical skills and the organisational competencies).

If successful, you’ll receive a conditional offer of employment.

Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment until you have received your final job offer.

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

Security

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is developed vetting (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window).People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

Open to UK nationals only.

Working for the Civil Service

Please note this Post is NOT regulated by the Civil Service Commission.The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see theCivil Service People Plan (opens in a new window) and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (opens in a new window).

Apply and further information

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Contact point for applicants

Salary range

£53,496 per year