Lead Business Analyst

Job Responsibilities

• Work with executive stakeholders to determine the contribution that business and IT improvements can make to achieving business objectives; defining strategies, agreeing and prioritising business requirements, conducting feasibility studies, producing both organisational-level and detailed business models, and overseeing the definition and implementation of holistic solutions.
• Responsibility for the business analysis service provision for an organisation or business unit, where advice given and decisions made will have a measurable impact on the profitability or effectiveness of the organisation. Determining the value proposition for the business analysis function.
• Recognise opportunities for the business from organisational and technological change and define change initiatives that will exploit such opportunities.
• Advise and influence executive management throughout the business change lifecycle, ensuring that change initiatives are aligned with the strategy and enterprise architecture.
• Writing and presenting fluently and persuasively on all aspects of business analysis work will be a core skill of yours, while communicating effectively with executives and staff at all levels

• Manage the day-to-day tasks of the team to support timely and high-quality delivery in accordance with the agreed practices and methodology
• Remove blockers to delivery or escalate for resolution where appropriate
• Liaise with external suppliers on deliverables
• Support production incidents as appropriate
• Conduct performance reviews acknowledging achievements and areas for development and improvement

Your Skills and Competencies 

• Agile working. You can coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You can act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team.
• Business analysis. You can set the direction for business analysis within a programme of work, enterprise or wider sector. You can guide tactical decision making and influence the formulation of longer-term strategic plans in an evolving, complex and unpredictable environment. You can give colleagues the means and authority to make decisions about their approach to business analysis activities. You can ensure that the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision.
• Business modelling. You can set the direction of scope and methodology for the representation of real world complex situations across a programme or organisation
• Consultancy (business analysis). You can provide advice, guidance and recommendations based on your specialist knowledge and experience. You can propose methodologies to follow and approaches to implementation. You can frame problems so they can easily be understood, and troubleshoot where required, to support the business in operating more effectively
• Enterprise and business architecture (business analyst). You can work with limited direction to translate business drivers, goals and constraints into business objectives. You can help to define required capabilities and support organisational changes to create operating models that meet business objectives.
• Requirements definition and management. You can direct the approach to requirements management. You can enable others to select and apply appropriate life cycle methods. You can influence the prioritisation of complex requirement sets, enabling long-term strategic decision making and short-term tactical fixes. You can ensure the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision. (Skill level: expert)
• Stakeholder relationship management (business analysis). You can develop engagement strategies and lead on communication with stakeholders at all levels. You can actively establish relationships and apply the benefits of professional networks. You can act as a point of consultation and escalation to resolve conflict in complex situations. (
• Systems analysis. You can set the direction for the identification and analysis of IT system capabilities. You can identify gaps in functionality and enable others to explore and assess the effect of software changes. You can demonstrate a strong understanding of business perspectives and technical concepts, and can bring them together to form recommendations and a common understanding. You can communicate this effectively between users, development teams and external suppliers.
• Testing (business analysis). You can recommend the value of testing and apply the relevant tools and techniques to ensure test validity.
• User experience analysis. You can advise on the approach to analysis, prioritisation and validation of user experience needs. You can recommend a range of techniques to analyse the user experience and ensure that it meets business and user needs.

About us:

AJ Bell is one of the fastest-growing investment platform businesses in the UK offering an award-winning range of solutions that caters for everyone, from professional financial advisers to DIY investors with little to no experience. We have over 644,000 customers using our award-winning platform propositions to manage assets totalling more than £103.3 billion. Our customers trust us with their investments, and by continuously striving to make investing easier, we aim to help even more people take control of their financial futures.

Having listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange in December 2018, AJ Bell is now a FTSE 250 company.

Headquartered in Manchester with offices in central London and Bristol, we now have over 1,500 employees and have been named one of the UK's 'Best 100 Companies to Work For’ for six consecutive years and in 2025 named a Great Place to Work®.

At AJ Bell you can expect a friendly working environment with a strong sense of teamwork, we have a great sense of pride in what we do, and this is reflected in our guiding principles.

What we offer:

• Starting holiday entitlement of 27, increasing up to 31 days with length of service and a holiday buy and sell scheme
• A choice of pension schemes with matched contributions up to 8%
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Annual free share awards scheme
• Buy As You Earn (BAYE) Scheme
• Health Cash Plan – provided by SimplyHealth
• Discounted private healthcare scheme and dental plan
• Free onsite gym
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Bike loan scheme
• Sick pay+ pledge
• Enhanced maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave
• Loans for travel season tickets
• Death in service scheme
• Paid time off for volunteer work
• Charitable giving opportunities through salary sacrifice
• Calendar of social events, including monthly payday drinks, annual Christmas party, summer party and much more
• Personal development programmes built around you and your career goals, including access to personal skills workshops
• Ongoing technical training
• Professional qualification support
• Talent development programmes
• Peer recognition scheme, with rewards including restaurant and shopping vouchers or time off
• Monthly leadership breakfasts and lunches
• Casual dress code
• Access to a range of benefits from our sponsorship deals

Hybrid working:

At AJ Bell, our people are the heart of our culture. We believe in building strong connections by working together. That's why we offer a hybrid working model, where you’ll spend a minimum of 50% of your working time per month in the office.

AJ Bell is committed to providing an environment of mutual respect where equal employment opportunities are available to all applicants and all employees are empowered to bring their whole self to work.

We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, pregnancy, religion, physical and mental disability, marital status and any other characteristics protected by the Equality Act 2010. All decisions to hire are based on qualifications, merit and business need.

If you like the sound of the above, or just want to know more about the company and the role, we'd love to speak to you.