Business Analyst - #2085174

**IT Business Analyst – up to £60K base + benefits – Leeds (hybrid) – permanent role**

The IT Business Analyst (IT BA) works across multiple projects and programmes to identify business problems and opportunities, elicit and analyse requirements, and define suitable IT and business solutions. The role is accountable for ensuring that requirements and testing artefacts are clearly defined, high quality, auditable, and fit for purpose across all delivery methodologies, including Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid approaches.

Operating across the full change lifecycle, the IT BA supports change from initial problem definition and requirements elicitation through design, testing, deployment, and transition into live support. The role ensures that change is appropriately governed, approved, testable, and delivered to agreed standards, regardless of the delivery model adopted.

Within IT, the IT Business Analyst operates in a dual capacity as both Business Analyst and Tester / Test Manager, taking responsibility for defining, managing, and executing testing activities alongside analysis activities, ensuring structured, compliant, and robust delivery outcomes.

Key responsibilities:

Business Analysis, Process & Requirements Ownership

• Lead the identification and definition of business problems and opportunities, working with stakeholders to understand the current As Is state and define the desired To Be outcomes.
• Document and analyse end to end business processes using agreed standards (e.g. BPMN, swimlane diagrams, value streams), identifying inefficiencies, risks, and optimisation opportunities.
• Define future state business processes aligned to strategic objectives, technology capability, and delivery constraints.
• Elicit, analyse, document, and validate functional and non-functional requirements using best practice analysis techniques.
• Clearly define and maintain scope boundaries, assumptions, dependencies, constraints, and success criteria.
• Plan and manage business analysis and process design activities throughout the project or programme lifecycle.
• Maintain end to end requirements and process traceability across design, development, testing, and deployment.
• Ensure requirements and key process artefacts are formally reviewed, approved, and baselined prior to development and testing.
• Manage requirements and process changes through agreed governance and change control processes.
• Support the creation and development of robust business cases, including options analysis, costs, benefits, risks, and impacts, to support investment and delivery decisions.
• Ensure appropriate requirements and process governance across Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid delivery approaches.

Test Strategy, Planning & Governance

• Own the definition of the Test Strategy and Test Plans for assigned projects and programmes.
• Define test scope, phases, environments, entry and exit criteria, timelines, and responsibilities appropriate to the selected delivery methodology.
• Ensure test approaches are proportionate to risk, complexity, and scale.
• Ensure test artefacts are reviewed, approved, and baselined prior to execution.
• Coordinate and align testing approaches with third party suppliers to ensure consistent standards, coverage, and reporting.

Test Execution, Supplier Coordination & Issue Management

• Act as Test Manager for projects and programmes of varying size and complexity, where assigned.
• Manage all testing activities end to end, including those performed by internal teams and third-party suppliers.
• Ensure test environments, data, and access are available prior to execution.
• Lead test kick off sessions (e.g. System Testing, UAT, Production Testing), ensuring all parties understand scope, responsibilities, execution approach, and defect processes.
• Monitor test progress across all parties and provide accurate, consolidated status reporting.
• Own the management of all defects and issues, ensuring they are clearly documented, logged in agreed toolsets, triaged appropriately, assigned, tracked, retested, and closed.
• Challenge suppliers where test quality, coverage, or defect resolution is insufficient.
• Ensure test outcomes, sign off, and supporting evidence are fully recorded, auditable, and meet governance standards.

Delivery, Cutover & Implementation Support

• Support detailed cutover planning and execution across projects and programmes, ensuring process, technology, and operational impacts are managed.
• Ensure business readiness activities are identified, planned, and completed.
• Support deployment, transition into live service, and early life support where required.
• Undertake project management activities for small to medium sized projects, where required, including planning, coordination, reporting, and delivery control.

Essential skills and experience:

• Proven experience delivering end to end business analysis on multiple large, complex projects and programmes.
• Strong practical experience across Waterfall, Agile, and hybrid delivery methodologies, with the ability to adapt analysis, governance, and testing approaches accordingly.
• Deep understanding and hands on application of best practice business analysis techniques, including:
• Requirements elicitation, documentation, analysis, and validation. Functional and non functional requirements
• Requirements traceability and lifecycle management
• Scope definition, change control, and governance
• Strong experience in business process modelling and analysis, including As Is and To Be process definition using recognised techniques (e.g. swimlane diagrams).
• Demonstrable experience defining and managing testing strategy, planning, and execution at both project and programme level.
• Proven experience coordinating and managing testing activities, including defect and issue management through to resolution.
• Strong track record of working with and managing third party suppliers throughout the full project lifecycle, including analysis, build, testing, and delivery phases.
• Experience contributing to or supporting business case development, including options analysis, risks, and benefits.
• Experience working with project management tools and techniques.