Business Analyst

Necsu; North East; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

NHS North Of England Commissioning Support Unit is seeking an experienced Business Analyst to support the BSA DDAT function. This hybrid role involves translating complex requirements into clear specifications for development and supporting governance and delivery of digital applications and services.

The post is restricted to CSU employees and may transfer to NHSBSA as part of service arrangements. The post holder will lead analysis across systems, engage stakeholders, and drive prioritisation

Qualifications

• Experience with translating complex requirements into clear development specifications.
• Ability to prioritise features and backlogs for usable solutions.
• Experience delivering digital applications and services at scale.

Responsibilities

• Lead business analysis across complex digital applications, services and projects.
• Gather, analyse and translate customer and internal requirements into clear specifications.
• Prioritise features, components and backlogs for useful solutions.
• Support governance and delivery of systems and applications.
• Collaborate with developers, architects, testers, product owners and service teams.
• Engage stakeholders through workshops and clear communications.
• Manage risks, issues and dependencies and support their resolution.

Skills

SQL Server

Excellent communication

Agile

Stakeholder management

Education

Degree level education

Tools

SQL Server

Job description

Go back NHS North Of England Commissioning Support Unit

Business Analyst

The closing date is 18 November 2026

Are you an experienced and analytical Business Analyst with a passion for improving digital services and delivering effective solutions?

We are looking for a Business Analyst to support the BSA DDAT function. This is a senior role supporting the management, oversight and development of digital applications and services. The postholder will work with customers and stakeholders to understand complex requirements and translate these into clear specifications for development, while supporting the prioritisation, governance and successful operational delivery of systems and applications.

This is a hybrid working role, with the successful candidate working across a mixture of home and office locations.

This vacancy is restricted to employees currently working within a Commissioning Support Unit (CSU). The role is being recruited to support services moving to NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA). The successful applicant may therefore potentially transfer to NHSBSA as part of the relevant service transfer arrangements. Further information will be provided as part of the recruitment and transfer process.

This role will close Wednesday 18th November and interviews/selection are expected to take place during the week commencing 23rd November.

For an informal discussion, please contact Mark Chapman at [e-mail].

Main duties of the job

This role will be responsible for:

• Lead business analysis activity across complex digital applications, services and projects.
• Gather, analyse and translate customer and internal requirements into clear development specifications.
• Prioritise features, components and backlogs to ensure solutions are useful and usable.
• Support the operational delivery, governance and performance of assigned systems and applications.
• Work with developers, architects, testers, product owners and service teams to deliver effective solutions.
• Lead stakeholder engagement, workshops and communication on complex requirements and issues.
• Manage risks, issues and dependencies and support their resolution and escalation.
• Provide leadership and expert advice to colleagues, supporting the prioritisation and delivery of work across the service.

About us

At NECS we are very proud to be part of the NHS England family. We are one of the very few truly customer-owned entities within the NHS. We have grown from our roots in the North East to be an NHS business with customers the length and breadth of the UK and further abroad. Our customer base has diversified significantly over this period, and we are now very pleased to be serving NHS providers as well as commissioners, NHSE regions, Local Authorities, General Practices and national NHSE Directorates.

NECS combines specialist skills and expertise with scale and resilience to achieve required results. We combine core NHS values with a sharp focus on customer care and a relentless pursuit of continuous improvement. We very much see ourselves as a key partner in the future success of the healthcare system and we take our share of the responsibility for shaping effective delivery.

Our people are the heart of our organisation. We strive to ensure they feel trusted, valued and empowered. Were passionate about nurturing and developing people. When you join us, we want you to grow, and we offer many opportunities for you to do that as well as an excellent benefits package including generous holidays and pension plus free car parking and access to NHS discounts.

Job responsibilities

Job Summary

The post holder will act as a senior member of the Systems, Application and Reporting Team whose purpose is to support the management, oversight, and development of all new and existing applications To ensure all applications are designed and developed in accordance with specifications describing customer and internal requirements by translating these into well-defined requirements for development and production. The post holder will be responsible for prioritising features and components and ensuring they are both useful and usable to the target audience. The post holder will be responsible for the full operational delivery of several systems/applications through effective oversight and governance for the production, procurement, and planning of daily operations. Maintain high levels of quality through management of an assurance process working closely with other members of the team, and the wider Data and Systems Team.

Lead, manage and provide expert advise and support to the teams including setting and prioritising work plans and objectives making best use of available resources and embedding quality throughout the service. The job description and person specification may be reviewed on an ongoing basis in accordance with the changing needs of the Department and the Organisation.

Core Duties and Responsibilities (Key Result Areas)

Functional Responsibilities

Project Management

• Responsible for the operational delivery of assigned systems/applications.
• Contribute to performance management, identifying areas for improvement, identifying resolutions to any issues that may arise during application development.
• Provide co-ordination of and participate in relevant internal and external working groups and provide project advice, expertise and support where requested.
• Working collaboratively with testing to ensure all software solutions are built to a high standard and create system documentation and user manuals.
• To provide relevant and timely specialist complex advise and guidance to support projects where cooperation will be required and there may be significant barriers to understanding.
• Identify and support customers understanding of the application/system and maintain an appropriately prioritised backlog for implementation.
• Work closely with the product owner/management, senior management, Business Analysts, Test Team, Helpdesk team on systems/applications.
• Work with members of the Team to investigate the causes of any variance from target/plan and proactively contribute to the implementation of solutions, taking the lead where appropriate.
• Management of a risk and issues tracking mechanism and its proactive resolution and escalation process.

Financial and Physical Resources

• The post holder will be required to evaluate the cost of delivering a system/application.
• To provide oversight and monitoring of all aspects of delegated team budgets.
• Provide regular reporting on the targeting of resources and monitoring their implementation from a value for money perspective.
• Evaluation projects/functions with identified portfolio for delivery against financial recovery/savings plans through providing sophisticated, high quality project analysis.

Staff Management

• To provide effective leadership, training, support, generate enthusiasm and motivation in the team members to ensure that they are appropriately empowered to carry out the responsibilities of their role.
• The post holder may be required to sign off expense claims for members of the SART team.
• Manage staff, undertaking appraisals, recruitment including progressing any disciplinary or capability issues, as necessary.

Information Management

• Develop score and define backlog items that guide the Agile Software Development team in application/system enhancement or development.
• Solve service-related problems, provide assurance, and make decisions to ensure business deliverable commitments.
• To provide guidance to the project team and business analysts on the delivery of software solutions.
• Ensure the service desk/training team have the information they need to support software solutions.
• To feed into future planning of the Application system for the customers to ensure that system procurements, migrations and upgrades are not considered without due considerations taking place.
• Devise and provide improvements to current management information, analysing, reporting and suggesting procedures to enhance decision making processes.
• Ensure timely and accurate information analysis and reporting to management on agreed areas of work.

2.5 Research and Development.

• To interact with system architects and developers to ensure systems are properly implemented.
• To evaluate new products and technologies and consider their usage as solutions within the development work program.
• To keep up to date with latest versions and features of SQL server and other appropriate Microsoft Technology Stack.
• To read and understand complex technical specification material so that these can be further developed into specifications for developers.
• Contribute to the development of key performance indicators for the successful assessment of individual and workstream success.
• Increase an understanding of Agile practices, Lean, new technologies opportunities and other new trends.

Person Specification

Skills/ Abilities

• Demonstrable skills in using SQL Server and TSQL.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to provide detailed and technical advice to both specialists and non-technical staff and customers.
• Effective interpersonal and influencing skills and the ability to interpret and communicate complex information to staff with varying technical knowledge Excellent written, presentation and verbal skills.
• Demonstrates a strong desire to improve services/system delivery.
• Must be able to prioritise own work effectively and be able to direct activities of others.
• Problem solving skills and ability to respond to sudden unexpected demands, and to resolve complex data and reporting issues.
• Ability to concentrate in a busy support environment, decision making and facilitation skills of the highest order.
• Ability to make decisions autonomously, when required, on difficult and contentious issues where there may be several courses of action, working to tight and often changing timescales.
• Excellent written, presentation and verbal skills.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Significant attention to detail combined with the ability to extract key messages from complex analysis
• Experience of change management process.
• Ability to engender trust and confidence and demonstrate integrity in the provision of advice, support and management.
• Proven ability and experience of successfully managing and delivering digital products and/or services.
• Knowledge of information governance standards for data security and confidentiality.

Experience

• Experience of working on large scale, highly complex, tight deadline projects.
• Technical Development experience to Degree level or equivalent.
• Significant experience of working as a Business Analyst.
• Evidence of management, operations, and leadership.
• Working with Agile methodologies, multifaceted teams.
• Experience of working in a pressured and complex environment requiring prioritisation of workloads and negotiating of delivery timescales.
• Experience of working within the NHS.

Personal Qualities

• Well-developed communication skills, (verbal and written). Able to understand, make recommendations on, and convey information on the project to senior stakeholders, both internal and external (including outside the NHS).
• Outstanding communication, presentation, and leadership skills Good presentational skills for conveying complex concepts.
• Ability to build co-operative relationships, and manage groups / stakeholders to gain consensus.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams to deliver on a common goal Ability to influence and interact with people at various levels.
• Confident, highly motivated and able to use own initiative.
• Able to resolve problems effectively.
• Significant attention to detail.
• Commitment to and focused on quality, promotes high standards.
• Working knowledge of market leading technologies that support Application Developmen.
• Must be able to demonstrate commitment to customer facing service.
• Must be committed to self- development and be enthusiastic about acquiring new skills and embracing new technologies.
• Certified Agile qualification or good knowledge of Agile project/implementation practices, tools and techniques.
• Understanding of the not-for profit sector.
• Familiar with software and database technology.

Planning Skills

• Demonstrated capability to plan over short, medium and long-term timeframes and adjust plans and resource requirements accordingly.
• Experience of setting up and implementing internal processes and procedures.

Equality and Diversity

• The promotion of equality of opportunity and good working relations (providing practical leadership).

Qualifications

• Educated to a degree of equivalent level in a business, systems, computing relating subject or equivalent experience.
• Evidence of further professional development.
• Post Graduate Qualification.
• Agile Qualification.
• Sigma/Lean.
• Prince 2 Qualification.

Other

• Will be required to travel regionally and could lead to early starts or late evenings to make meetings as a result or occasional overnight stops in hotels.
• Must be able to commit to working outside of core hours, with occasional evening and weekend working

Employer name

NHS North Of England Commissioning Support Unit