Business Analyst - Student Systems and Development

Arden University; Coventry; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 56,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday + bank holidays

Aviva pension plan

Private Medical Insurance

Job summary

Arden University is seeking a Business Analyst within its IT department. The role focuses on shaping technology and processes to support students from discovery through implementation, collaborating with Developers, Product Owners and other Analysts.

You will translate stakeholder needs into actionable requirements, drive continuous improvement and contribute to Arden's AI transformation and digital strategy.

Qualifications

• Formal Business Analysis qualification or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Uncover business needs and translate into clear requirements.

Skills

BCS/Agile BA qualification

Stakeholder engagement

Requirements elicitation

Process mapping

Testing (UAT)

Agile and waterfall delivery

HE Student Systems knowledge

Tools

Jira

Visio

Job description

Salary: £45,000 - £56,000 per annum

2 roles available

Employment type: Permanent

Hours per week: 37

Reporting into: Project Manager

Department: IT

This role operates primarily on a remote working arrangement that will require attendance at our head office in Coventry or one of our UK campuses roughly once per month. Our working model arrangements are a non-contractual benefit so please note that an Arden work location is added to our employment contracts.

About Arden University

We are an aspirational and multi-award-winning university, delivering rapid growth with ambitious plans to disrupt the HE sector through our passion for innovation and digital education. Our vision is to become the first-choice university for career-focused lifelong learners worldwide, ensuring that everyone, everywhere can access higher education.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines, forge worldwide partnerships, and expand our locations.

About our Department

Join Arden University at an exciting time of rapid growth, global expansion and digital transformation. Our IT Department is at the heart of this journey, providing the technology, services and innovation that enable our students and colleagues to succeed.

We're a diverse team of around 60 technology professionals spanning Software Development, Business Systems, Infrastructure, Cyber Security, IT Operations and more. Together, we're modernising the University's technology landscape and delivering solutions that support our ambitious plans for the future.

We're also embarking on a significant AI transformation, exploring how AI can enhance the way we work, improve decision-making and create better experiences for our students and colleagues. It's an exciting time to join our team, with opportunities to contribute to meaningful change and help shape how technology supports a rapidly growing global university.

We're committed to developing our people and creating opportunities to build a rewarding career. With a strong track record of internal progression and promotion, you'll be joining a team where your development is valued as much as the technology we deliver.

About the Opportunity

Join Arden University at an exciting time of growth and digital transformation as a Business Analyst within our IT team. In this role, you'll play a key part in shaping the technology and processes that support our students throughout their journey with the University.

Working closely with stakeholders across Arden, you'll uncover business needs, translate them into clear requirements, and help shape innovative solutions across our Student Systems. You'll work alongside Developers, Product Owners and fellow Business Analysts, making sure solutions are designed around real business needs and deliver meaningful improvements for our students and colleagues.

You'll be involved throughout the project lifecycle - from discovery and requirements gathering through to testing, implementation and hypercare. You'll challenge existing processes, identify opportunities for improvement and help deliver smarter, more effective ways of working.

With Arden continuing to grow globally and embark on an ambitious digital and AI transformation, this is a fantastic opportunity to join a forward-thinking IT team and make a tangible impact on the systems and experiences that underpin our students' success.

About You

Essential skills / experience

• Formal Business Analysis qualification, such as BCS Business Analysis or Agile Business Analysis, or equivalent professional capability.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, influencing and relationship-building skills across technical and non-technical teams.
• Strong customer-focused approach, with a commitment to delivering effective solutions for students and staff.
• Requirements elicitation using techniques such as user stories, use cases, workshops and focus groups.
• Process mapping and re-engineering for complex business processes, including current-state and future-state modelling.
• Experience developing and managing functional requirements and supporting solutions through the delivery lifecycle.
• Strong testing capability, including User Acceptance Testing (UAT), test planning and overseeing testing activities.
• Experience working across multiple, complex and concurrent projects within a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to identify process improvements and solutions that deliver measurable project benefits while considering the impact on users.
• Understanding and application of Business Analysis methodologies across Agile and waterfall delivery environments.
• Knowledge of systems and services within a complex organisation, including their integration and wider business impact.
• Understanding of relevant professional, legal and regulatory requirements.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Understanding of Higher Education Student Systems, such as SITS, Student Records or other student-facing platforms.
• Knowledge of wider Higher Education systems, including Finance, Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.
• Relevant ITIL or project management knowledge, such as PRINCE2 or AgilePM, would support the role.
• Proficiency with Jira and process mapping tools such as Visio.

Why Arden

At Arden, you will become a part of a passionate and dedicated team who are committed to removing unnecessary barriers to learning and making education more accessible. Our people work hard to ensure our students journeys are the best they can possibly be, as such we want to reward our people with fantastic benefits. Employees benefit from:

• 30 days holiday + bank holidays on-top, and even a Christmas closure!
• A generous Aviva pension plan, company contributions starting from 7%
• BUPA Cash Plan
• Private Medical Insurance coverage (applies to certain job roles)
• Access to Perkbox benefits
• Study any Arden course for free, with a discount for all family and friends
• Plus, other excellent benefits
• Our 'Golden Ticket' which allows you to gift anyone in your life a free Arden education

Our Values

Stand out, Progressive, Accessible, Resourceful, Kindness, reflect who we are as an institution, a team and as individuals. If they also reflect you and you are excited by the chance to be the driving, creative force within a growing business, we want to hear from you.

There has never been a more exciting time to join Arden University, as we expand into new disciplines and locations.

Closing Date: 3rd September

We reserve the right to close this vacancy before the specified closing date should we receive sufficient applications or in order to respond to business needs. In order to avoid missing an opportunity to apply please submit your application as early as possible.

If you are a current Arden student or have an upcoming course with us, you are not eligible to apply for Student Experience roles due to a conflict of interest related to system access.

Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Arden University is proud to be a Disability Confident Employer. This means that if you have a disability, as defined by the Disability Equality Act 2010, you may be guaranteed an interview if you meet the essential criteria for the role.

If you wish to be considered under this scheme, you can indicate via the application form below. By doing so, you are also consenting for this information to be shared with the hiring team. For more details on what qualifies as a disability under the Disability Equality Act 2010, please refer the guidance here.

As an Equal Opportunity Employer we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. Therefore, we make sure that our recruitment and selection processes never discriminate based upon people's age, disability, gender, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or other personal circumstances, and actively welcome applications from all groups.

Sponsorship statement

Please be aware that some roles may not meet the points requirement for a sponsored Skilled Worker visa, or fulfil the criteria we have for providing sponsorship. However we welcome applications from candidates who do not currently have the right to work in the UK but may be eligible for a visa through an alternative route.