Digital SEND and Finance Business Analyst

Compass Community; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Professional development

Competitive salary

Training opportunities

Job summary

Compass Community is seeking an experienced Digital SEND and Finance Business Analyst to support the Digital SEND Programme and a portfolio of financial projects within the Transformation Programme and Project Management team.

You will gather, analyse and translate complex business, user, data and financial requirements, define future-state processes, and support options appraisal, benefits realisation and governance controls across SEND, Education, Finance and Digital workstreams.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years of experience as a Business Analyst.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent with strong Maths and English skills.
• Proficient in eliciting, analysing, validating and prioritising requirements from diverse stakeholder groups.

Responsibilities

• Gather, analyse, validate and translate complex business, user, data and financial requirements into clear, actionable solutions.
• Plan and facilitate workshops and interviews with multiple stakeholders.
• Document financial requirements, business rules, controls and data definitions.
• Support options appraisal, benefits realisation, and business case development.
• Ensure safeguarding, information security, data protection and financial governance considerations.

Skills

Business Analysis

Stakeholder management

Requirements elicitation

Documentation

Process mapping

Workshops facilitation

Agile/Waterfall

Data & financial requirements

Data protection knowledge

Education

Degree level or equivalent

Tools

Visio

Lucidchart

Draw.io

O365

Job description

About Us

Compass Community is a values-led organisation committed to making a difference in the lives of children and young people across the UK. Our values are central to who we are and must run through everything we do — shaping the way we work, make decisions, support colleagues, engage with stakeholders and deliver change. With a focus on care, education, fostering and therapeutic services, we are passionate about delivering transformational change and creating safe, supportive environments. As part of our ongoing mission to strengthen services and systems, we are looking for an experienced Business Analyst to support the Digital SEND Programme and a portfolio of financial projects within our dynamic Transformation Programme and Project Management team.

The Role

As a Digital SEND and Finance Business Analyst, you will play a key role in supporting the successful delivery of the Digital SEND Programme and assigned financial projects across Compass. Working closely with project managers, SEND and Education colleagues, Finance, Digital, Technology, operational teams, developers and other stakeholders, you will gather, analyse, validate and translate complex business, user, data and financial requirements into clear, actionable solutions. You will assess current processes and systems, define future-state requirements, support options appraisal and benefits realisation, and help ensure that proposed changes are practical, compliant, financially controlled and aligned with organisational outcomes. This position requires strong communication, stakeholder management, analytical and documentation skills, together with a sound understanding of business processes, digital services, data and finance-related systems.

Key Responsibilities

• Support business analysis across the Digital SEND Programme and assigned financial projects from discovery through to implementation and benefits realisation.
• Engage SEND, Education, Finance, Digital, Technology and operational stakeholders to understand strategic objectives, service needs, pain points and priorities.
• Analyse current-state processes, systems, data flows, controls and user journeys, and design clear future-state processes and requirements.
• Document financial requirements, business rules, approval routes, controls, reporting needs, data definitions and reconciliation requirements.
• Support options appraisal, feasibility assessment and business case development(where required) by identifying costs, benefits, risks, dependencies and measurable outcomes.
• Maintain requirements traceability and ensure Digital SEND and finance requirements are linked to agreed scope, outcomes, testing and acceptance criteria.
• Identify cross-workstream dependencies, data impacts, risks and process changes, escalating gaps or conflicts to the Project Manager.
• Support benefits definition, baseline measures, implementation readiness and post-implementation evaluation.
• Gather, analyse, validate and manage business, user, data, system and financial requirements throughout the full delivery lifecycle.
• Plan and facilitate workshops, interviews, observation and prototyping sessions with SEND, Education, Finance, Digital, Technology and operational stakeholders.
• Produce high-quality functional and non-functional requirements, user stories, epics, acceptance criteria, process maps, data requirements, business rules and supporting documentation.
• Support Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery teams across Digital SEND and finance workstreams, clarifying requirements and supporting solution design decisions.
• Define testable acceptance criteria and support system testing, User Acceptance Testing, data validation, financial reconciliation and business readiness activities.
• Collaborate with project managers to manage scope, requirements changes, dependencies, risks, deliverables and benefits.
• Ensure requirements and proposed solutions consider safeguarding, information security, data protection, financial governance, regulatory obligations and organisational policies.
• Embed Compass Community’s values throughout all business analysis activity, ensuring requirements, recommendations, stakeholder engagement and change delivery reflect our commitment to care, integrity, collaboration and positive outcomes for children, young people and families.
• Facilitate sustainable change by supporting the adoption of improved Digital SEND and finance processes, systems and ways of working.

Skills & Experience

• 3–5+ years of experience as a Business Analyst.
• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience, with strong Maths and English skills.
• Proficient in eliciting, analysing, validating and prioritising requirements from diverse stakeholder groups, including SEND, Education, Finance, Digital, Technology and operations.
• Strong stakeholder management, workshop facilitation and influencing skills, including the ability to reconcile competing priorities.
• Excellent communication and documentation skills, with the ability to present complex process, data and financial information clearly.
• Experienced in Agile, Waterfall, or hybrid delivery methodologies.
• Skilled in creating user stories, epics, acceptance criteria, requirements catalogues and maintaining prioritised product backlogs.
• Experienced in process mapping tools (e.g., Visio, Lucidchart, Draw.io).
• Familiar with BPMN standards and process modelling techniques.
• Confident with O365 tools.
• Industry-recognised qualifications in business analysis are a plus.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in fast-paced project environments.
• Proven experience supporting complex digital transformation programmes or multi-project environments.
• Experience analysing financial processes, controls, reporting, budgeting, forecasting, purchasing, payments or finance-related systems.
• Experience within SEND, education, care or another regulated service environment would be advantageous.
• Strong process analysis skills, including current-state and future-state mapping, gap analysis and identification of control improvements.
• Ability to analyse data requirements, data quality, integrations, reporting needs and reconciliation rules.
• Experience contributing to business cases, options appraisals, benefits definition and benefits realisation.
• Ability to translate complex SEND, operational, technical and financial needs into clear requirements and practical recommendations.
• Knowledge of safeguarding, data protection, information security and financial governance considerations within change delivery.

Why Join Compass Community?

• Play a direct role in shaping the Digital SEND Programme and improving services that support vulnerable children and families.
• Be part of a forward-thinking team delivering digital innovation, financial improvement, operational efficiency and meaningful social impact.
• Competitive salary and benefits package.
• Opportunities for personal growth, training, and professional development.
• Flexible, supportive working environment.