Lead Business Analyst

Apollosyndicate1969; Greater London; On-site; GBP 85,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

31 days’ annual leave

Non-contributory pension

Private medical insurance

Job summary

Apollo, a Skyward Group company, seeks a Lead Business Analyst to shape and lead our BA practice across Technology, Underwriting, Finance, Risk and Data. You will translate complex challenges into deliverable solutions, bringing structure to ambiguity and grounding requirements in user need.

This role emphasizes capability building, hands-on delivery, and active involvement in delivery rather than pure people management, with hybrid working and opportunities to influence ways of working in

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading Business Analysis within digital/software/data environments.
• Experience establishing or improving BA standards/frameworks.
• Excellent stakeholder management and ability to influence decisions.
• Strong requirements gathering, workshops, and high-quality user stories.
• Solid understanding of agile delivery, backlog refinement, and iterative development.

Responsibilities

• Lead and establish Apollo's BA practice with standards and templates.
• Partner with Technology, Underwriting, Finance, Risk and Data to translate needs into solutions.
• Own requirements from discovery to delivery; produce user stories and process maps.
• Facilitate workshops and cross-functional collaboration.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Architecture and Data to implement solutions.
• Analyse and simplify current and future business processes; identify automation opportunities.
• Support user journey mapping, UX activities and solution design as needed.
• Contribute to testing, adoption and successful implementation of new capabilities.
• Coach other BAs to maintain consistent standards across teams.
• Shape agile delivery, backlog management and ways of working in Digital Solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Business Analysis

Stakeholder Management

Requirement Gathering

Agile Delivery

Workshop Facilitation

User Story Writing

Process Mapping

Job description

Who we are

Apollo, a Skyward Group company, is an innovation-inspired insurance platform operating at Lloyd’s of London, delivering data-driven and creative solutions across a broad range of risks. Our name reflects our origins. Inspired by one of our founding investors, Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon, the business was built with the same pioneering mindset. Alongside Jim Hays, Neil set out to create a different kind of Lloyd’s platform, focused, agile and built around people. Since launch in 2009, we have grown into a diversified insurance group offering products across Property, Casualty, Marine, Energy and Transportation, Specialty and Reinsurance, alongside Smart Follow and digital and embedded risk programmes. Our experience and unique ecosystem give Platform Partners the best chance of success, from navigating the Lloyd’s new entrant process through to the delivery of their long-term strategy. With a team of more than 300 professionals, we continue to grow with purpose, combining underwriting excellence, innovation and collaboration to enable a more resilient and sustainable world.

Your Role

As Lead Business Analyst, you'll combine strategic leadership with hands‑on delivery. You'll establish and continuously improve Apollo's Business Analysis practice while partnering with stakeholders across Technology, Underwriting, Finance, Risk and Data to translate complex business challenges into clear, deliverable solutions. You'll bring structure to ambiguity, ask the right questions and ensure every requirement is grounded in genuine user need.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys building capability, influencing ways of working and remaining actively involved in delivery rather than moving into pure people management.

What you'll do

• Lead and establish Apollo's Business Analysis practice, defining standards, templates and best practice.
• Partner with stakeholders across Technology, Underwriting, Finance, Risk and Data to understand business needs and translate them into clear, deliverable solutions.
• Own requirements from discovery through to delivery, producing user stories, process maps and functional documentation.
• Facilitate workshops, discovery sessions and cross-functional collaboration.
• Work closely with Engineering, Architecture and Data teams to ensure business requirements translate into practical technical solutions.
• Analyse current and future business processes, identifying opportunities to simplify, automate and improve.
• Support user journey mapping, UX activities and solution design where appropriate.
• Contribute to testing, user adoption and successful implementation of new capabilities.
• Coach and support partner Business Analysts, helping maintain consistent standards across internal and external delivery teams.
• Help shape agile delivery, backlog management and ways of working across the Digital Solutions function.

What we are looking for

You'll bring experience leading Business Analysis within digital, software or data driven environments and be comfortable operating across both strategic and delivery-focused work.

We're particularly interested in people who have experience with:

• Proven experience as a Senior or Lead Business Analyst delivering digital products or software solutions.
• Experience establishing or improving Business Analysis standards, frameworks or ways of working.
• Excellent stakeholder management, with the confidence to challenge constructively and influence decision making.
• Strong experience gathering requirements, facilitating workshops and writing high-quality user stories.
• A solid understanding of agile delivery, backlog refinement and iterative product development.
• Experience working alongside Product Managers, Engineers, Architects and Data teams.
• Process mapping and business process improvement experience, including identifying opportunities for automation.
• An understanding of data, systems integration and API-led solutions.
• Experience coaching, mentoring or supporting other Business Analysts would be beneficial.
• Experience within insurance or another regulated industry would be beneficial but is not essential

What you’ll get in return

We offer a competitive and thoughtfully designed reward package that reflects the value of our people.

• fair and attractive salary
• discretionary bonus
• 31 days’ annual leave
• a non-contributory pension
• private medical insurance

Our commitment to inclusion

At Apollo, people are at the heart of everything we do. We are a diverse, growing team of empowered experts who bring collaboration, innovation and data-driven thinking to every relationship and every risk.

We believe diversity and inclusion go far beyond targets. They are essential to understanding the global communities we serve and to making better decisions. That’s why we are committed to developing diverse talent at every level and creating an environment where different perspectives are genuinely valued, supported and celebrated.

We also run a programme of events, training and initiatives designed to recognise both the challenges and opportunities that come with building an inclusive workplace.

Hybrid & flexible working

Flexible and hybrid working are fully embraced at Apollo. We do not believe in presenteeism. Instead, we trust our people to work in ways that allow them to perform at their best, balancing professional responsibilities with personal commitments.

Apollo is committed to creating an inclusive recruitment experience where every candidate feels supported and able to perform at their best.