Lead Business Analyst - Digital

Agriculture And Horticulture Development Board (ahdb; Coventry; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organization in Coventry seeks a Lead Business Analyst to deliver user-centred digital services aligned with GDS principles. The role involves leading development phases, facilitating stakeholder workshops, and translating business needs into digital solutions. Ideal candidates have experience in the UK public sector, strong analytical skills, and proficiency in agile tools. This position offers a hybrid working model with competitive benefits.

Benefits

33 days annual leave plus one privilege day

Life assurance cover

Defined contribution pension scheme

Enhanced pay for family leave

Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme

Excellent training and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead or Senior Business Analyst in the UK public sector.
• Deep understanding of GDS Service Manual and agile delivery.
• Strong communication skills with policy and technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead discovery and development phases for GDS services.
• Facilitate workshops to capture business and user needs.
• Act as the bridge between operations and tech teams.

Skills

Business analysis best practices

User research collaboration

Stakeholder engagement

Agile delivery

Cloud technologies

Education

GDS Business Analyst training or certification

Tools

Jira

Confluence

Power BI

Lucidchart

Balsamiq

Job description

Overview

We are currently seeking a Lead Business Analyst who has trained or has significant experience of working in a Government Digital Services (GDS) environment to join our dynamic digital team at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). This hybrid role requires working 2-3 days per week at our Coventry HQ, with the remaining days remote. As a GDS-aligned Lead Business Analyst, you will play a key role in delivering digital services that are user-centred, data-driven and designed in line with GDS principles and service standards. You will support the wider Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) team to work across the full digital life cycle, ensuring delivery meets user needs, policy intent and technology capabilities. Your expertise will directly support the development of digital products and services that are secure, scalable and accessible. You will help shape digital services that bring value to the UK agriculture and horticulture sectors. At the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), we inspire our farmers, growers and industry to succeed in a rapidly changing world. Working at AHDB, you won\'t just be helping our farmers produce the food we eat and look after our environment, you\'ll be helping shape the future of food production and leaving a legacy for the next generation.

Responsibilities

• Help us set up and lead discovery, alpha, beta and live phases in line with GDS service standard, supporting service assessments and government assurance processes
• Facilitate workshops and interviews to capture and prioritise business and user needs, identifying pain points and opportunities for improvement
• Collaborate with DDaT professionals to inform the development of product roadmaps and ensure alignment with strategic objectives
• Act as the bridge between operations and technology - translating often complex requirements into actionable digital solutions
• Promote and embed business analysis best practices across AHDB projects, mentoring others and championing user-centred design
• Engage with internal and external stakeholders, including partner agencies and third-party suppliers
• Identify opportunities for reuse, service integration and digital transformation, including the application of cloud technologies, automation and AI

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Lead or Senior Business Analyst in the UK public sector, ideally within a GDS delivery environment
• Deep understanding of GDS Service Manual, Digital Service Standard and agile delivery in line with government frameworks
• Skilled in user research collaboration, service mapping, data-driven analysis and requirements engineering
• Strong stakeholder engagement and communication skills, including working with policy, legal, operational and technical teams
• Proficient in agile tools and BA toolkits including Jira, Confluence, Miro, Lucidchart, Balsamiq, Power BI and Visio
• Confident in running workshops, facilitating discussions and presenting findings to senior stakeholders and service assessment panels
• Experience working within or alongside DDaT frameworks, contributing to product discovery and iterative development
• Desirable: GDS Business Analyst training or certification (e.g. GDS BA Capability Framework alignment)
• Familiarity with Gov.uk design systems, open standards and accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.2)
• Experience supporting teams through GDS assessments and spend approvals
• Sector knowledge or experience with environmental, agricultural or Defra-aligned organisations is advantageous

Benefits

• 35 hours per week, to include hybrid working
• 33 days of annual leave plus one privilege day (inclusive of bank holidays)
• Life assurance cover (4x salary)
• A market-leading defined contribution pension scheme with Legal & General
• Enhanced pay of 20 weeks for maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, subject to length of service
• Comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme
• Excellent training and development opportunities and an agreed development plan
• Recognition awards throughout the year
• Access to the Government\'s tax-free childcare scheme
• Reward Gateway membership - this gives you a huge number of online discounts and savings