Lead Business Analyst (Travel)

Saga Travel; Sandgate; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 45,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading travel company in the UK is looking for a Lead Business Analyst to manage requirements and deliver solutions in a hybrid role. This position requires strong communication skills, proven experience in the travel industry, and expertise in documenting business requirements. The successful candidate will work closely with technical teams to ensure solutions meet business needs. Benefits include 25 days holiday, a pension scheme, and various employee discounts.

Benefits

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Pension scheme matched up to 10%

Company performance-related annual bonus

Life assurance policy

Colleague discounts on travel

Qualifications

• Experience as a business analyst in a lead or senior position.
• Experience within the Travel industry.
• Experience in gathering and documenting requirements.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for analysing requirements of new and changed product offerings.
• Lead business analysis efforts and manage requirements.
• Facilitate workshops and meetings to extract requirements.

Skills

Communication skills

Microsoft Office usage

Mentoring and guidance

Proven track record in precision

Process modelling

Curiosity

Education

Level 4 Business Analyst qualification

Tools

Word

Excel

PowerPoint

Visio

Job description

Lead Business Analyst (Travel)

Salary - £40,000 to £45,000

Permanent

Folkestone Hybrid

As our Lead Business Analyst within Sagas Travel Business you will be responsible for analysing requirements of new / changed product and systems offerings or strategic change to any part of the travel business and undertaking process reviews and re-engineering, including implementation.

Youll lead as a Business Analyst on a project, planning the business analysis effort, determining how requirements will be managed whilst providing structured, documented requirements that provides a framework to support both the business and technical teams

to produce systems that accurately meet the business needs.

This role requires you to be working from our Folkestone office a minimum of 3 times a week. We have designated office space for colleagues in our Travel business, allowing us to collaborate and share success as a function.

Package Description

At Saga we recognise that our people make us special. We believe our colleagues deserve rewards for the excellence they demonstrate every single day, that's why we have put together an amazing benefits package for all colleagues.

BENEFITS AVAILABLE TO ALL COLLEAGUES :

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Option to purchase additional leave - 5 extra days
• Pension scheme matched up to 10%
• Company performance related annual bonus - Up to 5%
• Life assurance policy on joining us, 4 x salary

Wellbeing programme

• Colleague discounts including family discounts on cruises, holidays and insurance
• Range of reductions and offers from leading retailers, travel groups and entertainment companies
• Enhanced maternity and paternity leave
• Grandparents leave
• Income protection
• Access to Saga Academy, our bespoke learning platform

Main Responsibilities

As our Lead Business Analyst you will be responsible for eliciting, interpreting, and translating business requirements from change owners and subject matters experts and turning that into requirement documentation for use in change delivery through sprint cycles and other change methodologies across the Travel Business.

Other accountabilities include :

• Engineering requirements to ensure they are relevant, accurate, validated, and signed off within the business before being passed through to technical analysis, development, and test.
• Assisting with business case development, including solution modelling where appropriate.
• Creating a centre of excellence for requirements.
• Facilitating effective workshops and meetings using smart questioning to draw out requirements, options, and outcomes.
• Identifying system and operational process gaps, pro-actively raising these to the relevant department, support in the creation of their change requests and look for opportunities as part of continuous improvement. Be an advocate for process improvement, learning and business analysis within Travel.
• Maintaining and enhancing key relationships with the Change community, Development Teams, Project, and Change Teams.
• Ensuring swift progress across multiple concurrent projects through organisation and time management skills, whilst being able to adapt quickly to changing priorities and workloads.
• Effectively managing stakeholder expectations around scope, delivery, and timescales.
• Ensuring actions, risks, issues, and decisions are raised for the appropriate documentation to be updated in accordance with the best practice requirements of Change Management.
• Reporting and tracking progress across my assigned projects, identifying and escalating any blockers hindering progress where necessary
• End to end management of change as assigned

The Ideal Candidate

As our new Lead Business Analyst you will have proven experience working as a business analyst in a lead or senior position.

It is essential that you have experience within the wider Travel industry, and having Air experience would be an advantage.

Skills and Experience required include :

• Ability to work in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Proven experience of excellent communication at various levels
• Shown curiosity and being naturally inquisitive and happy to provide challenge where necessary.
• Proven track record of working with precision.
• Usage of Microsoft applications
• Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio / Draw.io (or similar)
• Proven experience of being in a position with mentoring, guidance, and support responsibilities.
• Relevant toolkit and minimum level 4 Business Analyst qualification, Lean Six Sigma experience an advantage
• Proven experience of in gathering and documenting requirements
• Proven experience of process modelling

Saga Values : Make it Happen, Do the Right Thing, Customer First, Excellence Every Day, Our People Make Us Special

About The Company

Over the past 70years we have become the UK's specialist provider of products and services to people aged over 50 in the UK. Were one of the most recognised and trusted brands amongst UK consumers in this demographic, recognised for its high-quality products and exceptional standards of service. Our product portfolio includes cruises, holidays, insurance, personal finance products andour Saga Magazine.

We aim to be the most-trusted brand for older people in the UK. Our focus on delivering exceptional products and service empowers our colleagues to create moments that are personal and special for our customers and for each other. Our values underpin our approach and help guide us to deliver our purpose.

Were committed to making sure that colleagues can be their best, be themselves and make a difference more than anywhere else. We do this by creating a truly inclusive culture, where all colleagues can bring their full and authentic selves to work and be treated with dignityand respect in an environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.

Thanks to our people, Saga has been ranked 6th in the UKs Best Employers 2025 by the Financial Times and Statista. This recognition, based on the voices of 20,000 employees across the UK, is a testament to the great culture weve built together. This award belongs to all our colleagues who collectively make Saga a fantastic place to work.

We are champions of age inclusivity and signatories of the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, we are proud of our multigenerational teams we have in place. Were also a committed Disability Confident employer and ensure that our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible.

Your application will have fair consideration, and youll receive personal communication throughout your applicant journey when you apply to join Saga.

For more information on our DEI policies, colleague stories and other opportunities across the business, please visit Jobs and careers with Saga

Saga does not accept agency CVs unless specifically engaged on the role by the Talent Acquisition Team. Please do not forward CVs to our recruiters, employees or any other company location. Saga will not be responsible for any fees related to CVs received in this unsolicited manner.