Senior Business Analyst

Details

Reference number

470744

Salary

£56,850 - £68,570

Based on capability. The base salary of this grade is £61,620 for London and £56,850 for other locations.

GBP

Job grade

Grade 7

Contract type

Permanent

Business area

GDS - Digital Centre Design

Type of role

Digital

Working pattern

Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time, Compressed hours

Number of jobs available

1

Contents

Location

About the job

Benefits

Things you need to know

Apply and further information

Location

Bristol, London, Manchester

About the job

Job summary

A part of the Department of Science and Innovation, the Government Digital Service leads the digital, data and technology (DDaT) function for government. We put the right conditions in place to achieve digital, data and technology transformation at scale by working with departments, and other government functions like commercial, project delivery and security professionals.

We are responsible for:

The Government Digital Service (GDS) is the digital centre of government. We are responsible for setting, leading and delivering the vision for a modern digital government.

Our priorities are to drive a modern digital government, by:

joining up public sector services

harnessing the power of AI for the public good

strengthening and extending our digital and data public infrastructure

elevating leadership and investing in talent

funding for outcomes and procuring for growth and innovation

committing to transparency and driving accountability

We are home to the Incubator for Artificial Intelligence (I.AI), the world-leading GOV.UK and at the forefront of coordinating the UK’s geospatial strategy and activity. We lead the Government Digital and Data function and champion the work of digital teams across government.

We’re part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and employ more than 1,000 people all over the UK, with hubs in Manchester, London and Bristol.

The Government Digital Service is where talent translates into impact. From your first day, you’ll be working with some of the world’s most highly-skilled digital professionals, all contributing their knowledge to make change on a national scale.

Join us for rewarding work that makes a difference across the UK. You'll solve some of the nation’s highest-priority digital challenges, helping millions of people access services they need

Job description

As a Senior Business Analyst in the Government Digital and Cyber Capability team, you aren’t just following a roadmap, you're helping to create it.

We are looking for a visionary creative who thrives on the freedom to shape their role and define how we equip the Civil Service with the talent it needs for a digital future.

You will sit at the heart of cross government strategy, acting as the vital bridge between ambitious ideas and actionable delivery. You’ll translate complex business needs across Workforce and Capability into a scoped, coherent portfolio. Working directly to influence the evolution of the Government Digital & Data and Cyber Capability Frameworks.

This is your chance to turn high level vision into a scalable reality that impacts thousands of specialists across the public sector.

With data as your starting point, storytelling will be your impact. You will use deep business research and creative analysis to uncover insights that others might miss, providing senior leaders with an overarching view of our portfolio. Your ability to synthesise diverse perspectives into a compelling narrative will build consensus, manage risks and ensure our decisions are always evidence based and user-centred.

Working within multidisciplinary agile teams, you will lead the charge in defining what good looks like.

You’ll engage with a wide network of stakeholders and subject matter experts, using your expertise to navigate complex environments and drive continuous improvement.

If you are a self-driven analyst who wants the creativity to solve big problems and the scope to shape the future of government, we want to hear from you.

Person specification

We are interested in people who have:

strategic translation: experience leading the approach to understanding the context, the problem and root causes, setting goals that align to the organisation’s strategic context, and leading the elicitation, analysis, validation and prioritisation of complex business and user needs, defining artefacts such as problem statements, epics, features and user stories.

stakeholder engagement: experience identifying and resolving issues, influencing stakeholders and managing relationships effectively, building long-term strategic relationships and working with stakeholders to develop and implement stakeholder communication strategies and agree delivery priorities.

digital transformation: deep understanding of modern digital service delivery, including agile methodologies and service design principles and experience clearly communicating the value of iterative delivery and realising benefits early

autonomous vision and scope: ability to determine the approach for your role within the team’s delivery methodology, define and agree the scope of delivery within a multidisciplinary team, and clearly communicate the value of iterative delivery and realising benefits early.

research and data: experience leading the approach to developing and evaluating multiple options, sharing and advocating for recommendations to gain support, and using business modelling outcomes to support strategic decision making.

Benefits

There are many benefits of working at GDS, including:

flexible hybrid working with flexi-time and the option to work part-time or condensed hours

a Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 28.97%

25 days of annual leave, increasing by a day each year up to a maximum of 30 days

an extra day off for the King’s birthday

an in-year bonus scheme to recognise high performance

career progression and coaching, including a training budget for personal development

a focus on wellbeing with access to an employee assistance programme

job satisfaction from making government services easier to use and more inclusive for people across the UK

advances on pay, including for travel season tickets

death in service benefits

cycle to work scheme and facilities

access to an employee discounts scheme

10 learning days per year

volunteering opportunities (5 special leave days per year)

access to a suite of learning activities through Civil Service learning

Any move to Government Digital Service from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Office attendance

The Department operates a discretionary hybrid working policy, which provides for a combination of working hours from your place of work and from your home in the UK. The current expectation for staff is to attend the office or non-home based location for 40-60% of the time over the accounting period.

DSIT does not normally offer full home working (i.e. working at home); but we do offer a variety of flexible working options (including occasionally working from home).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

The standard selection process for roles at GDS consists of:

a simple application screening process - We only ask for a CV and to answer 3 application questions

a 75 minute video interview - The interview will feature a Technical Assessment conducted via screen sharing - details of the assessment will be shared with invited candidates prior to the interview

Depending on how many applications we get, there might also be an extra stage before the video interview, for example a phone interview or a technical exercise.

In the event we receive a high volume of applications, we will conduct the initial sift against the lead criteria which is: Describe a time when you led the approach to understanding the context, problem and root causes of a complex issue or opportunity and how you elicited requirements and user needs for delivery.

In the Civil Service, we use Success Profiles to evaluate your skills and ability. This gives us the best possible chance of finding the right person for the job, increases performance and improves diversity and inclusivity. We’ll be assessing your technical abilities, skills, experience and behaviours that are relevant to this role.

For this role we’ll be assessing you against the following Civil Service Behaviours:

seeing the big picture

making effective decisions

changing and improving

working together

We’ll also be assessing your experience and specialist technical skills against the following skills defined in the Government Digital and Data Capability Framework for the Senior Business Analyst role:

business process improvement

business modelling

requirements definition and management

user experience analysis

stakeholder relationship management

Want to know more about who Government Digital and Data are? Click Here

Recruitment Timeline

Sift completion: Week commencing 27th July 2026

Panel interviews: Week commencing 3rd August 2026

Candidates that do not pass the interview but have demonstrated an acceptable standard may be considered for similar roles at a lower grade.

A reserve list will be held for a period of 12 months, from which further appointments can be made.

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.

Please note that this role requires SC clearance, which would normally need 5 years’ UK residency in the past 5 years. This is not an absolute requirement, but supplementary checks may be needed where individuals have not lived in the UK for that period. This may mean your security clearance (and therefore your appointment) will take longer or, in some cases, not be possible.

For meaningful checks to be carried out, you will need to have lived in the UK for a sufficient period of time, to enable appropriate checks to be carried out and produce a result which provides the required level of assurance. Whilst a lack of UK residency in itself is not necessarily a bar to a security clearance, and expectation of UK residency may range from 3 to 5 years. Failure to meet the residency requirements needed for the role may result in the withdrawal of provisional jobs offers.

Sponsorship

DSIT cannot offer Visa sponsorship to candidates through this campaign. DSIT holds a Visa sponsorship licence but this can only be used for certain roles and this campaign does not qualify.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check.

Successful candidates must meet the security requirements before they can be appointed. The level of security needed is security check .

See our vetting charter .

People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

UK nationals

nationals of the Republic of Ireland

nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)

individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020

Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles .

The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria.

The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.

Diversity and Inclusion

The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy .

Apply and further information

This vacancy is part of the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative.

The Civil Service welcomes applications from people who have recently left prison or have an unspent conviction. about prison leaver recruitment (opens in new window).

Once this job has closed, the job advert will no longer be available. You may want to save a copy for your records.

Contact point for applicants

Job contact :

Name : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk

Email : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk

Recruitment team

Email : gdsrecruitment@dsit.gov.uk

Further information

If you feel your application has not been treated in accordance with the Recruitment Principles and you wish to make a complaint, you should contact gds-complaints@dsit.gov.uk in the first instance.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive you can contact the Civil Service Commission by email: info@csc.gov.uk Or in writing: Civil Service Commission, Room G/8 1 Horse Guards Road, London, SW1A 2HQ.