Vacancies

Business Analyst

Please Note: The application deadline for this job has now passed.

About the role

Newly formed West Northants Council’s Digital, Technology and Innovation service is revolutionising local authority IT. Our strategy is visionary and ground-breaking - our aim is to be the most innovative local authority in the country.

We need smart people! Armed, prepared and ready-to-go game-changers, visionaries, and challengers, people who want to go at 1000 miles an hour - we’d rather run fast and break things, than walk slowly and never change anything.

You’ll work with like-minded, smart people; you’ll take old ways of doing things and challenge them. We’re big on removing barriers and busting constraints, so you’ll have what you need to help us transform this into a forward thinking, digital local authority that delivers public services in a progressive way.

People depend on what we deliver so what you do will make a real difference to peoples’ lives.

We're looking for an exceptional hard working person to join the DTI Project and Programmes Team. The Business Analysts will assist project managers and owners in determining the project scope, understand the as is and the what can be, supported by reliable evidence, analysis and insight.

The purpose of the DTI team is to provide digital and technology support for West Northamptonshire Council and our partners North Northamptonshire Council, Milton Keynes Council, and Cambridgeshire County Council. You'll join us on our journey as we create better end-to-end services for our councils and residents.

What will you be doing?

Day to day, your job will look like:

YOU are a business analyst assessing the feasibility of our projects, their impact, associated risks, and benefits. This entails evaluating all aspect of Project requirements and seeking fit for purpose solutions, ensuring impact is assessed appropriately. You will understand the resource commitment and preferred business case for a project.

By keeping an eye on the good and bad practices of the team, promoting best practice you will eradicate waste and poor behaviour. You’ll keep a track record of risks and benefits of projects, modelling the associated investment as part of the cost benefit analysis whilst also facilitating workshops, meetings, and wider communication interventions with service stakeholders to draw out all the requirement details.

You’ll evaluate options and requirements of proposed business improvements, capture and recommend organisational needs and also contribute from your findings to technical decisions that will impact your stakeholders.

You will support and co-ordinate business testing and sign off and undertaken risk assessment, mitigation and management.

Being a proactive thinker, do-er and challenger, so that we can do our best work.

About you

You will need:

Natural openness, curiosity and optimism (a bit of bravery probably wouldn’t hurt either)
A professional qualification or equivalent experience in business analysis and project management
Business analysis experience within a technical / digital / IT environment
Experience in user testing and release of software / technical solutions
Business case development and track record of showing how they influence business decisions
A broad understanding of the digital and technology function within a large complex enterprise environment
Excellent stakeholder management, communication and influencing skills.
To demonstrate understanding of equal opportunities and awareness of the behaviour, physical, social and welfare needs of others.

You'll get extra points for:

A demonstrable understanding of the public sector digital and technology agenda
Read our strategy – it beautiful an recently published on our website

In return, you'll benefit from:

A team who will listen to (and appreciate!) your ideas, and help make them happen
Flexible working (work how you want/where you want, just be here for important meetings)
A generous pension and annual leave allowance
The opportunity to make a difference to peoples’ lives in an innovative and ambitious DT&I service
Encouragement to be the best “you”, you can be

Our benefits

We offer a wide range of benefits to our employees, these include:

Generous annual leave entitlement starting at 28 days annual leave per year, 29 days for senior managers (pro rata, depending on how many hours per week you work), plus bank holidays. An additional 5 days, linked to continuous service, and ability to purchase up to 6 weeks additional leave per year.
Cycle to Work scheme.
Local Government Pension Scheme plus immediate life cover (3 times your annual salary from day one) and ill-health protection.
Employee discounts with local and national retailers, days out, finance, health and beauty, travel and eating out plus lots more.
Car Lease scheme
Professional subscriptions / registration - if your job description requires that you are registered with or are a member of a professional body, WNC will pay for your professional subscription or membership fees
Employee Assistance Programme - We have an employee support programme run by Health Assured, an independent, external organisation. Health Assured is available for you and your immediate family members, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and includes telephone counselling, legal advice, bereavement support and medical information.
Ongoing training and development opportunities.
A variety of flexible working options to support your work/life balance, including full or part time, term time, 9-day fortnight, etc. (subject to business needs).
Our West Ways of Working – We want our workforce to thrive, and we equip our employees with the right technology to support hybrid and collaborative working, on or off site, depending on the role.
Making a difference - If you want to use your skills and experience with an organisation that are genuinely invested in making a difference, are committed to improving people's lives, and whose success has a direct impact on the wellbeing of your family, friends and people in your local area, then West Northamptonshire Council is the place for you.

About us

We're a new council, following one of the largest shake-ups in local government reform in recent history. As a new authority, we're embarking on an exciting journey to deliver exceptional services for our residents, customers and communities.

Our vision at West Northamptonshire Council is 'to make West Northants a great place to live, work, visit and thrive'. We truly stand by this and work hard every day to make this a reality. Our corporate values, THRIVE, stand for: Trust, High Performance, Respect, Innovate and Empower, they underpin everything we do and how we deliver services.

Hear more from Anna Earnshaw, our Chief Executive, about working for West Northants Council: https://youtu.be/lV0EfeUF4aU

At West Northants Council, it's about our people. People who thrive with ambition, bubble with new ideas, demand better ways of working, caring about every detail, and who never shy away from a challenge. Our culture is a gateway for new experiences. A place to forge new opportunities. To empower you in your career and unite you with like-minded people.

When potential is unlocked, talent thrives.

Choose a career that offers you a true sense of achievement, fills you with pride and challenges you in a positive way, every day.

West Northants Council, where careers thrive.