Senior Business Analyst - Planning Inspectorate - SEO

Location

Bristol

About the job

Job summary

Join our Digital & Data team as a Senior Business Analyst on a permanent or fixed term basis, where you'll help shape the digital services that support a fair and transparent planning system for England. You’ll work with multidisciplinary teams to understand user needs, analyse complex problems, and deliver improvements that help us provide accessible, efficient and user‑centred services. 

The Planning Inspectorate has a long and proud history in ensuring a fair planning system for England. The work we do has a significant impact on people’s lives, the communities where they live and the economy. 

We want our colleagues to be able to work more flexibly and more collaboratively, exploring new and innovative ways to improve the way we provide services.    

 For further information on the Planning Inspectorate, please visit our careers page at Civil Service Careers 

Job description

As a Senior Business Analyst, you’ll work alongside Product Managers, User Researchers, Designers and technical specialists to continuously improve existing digital products and support the development of new features. You’ll explore user needs, map out services, identify improvements and help teams make well‑informed decisions that align with Government Digital Service standards.  

You will play a key role in ensuring our services are intuitive, inclusive and meet the future needs of users and stakeholders across the Planning Inspectorate. 

Responsibilities 

You will: 

• Engage with stakeholders and users to gather insight into their needs, challenges and expectations. 
• Use a range of business analysis techniques to elicit, analyse, document and validate requirements (e.g., workshops, interviews, requirement catalogues, user stories).  
• Map current and future processes and service designs, identifying improvements that deliver value and enhance user experience. 
• Identify opportunities for automation and assess benefits and impacts. 
• Prioritise requirements and support the development of features and sprints in an agile environment.  
• Ensure requirements remain accurate, high‑quality and up to date throughout the delivery lifecycle. 
• Build and maintain constructive relationships across teams and business areas.  
• Promote excellent customer service and champion inclusive approaches to service improvement.  

Role types and Salary details  

There are 4 roles available of different employment types  

1x Permanent  

2x Fixed term contract for 24 months 

1x Fixed term contract for 12 months 

Salary 

New entrants to the Civil Service are expected to start on the minimum of the pay band. Internal rules apply to existing Civil Servants, i.e. level transfers move on current salary or the pay range minimum, transfers on promotion move to new pay range minimum or receive 10% increase. Either case is determined by whichever is the highest.

This role is being advertised at Senior Executive Officer Grade  

Starting Salary for this SEO Grade role is £46,689  

Working hours:   

Standard working week is 37 hours, flexible working hours policy available 

Part time at 30 hours or above, flexible working hours policy available  

Office Attendance  

This role is contractually based in Bristol, 10 minute walk from Temple Meads train station. We recognise and value the mutual benefits of hybrid working and have a flexible approach to in person attendance, which can vary dependent on the requirements of individual business units - the details of which can be discussed with candidates if invited to attend an interview

Person specification

Essential Criteria (assessed at sift and interview)

• Proven ability to investigate, analyse, visualise and articulate complex problems, supporting informed and balanced decisions.  
• Experience understanding user needs and managing requirements using established techniques, ideally in an agile environment. (This is also the lead sift criterion) 
• Knowledge of agile and other relevant methodologies, with awareness of their benefits and risks.  
• Experience working in a fast‑paced, collaborative environment with technical specialists and end users.  
• Ability to make decisions balancing user needs, technology options and value for money.  
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills. 
• Ability to manage your own workload and balance multiple priorities.  
• Experience engaging system users to understand behaviours, attitudes and needs, ensuring inclusive design.  
• Relevant professional qualification or willingness to work towards one.