About the job

Job summary

Government People Group (GPG) is a large business unit within the Cabinet Office. It brings together back office services across government and supports the Civil Service with high volume HR and finance processes, aligned to the Government's modernisation agenda.

Within GPG, the Platforms, Data and Interoperability (PD&I) directorate provides first-class platforms and services for over 400,000 civil servants, including recruitment, data analysis, skills and learning solutions. It provides recruitment services for around 70 percent of the Civil Service. 

As a Business Analyst, you will help to identify, understand and explain business and user needs for digital delivery teams. You will have the opportunity to shape some of the highest priority HR services and projects, dealing with a wide range of complex business and technical issues. You will capture user stories to explain complex user needs and business requirements to your team, stakeholders and delivery partners. You will also work closely with operational delivery teams to design business processes that achieve policy goals.

Job description

PD&I is a centre of expertise, working across departments to make it easier for civil servants to use platforms for HR, finance and payroll. We recently launched the Shared Services Strategy for Government, which will deliver services that are better value, cutting through processes that cost time and money. Our overarching objectives are:

1. Improve the user experience for civil servants with systems that are intuitive, easy to use and mobile-enabled
2. Deliver efficiency and value for money through better systems and services which support productivity and seek to reduce costs
3. Drive convergence around processes and data, including the consolidation and modernisation of technology platforms, while maintaining choice for departments

Through this strategy, our ambition is to free up civil servants to focus on what they do best: engaging with and delivering for citizens.

What you will be working on:

You will join one of our delivery teams for the Interoperability OneData programme, which aims to create a more flexible, efficient and effective Civil Service in which we use technology and data to manage the workforce intelligently. The programme has four key projects, each designed to make it easier to be a civil servant in a modern Civil Service. The Business Analyst may be involved in one or more of the following three strands:

1. Government Skills Campus - enabling the Civil Service to identify skills and learning gaps in order to meet its business needs and helping employees to understand and enhance their skills in order to reach their full potential, by providing easy access to targeted learning and career development opportunities
2. Staff Transfers / Movers - improving how civil servants move between roles in the Civil Service by delivering a staff transfer service that is fast, simple, consistent and provides an outstanding user experience
3. Central Employee Identifier & Integration Hub - providing a single unique identifier for every civil servant, connecting data held in different systems and using integration technology to enable data to be shared in a seamless and error-free way

As a Business Analyst you will:

• Identify, record and communicate complex business needs and processes to a range of audiences. This will include using a range of approaches such as user stories, process models, root cause analysis, use case maps and many others
• Develop and refine product backlogs, using evidence and data to inform their scope and value. Work with product managers to prioritise these and develop roadmaps
• Design, challenge and improve the business processes that underpin our digital services so that they are simple, standardised and (where possible) automated. This may also include creating effective assisted digital journeys for our users unable to use the online service
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical audiences which may include facilitating workshops or leading presentations
• Work with operational teams to challenge and deliver business change activities that make the Civil Service more effective. Engage with stakeholders and colleagues to gain their support and commitment to changes
• Ensure that our digital services are designed to meet government digital standards, including usability, accessibility and security
• Create acceptance criteria for user stories to ensure that any new features or products have robust and efficient testing so that they meet user and business needs. Work with quality assurance testers and the wider delivery team to test our services before releases and rollout
• Support procurement activities to ensure we select the best software and delivery partners, such as developing specifications and evaluating suppliers. Ensure our needs and requirements are fully understood by suppliers and work in partnership to deliver them
• Develop performance frameworks with meaningful metrics to assess the value and effectiveness of our services
• Collaborate with other delivery teams and stakeholders to maintain and improve our other services, using data-driven evidence to identify and address unmet or under-served needs.
• Help to enhance our use of Agile methodologies and frameworks

Person specification

Essential criteria:

• Business analysis.
  You can investigate problems and analyse options for new and existing services. You know how to provide recommendations for solutions. You can work with stakeholders to identify objectives, opportunities and potential benefits available
• Business modelling.
  You can use a wide range of techniques to model situations confidently. You know how to gain the necessary agreement needed from subject matter experts and stakeholders, ensuring they review the results to fix any issues
• Requirements definition and management.
  You know how to elicit requirements. You can facilitate the setting of business priorities for change initiatives of medium complexity. You can manage and implement requests for changes to baseline requirements
• Stakeholder relationship management.
  You know how to identify important stakeholders, tailor communication to their needs, and work with teams to build relationships while also meeting user needs. You have the ability to take opposing views to reach a consensus
• You can review requirements, specifications and define test conditions. You can identify issues and risks associated with work while being able to analyse and report test activities and results
• Agile working.
  You know about agile methodology and can apply an agile mindset to all aspects of your work. You can work in a fast-paced, evolving environment and use an iterative method and flexible approach to enable rapid delivery

These roles are aligned to the Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Capability Framework for the Civil Service. You can view the Business Analyst role in the following link: Business Analyst - Gov.uk

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £40,850, Cabinet Office contributes £11,029 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

After submission of the first part of your application candidates will be required to complete a Verbal Test as part of the online application, this will follow immediately after the initial short application form is submitted. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the full application. Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended) to give yourself enough time to complete your full application. The closing date for the tests and for submitting your full application is 23:55pm on Monday 15th January. If you fail to complete the online test and submit your full application before the deadline your application will be withdrawn. Guidance for the test will be available when you are invited to take the test. The tests are administered online and accessed via the CS Jobs website.

You CANNOT complete the test on a mobile phone or tablet.

As part of the application process you will be asked to complete a CV, personal statement and provide an example of one Technical Skill. Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

Your Statement of Suitability (no more than 500 words) should explain how your skills and experience are relevant to the role. This should include examples showing how you have completed similar responsibilities and activities. You should focus on the essential criteria listed in the responsibilities section of the advert.

An initial sift of your CV, Personal Statement, and one Technical skill will be conducted against the Essential Criteria outlined in the job description. Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be undertaken just on your CV

Selection process

Unless you are otherwise informed, the final stage of the process will be a video interview via Google Meet where you will be assessed against the Behaviours and Technical Skills. There may be a short exercise allowing you to demonstrate your skills and experience. More details will be provided for applicants invited to interview.

During the selection process, you will be assessed on three Behaviours and three Technical Skills listed within the job advert.

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date – 15th January 2024
Expected interview date/s – 29th January 2024
Interview location - Online

Reasonable adjustments

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes.

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should:

Contact Government Recruitment Service via cabinetofficerecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional. 

Further information

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'contact point for applicants' section.

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.

Please note terms and conditions are attached. Please take time to read the document to determine how these may affect you.

Any move to Cabinet Office 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

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

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service /Disclosure Scotland on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

For further information on the Disclosure Scotland confidential checking service telephone: the Disclosure Scotland Helpline on 0870 609 6006 and ask to speak to the operations manager in confidence, or email Info@disclosurescotland.co.uk

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

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 (opens in a new window).

See our vetting charter (opens in a new window). 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) (opens in a new window)
• 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 (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) 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 (opens in a new window). 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.