About the job

Job summary

We are looking for a Business Analyst to join us in the Government People Group (GPG) within the Cabinet Office, a unit that offers back-office services for the whole of government, on key areas such as HR, Finance, Pensions, and shared services. You will play key role in delivering and improving our Civil Service Jobs platform and wider recruitment service.

Civil Service Jobs is part of Government People Group (GPG) within the Cabinet Office, a unit that offers back-office services for the whole of government, on key areas such as HR, Finance, Pensions, and shared services. You will help develop our Civil Service Jobs platform and wider recruitment service.

Our team: We are a digital team made of Service, Product and Delivery Managers,  Business Analysts, a Service Designer, a Content Designer, an Interaction Designer and a User Researcher, who will all support you in your work. We are also part of a wider digital community, and have a great BA community.

Our project is looking at Recruitment Transformation, to procure and build a new recruitment platform by 2026, which will enhance the recruitment service provision across government.

Civil Service Jobs enables the whole of government to recruit people more efficiently, without which the government could not deliver its work: hence our service brings far-reaching benefits for all citizens.

We also enjoy enabling people to find meaningful jobs, and teams to find great colleagues - contributing to a diverse culture that reflects the diversity in the UK.

Job description

What you’ll work on:

You will join our cross-functional agile delivery team focusing on transforming Civil Service Jobs, and helping to redesign and deliver the future service. 

Civil Service Jobs is used by over 3 million candidates per month to find and view vacancies across the Civil Service. Each year it handles over 2 million applications and advertises 140,000 posts. The live service is used by 211 organisations to advertise their vacancies and manage their recruitment processes. Currently, Civil Service Jobs is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) provision that has been configured and enhanced to meet Civil Service recruitment, digital and security standards. 

Along with the live service, we are running a Recruitment Transformation programme, looking at what the future service should look like. We’ve completed our Discovery and Alpha phases, where we did extensive user research and prototype design, to explore our user needs and potential solutions for the biggest areas of improvement. 

We’ve decided that our service needs to procure rather than building our own, so we’ve now moved into the Beta procurement phase, which will result in appointing a new technology platform provider by summer 2024, followed by a build and migration phase to be completed by the end of 2026.

The Department: 

Government People Group (GPG) is a large business unit of the Cabinet Office with around 610 staff bringing together back office services across government. It supports the Civil Service with high-volume HR and finance processes, aligning with the Government's modernisation agenda. Established in August 2020, it covers Shared Services, Government Recruitment, Civil Service and Royal Mail Pensions, and the Platforms and Services to support these. GPG delivers services for around 480,000 civil servants across government, it supports 1.5m pension scheme members alongside Royal Mail and provides recruitment services for around 70% of all Civil Service recruitment.

Person specification

Your role: 

We follow the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability job description model for Business Analyst. We'd expect the role to have a good understanding of the Government Digital Service Manual, the GDS Design System, and our Technology Code of Practice.

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, using evidence and data to drive prioritisation and scope.
• Design 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 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.
• Help 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.

Essential criteria:

• The required skills as detailed in the Business Analyst capability, at Business Analyst level, including:
• 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 source 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, tailoring 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 consensus.
• Testing. 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.
• User focus. You can identify needs and engage with users or stakeholders to collate user needs evidence.

Civil Service Behaviours (see Success Profiles for details of what’s required for each behaviour at Level 3):

• Changing and Improving - Seek out opportunities to create effective change and suggest innovative ideas for improvement. Review ways of working, including seeking and providing feedback.

• Communicating and Influencing - Communicate purpose and direction with clarity, integrity and enthusiasm. Respect the needs, responses and opinions of others.

• Managing a Quality Service - Deliver service objectives with professional excellence, expertise and efficiency, taking account of diverse customer needs.

Technical skills:

• Business Analysis
• Agile working
• Testing

Additional information:

A minimum 60% of your working time should be spent at your principal workplace. Although requirements to attend other locations for official business will also count towards this level of attendance.

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, Ability, Experience and Technical skills.

Application process

After submission of the first stage of your application you will be invited to complete a Civil Service Verbal Test. If you successfully pass the test, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the application. 

Please complete the online tests as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours is recommended), the closing date for the tests is 23:55 on 16/06/2024. If you fail to complete the online test 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.

Stage 1 - Sift

Assessed against the essential criteria using:

• A CV setting out your career history, with key responsibilities and achievements.
• A Personal Statement against the skills and experience (maximum 1000 words)

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the CV. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift, or progressed straight to assessment/interview. Candidates successful at the sift stage will be invited to interview.  Interviews will be held virtually and more information will be provided once you progress to the interview stage.  

Stage 2 - Online Interview including presentation

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 Civil Service Behaviours and Technical Skills. 

There may be a short exercise / presentation, allowing you to demonstrate your skills and experience. More details will be provided for applicants invited to interview.

Selection process

Expected timeline (subject to change)

Expected sift date/s - tbc

Expected interview date/s – tbc

Interview location - Online

Reasonable Adjustment

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

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

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

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 or 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. 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.