Business Analyst

Posted August 12, 2026
£350 - £400 per day
Remote/London
Contract

Senior Business Analyst – HMPPS External API Team

Location: Hybrid – primarily remote, with occasional attendance at client site in Westminster, London (approximately once per month)
Contract: 24 August 2026 – 31 March 2027
Day Rate: £350-£400 per day
IR35: Outside IR35
Security Clearance: Active SC preferred; candidates with SC clearance in progress may be considered

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Senior Business Analyst to join a small, collaborative team supporting the HMPPS NOMIS External API Team.

The team is responsible for delivering and supporting integration services that enable data sharing between prison systems and external organisations, including services within the NHS and wider prison and justice ecosystem.

This is a hands-on Senior BA role for someone who can operate independently, work confidently with both technical and non-technical stakeholders, and bring structure to complex or ambiguous requirements.

You will play a key role in translating stakeholder needs into clear, actionable requirements and supporting the team across API integrations, data flows, user stories, acceptance criteria, process mapping and backlog management.

This is a non-coding role, but you must be comfortable working with APIs, integrations and technical concepts such as Swagger/OpenAPI, service-to-service communication and data flows.

Key Responsibilities

Lead requirements gathering and analysis across complex business and technical areas.
Facilitate workshops with stakeholders to understand business needs, processes, problems and desired outcomes.
Translate stakeholder requirements into clear and actionable user stories, acceptance criteria, backlog items and functional requirements.
Work closely with developers and technical architects to understand and document API integrations and data flows.
Analyse service-to-service communications and identify dependencies, impacts and integration requirements.
Work with Swagger/OpenAPI documentation to understand and communicate API requirements and behaviour.
Produce clear business and process documentation, including process maps and requirements specifications.
Support backlog refinement, prioritisation and preparation of work for Agile delivery teams.
Collaborate closely with the Product Manager, Delivery Manager, Technical Architect and developers.
Identify gaps, dependencies, risks and opportunities for improvement and ensure these are appropriately communicated.
Support the team in improving its processes, ways of working and delivery maturity.
Work across both project delivery and operational support activities, balancing competing priorities effectively.
Engage confidently with senior stakeholders and subject matter experts across technical, operational and business environments.
Ensure requirements remain traceable from initial stakeholder need through to delivery and acceptance.
Support testing and acceptance activities by ensuring requirements and acceptance criteria are clear and measurable.
Help identify opportunities for process improvement, service improvement and service design.
Operate effectively within a small team, taking ownership of tasks and proactively identifying what needs to be done without requiring significant direction.

Essential Skills & Experience

Extensive experience working as a Senior Business Analyst within complex technology or transformation environments.
Strong experience in requirements gathering and analysis.
Proven ability to facilitate stakeholder workshops and manage diverse stakeholder groups.
Strong business process mapping and analysis experience.
Experience working within Agile delivery teams.
Strong user story writing and acceptance criteria definition skills.
Experience with backlog refinement and prioritisation.
Practical experience using Jira.
Good understanding of APIs and integration architectures.
Experience analysing integrations, data flows and service-to-service communications.
Ability to work with or interpret Swagger/OpenAPI documentation.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.
Proven ability to operate independently within a small, multidisciplinary team.
Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
Experience working effectively in environments where requirements or delivery approaches may be ambiguous or evolving.
SC clearance, or SC clearance currently in progress as a minimum.

Desirable Experience

Experience within the Justice, Prisons & Probation domain.
Previous experience working with MoJ or HMPPS.
Experience of government digital or other complex public-sector programmes.
Knowledge of prison and probation systems and processes.
Experience delivering or supporting API and integration services.
Process improvement and continuous improvement experience.
Service design thinking and experience.
Experience contributing to operating model development.
Experience working across complex integration and data-sharing environments.

Technical Environment

The successful candidate should be comfortable working with:

APIs
Swagger / OpenAPI
Integration platforms
Data flows
Service-to-service communications
Jira
Agile delivery methodologies
API integration and requirements analysis

Coding experience is not required, but candidates must be able to understand technical API and integration concepts and translate them into clear business and delivery requirements.

Team Structure

You will join a small, collaborative delivery team consisting of:

Product Manager – part-time
Delivery Manager
Technical Architect
2 Developers
Senior Business Analyst

The team is embedded within the HMPPS NOMIS External API function, working on integration services connecting prison systems with external organisations.

Because of the size of the team, the successful candidate will need to be comfortable wearing multiple hats, taking ownership and contributing beyond traditional BA documentation.

Ideal Candidate

We are particularly interested in candidates who are:

Proactive and self-starting, with the confidence to take ownership.
Comfortable working in ambiguous environments and able to create structure from uncertainty.
Strong communicators who can build effective relationships with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Hands-on and delivery-focused rather than purely documentation-focused.
Comfortable working independently with limited direction.
Able to balance strategic analysis with practical delivery activity.
Confident working alongside developers and technical architects on API and integration requirements.
Comfortable balancing project delivery with operational support requirements.

Screening Criteria

Applications are unlikely to be progressed where candidates demonstrate:

Limited stakeholder engagement experience.
A predominantly documentation-focused BA approach.
No exposure to APIs or integration environments.
Limited Agile delivery experience.
An inability to operate independently within a small team.
A requirement for significant day-to-day direction.
Difficulty working with ambiguity or changing priorities.
Weak communication or stakeholder-management skills.
Limited initiative or ownership.
An inability to balance operational support alongside project delivery.

Contract Details

Role: Senior Business Analyst
Contract: 24 August 2026 – 31 March 2027
Rate: £350 – 400 per day
IR35: Outside IR35
Location: Primarily remote, with approximately one day per month onsite in Westminster, London
Clearance: Active SC preferred; SC in progress may be considered
Interview: Single-stage video interview, approximately 45 minutes
Start: 24 August 2026
Extension: Potentially available depending on the ongoing HMPPS roadmap

Please note: Due to the nature of the role and associated security requirements, candidates must hold or be progressing towards the required SC clearance.

Reasonable Adjustments:

Respect and equality are core values to us. We are proud of the diverse and inclusive community we have built, and we welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and perspectives. Our success is driven by our people, united by the spirit of partnership to deliver the best resourcing solutions for our clients.

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.

Apply for this Job

Business Analyst (National Security)

Posted August 10, 2026
£60000 - £80000 per annum
Cheltenham
Permanent

Business Analyst – National Security

Location: Cheltenham
Salary: Competitive (dependent on experience)
Clearance: Active eDV required
Working: Flexible / hybrid

The Opportunity

We’re currently working with a number of organisations looking for eDV-cleared Business Analysts to join high-impact teams across the National Security sector.

There are two particularly interesting opportunities depending on the environment you’re looking for:

🚀 Small & Agile Technology Business

Join a growing, specialist business working on mission-critical National Security projects, where you’ll have genuine ownership, less red tape and the opportunity to shape how the organisation develops.

This would suit a BA who enjoys working closely with talented technical teams, taking ownership of problems and having a real say in how solutions are shaped and delivered.

🏢 Established Consultancies

We’re also working with several established consultancies operating right at the “pointy end” of customer missions.

You’ll work alongside experienced consultants and technical specialists on some of the UK’s most sensitive and impactful programmes. These are excellent opportunities for someone who wants meaningful work, strong career development and some big names on their CV.

What We’re Looking For

Proven experience working as a Business Analyst within complex environments
Strong requirements gathering, analysis and stakeholder management skills
Ability to translate complex business or user needs into clear, actionable requirements
Experience working with technical and delivery teams
Strong communication skills and the ability to operate confidently with senior stakeholders
Experience within National Security, Defence or Government is highly desirable
Active eDV clearance is essential

Why Consider These Opportunities?

The Cheltenham National Security market is incredibly active, with opportunities across start-ups, specialist SMEs and established consultancies.

Depending on what you’re looking for, you could find yourself with:

Greater autonomy and influence in a small, agile business
The structure, scale and progression of an established consultancy
Access to genuinely mission-critical programmes
Highly talented technical and consulting teams
Flexible working and competitive packages
The chance to build experience on some of the UK’s most interesting National Security programmes

If you’re an eDV-cleared Business Analyst considering your next move, I’d be happy to have a confidential conversation about what’s currently available.

Reasonable Adjustments:

If you need any help or adjustments during the recruitment process for any reason, please let us know when you apply or talk to the recruiters directly so we can support you.