Strategic Business Analyst

Leeds, England, United Kingdom

1/6/2025

For over 20 years, Waystone has been at the cutting edge of specialist services for the asset management industry - partnering with institutional investors, investment funds and asset managers. We work with our clients to help build, support, and protect investment structures and strategies worldwide.

Our success depends upon our ability to attract and retain the best, most diverse talent and provide our employees with a broad spectrum of professional development opportunities. Our workplace environment is an inclusive one, where employees can be themselves, reach their potential and drive business results.

All Waystone employees are expected to demonstrate our core competencies as outlined below. The role Associate has unique requirements and duties; however, these responsibilities are to be executed within the organization’s framework of core values. Waystone expects all employees to be high performing, self-motivated, learners and leaders.

Summary: The Strategic Business Analyst is an integral part of the team’s success and is part of a dedicated team of progressive professionals with extensive industry experience, focused on cultivating a positive culture, delivering high-quality work and championing digital and data transformation.

The Strategic Business Analyst will perform a hands-on role working with internal and external stakeholders, leading strategic feasibility initiatives and requirements gathering analysis, which significantly contributes to the successful solution and delivery process of high value enterprise outcomes.

This dynamic individual applies their valuable experience in a fast-paced global organisation and is a key contributor to the digital and data landscape of this company, strengthening our business and clients’ experience.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

• Utilise skills and experience in the areas of structured problem solving, business analysis, data analytics, design thinking, and lean process improvement to support performance excellence in the organisation.
• Elicit business requirements from stakeholders, based on project goals and objectives, supported by factual cost-benefit analysis producing intelligent and strategic Business Cases for Executive level consideration.
• Collaborate inside project structures, as well as work independently, and engage directly with senior stakeholders to drive outcomes, including the facilitation of business interviews and workshops using proven techniques.
• Assist and supervise team contributions and communications to ensure complete and holistic requirement coverage. Help ensure that requirements, considerations and process are fit for purpose, creating detailed business, functional, non-functional and operating model requirements, supporting the design, build, and test of changes and business readiness/training activities.
• Map full business processes, provide solution options & benefit analysis and implement solutions for digital and lean process optimization improvements.
• Manage and coordinate multiple phases of technical areas within a project and/or multiple small projects of moderate scope and sometimes complex assignments from business case development to project execution & transition to BAU.
• Apply proven design thinking standards and lean methodologies. Provide expertise and support on use of methods and tools.
• Lead task planning, process/data analysis and modelling and/or logical database design with relational databases.
• Identify and assess risks to the success of a project and proactively communicate and mitigate them.
• Track activities against the project schedule and manage stakeholder involvement as appropriate.
• Be a digital and data change champion and handle training and digital adoption and build competency within the practice.
  
  

Requirements

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Experience

• Significant experience, ideally within the funds industry (preferred) or broader financial services industry, in highly regulated environments.
• Proven track record in the delivery of strategic enterprise transformation initiatives that solve critical business challenges.
• Expertise in business analysis methodologies and awareness of new and emerging technologies.
• Excellent process mapping skills and worked on projects that have required process improvements, experienced in MS Visio.
• Strong applications/technology knowledge, building on specialist domain knowledge.
• Experience in applying problem-solving methodologies and tools to diagnose and solve operational problems.
• Proven ability in assuring project meets quality standards by providing guidance and developing procedures relating to product quality assurance, testing planning, creation and execution.
• Advanced data analytical skills and outstanding problem-solving capabilities, particularly with loosely defined structure and scope.
• Highly proficient in MS Excel, PowerPoint and Word.
• Deep knowledge of core business operations developed through executing projects in areas like strategy, operating model design, lean process improvement, and both waterfall and agile digital transformation and delivery.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team, and coach and support development of more junior colleagues.
• Demonstrable professional integrity and dedication to upholding the company’s high-quality standards and customer service focus.
• Proven adherence to legal and regulatory guidelines, and in-house policies and business ethics.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to communicate at both senior management and end user level.
• Must be highly motivated, self-driven, proactive and seek continuous learning opportunities.
  
  

Qualifications

• Third level qualification, or equivalent work experience
• Certified in Business Analysis
• Certified in Six Sigma
• Project management qualification and/or experience desirable