Job Description
Job descriptionFlexible working: We recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balanceand offer a range of working patterns, including full-time, part-time, andcompressed hours. Homeworking may be possible depending on businessneeds, but it is limited due to the nature of our work. We also support flexiblestart and finish times to help you manage your personal and professionalcommitments.About usAt GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of data and communications to keepthe UK and its citizens safe, both in the real world and online. Working closelywith our British Intelligence partners in MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK fromthreats including serious organised crime, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. A roleat GCHQ means you have varied and fascinating work in a supportive andencouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.The roleAs one of our Associate Business Analysts, you be at the heart of interestingprojects across GCHQ that help us to keep the UK safe. Working as part of amultidisciplinary team, you will seek to understand intricate problems, uncoveropportunities, and shape solutions that meet both user and business needs.You will analyse requirements, then turn your insight into action by mappingprocesses and helping to design services that are efficient, effective, andaligned with our strategic goals. It is all about solving the right problems in theright way, delivering value for the colleagues who depend on you.Day-to-day, you will support the gathering and validation of business and userneeds through workshops, interviews, document reviews, and collaborativeworking. Working with more senior analysts, you will assist in producinganalysis, and in defining and escalating risks. You’ll also be responsible forpreparing materials for stakeholders, capturing feedback, and ensuringinformation is always accurate and clear.
Support comes from an experienced Business Analyst who helps you manageyour project portfolio and develop your skills. It is an excellent opportunity tobuild core business analysis capability, gain exposure to deliveryenvironments, and understand how analysis informs decision-making acrossGCHQ. As your experience grows, the chance to take on more complexprojects and progress to a more senior role will become available.You could be working in technology, facilities, information, or other teamsacross the organisation. This means a diverse workload, ranging fromsupporting vital internal systems and processes to contributing to newtechnology that underpins mission-critical activity. Collaboration withstakeholders across the UK Intelligence Services is also a key part of therole, along with supporting teams through periods of change.
About youPractical experience as an Associate Business Analyst is essential, includingdelivering analysis for projects or programmes of work. Your foundationalknowledge and skills in business modelling should make you comfortable withprocess analysis and improvement, and confident in creating organisation,process, system, and data models to support decision- making.Given the nature of our work, adaptability and resilience are important,particularly when operating in complex environments where priorities can shiftand requirements may be ambiguous. The ability to elicit and manage userrequirements is key. Because outputs must be tailored to different audiencesand collaboration happens across multiple teams, good communication andteamwork skills are vital.Attention to detail is crucial, ensuring outputs remain accurate, complete, andvaluable. Influencing skills also play an important role, helping navigatediffering viewpoints and priorities while building consensus and support for theright solutions. Managing your own time effectively, being open to feedback,and acting on it are also essential. A degree or specific qualifications are not necessary. We are interested in yourskills and experience, which may have been gained from any background orsector, from government through to large private enterprises.Training and developmentWhen you start, you will receive an organisation-wide induction and be assigneda buddy to help you settle in. We are proud to offer an inclusive and supportiveworking environment and, as an organisation that values and nurtures ourcolleagues both professionally and personally, we’re dedicated to helping youfulfil your potential.Progression opportunities exist within business analysis, and your ongoinglearning and development will be supported, with 20% of your time protectedfor professional development activities. You’ll have access to internal and
external training courses, along with opportunities to be supported by amentor or coach within the organisation. Rewards and benefits You will receive a starting salary of £44,044 plus other benefits including: 25 days’ annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years ofservice, plus an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays opportunities to be recognised through our employee performancescheme an interest-free season ticket loan an excellent pension scheme a cycle to work scheme facilities such as a gym, restaurant, and on-site coffee bars (at somelocations) paid parental and adoption leave
Equal opportunitiesAt GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are critical to our mission. To protect the UK,we need a truly diverse workforce that reflects the society we serve. Thisincludes diversity in every sense of the word: people with differentbackgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways ofthinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We thereforewelcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those fromgroups that are under-represented in our workforce, such as women, peoplefrom ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities, and individuals fromlow socio-economic backgrounds.Visit our website to find out more about our culture, working environment anddiversity. We are Disability ConfidentGCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department forWork and Pensions Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed atencouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action toimprove how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a DisabilityConfident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number ofdisabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for thisposition, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. Thisknown as the offer of an interview. The essential criteria below are assessedat application sift stage. experience supporting the elicitation, analysis and documentation ofbusiness and user needs, contributing to structured requirements oranalysis, with an understanding of how these support delivery.
ability to support the analysis of business context, problems, andprocesses contribute to the identification of root causes, assess optionsand the development recommendations. experience supporting stakeholder engagement and communicatinganalysis and working collaboratively within multidisciplinary teams to builda shared understanding that reflects stakeholder needs. A wide range of support is also available throughout the recruitment processto help you perform at your best. Visit our How to Apply page for information on the reasonable adjustments wecan offer. What to expectOur recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is abrief overview of each stage, in order: Application sift. Virtual interview (assessing your technical skills and the organisationalcompetencies). If successful, you will receive a Conditional Offer of Employment.Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process toprogress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months toprocess including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employmentuntil you have received your final job offer.Before you applyTo work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual Britishnationality. Read about our eligibility criteria. This role requires the highest security clearance, known as Developed Vetting(DV). It’s something everyone in the UK Intelligence Community undertakes.Find out more about the vetting process. Please note we have a strict drugs policy, once you start your application, youmust not take any recreational drugs, and you will be required to declare anyprevious drug use at the relevant stage.Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate emailaddress for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and applicationcorrespondence remain separate. Try to avoid using identifying features inyour email address, such as your first or surname or date of birth. This is goodpractice and will help you manage your application more securely.The role is based in Cheltenham, so you’ll need to live within a commutabledistance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities beforeapplying, as we do not offer relocation costs.
We offer reasonable reimbursement of travel costs for candidates attending in-person appointments during the recruitment and vetting process. Full detailswill be provided with your interview or assessment invitation. Reimbursementis discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate ExpensesPolicy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel,using the most economical option, and provide original hard copy receipts forreimbursement.You should only launch your application from within the UK. If you areoverseas, please wait until you visit the UK before applying, assubmitting an application from outside the UK may affect our ability toprocess it. You should not discuss your application except with yourpartner or a close family member. Right to withdraw statement: Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date forthis role once a certain number of applications have been received. Weencourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience toavoid disappointment.