Job description
Flexible working: We recognise the importance of a healthy work-life balance
and offer a range of working patterns, including full-time, part-time, and
compressed hours. Homeworking may be possible depending on business
needs, but it is limited due to the nature of our work. We also support flexible
start and finish times to help you manage your personal and professional
commitments.
About us
At GCHQ, we unlock the complex world of data and communications to keep
the UK and its citizens safe, both in the real world and online. Working closely
with our British Intelligence partners in MI5 and MI6, we protect the UK from
threats including serious organised crime, terrorism, and cyber-attacks. A role
in GCHQ means you will have varied and fascinating work in a supportive and
encouraging environment that puts the emphasis on teamwork.
The role
As one of our Business Analysts, you will be at the heart of delivering change
across GCHQ. Leading analysis for a portfolio of projects and contributing to
larger, more complex initiatives, the focus is on understanding and defining
problems, then recommending and supporting the delivery of solutions. The
work involves collaborating within a multidisciplinary team and engaging a
wide range of stakeholders to understand strategic goals, assess options, and
translate business and user needs into clear, actionable outputs. The aim:
solving the right problems, in the right way, and delivering value for colleagues
who depend on this insight.
On a day-to-day basis, the role centres on producing clear, high-quality
analysis such as business models, process designs, option appraisals,
requirements artefacts, and written briefings. These include eliciting,
understanding, and prioritising the needs and goals of different colleagues and
business areas, while managing differing perspectives and constraints. As an
experienced practitioner, there is also the opportunity to contribute to higher-
level strategic work, translating policy and wider organisational objectives into
practical impacts on services, teams, and delivery plans.
The role involves a blend of independent work, acting as a primary business
analysis contact within a team, and collaborating with external partners such
as suppliers and government departments. Line management may come later,
but mentoring and supporting colleagues is an important part of the role from
the outset. As involvement in more complex projects grows, so does the
responsibility for guiding less-experienced team members, sharing knowledge,
helping them develop their skills, and strengthening the wider business
analysis community.
You could be working within departments such as technology, facilities, or
information, giving you a varied workload that spans both vital internal
systems and new technology supporting mission-critical activity. It is an
opportunity to be part of significant projects across GCHQ that keep the UK
safe, applying analytical skills to meaningful and unique challenges.
About you
Extensive practical experience as a Business Analyst is essential, including
independent delivery analysis across a range of projects and programmes.
Sound business-modelling skills mean confidence in leading process analysis
and improvement, and in creating high-level organisation, process, system,
and data models to support decision-making. A solid background in
requirements management, process improvement, stakeholder engagement,
digital systems, assurance activity, and cross-organisation working is
important.
The environment can be complex, with shifting priorities and ambiguous
requirements, so adaptability and resilience are crucial. Robust capability in
eliciting and managing user requirements is vital, along with the ability to tailor
outputs to different audiences and collaborate effectively across multiple
teams.
Leadership potential is also important, particularly the motivation to progress
into line management over time, with training and support provided where
needed. Confidence working independently and representing the business
analysis community in conversations with senior stakeholders will also
contribute to success in the role.
A degree or specific qualifications are not required; the focus is on skills and
experience. Business analysis expertise may have been gained in any sector
from government to large private enterprises.
Training and development
When you start, you will receive an organisation-wide induction and be assigned
a buddy to help you settle in. We are proud to offer an inclusive and supportive
working environment, and as an organisation that values and nurtures our
colleagues both professionally and personally, we’re dedicated to helping you
fulfil your potential.
Progression opportunities exist within business analysis, and your ongoing
learning and development will be fully supported, with 20% of your working
time protected for professional development activities. You’ll have access to
internal and external training courses, along with opportunities to be supported
by a mentor or coach within the organisation.
Rewards and benefits
You’ll receive a starting salary of £53,496 plus other benefits including:
25 days’ annual leave, automatically rising to 30 days after 5 years of service,
plus an additional 10.5 days of public and privilege holidays
opportunities to be recognised through our employee performance scheme
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 some
locations)
paid parental and adoption leave
Equal opportunities
At 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. This
includes diversity in every sense of the word: people with different
backgrounds, ages, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, ways of
thinking and those with disabilities or neurodivergent conditions. We therefore
welcome and encourage applications from everyone, including those from
groups that are under-represented in our workforce, such as women, people
from ethnic minority backgrounds, those with disabilities, and individuals from
low socio-economic backgrounds.
Visit our website to find out more about our culture, working environment and
diversity.
We’re Disability Confident
GCHQ is proud to have achieved Leader status within the Department for
Work and Pensions’ Disability Confident scheme. This is aimed at
encouraging employers to think differently about disability and take action to
improve how they recruit, retain, and develop disabled people. As a Disability
Confident Leader, we aim to ensure that a fair and proportionate number of
disabled applicants who best meet the essential minimum criteria for this
position, will be offered an interview, if it is practical for us to do so. This
known as the offer of an interview. The essential criteria below are assessed
at application sift stage. To secure an interview for this vacancy, the essential
criteria (in order of the application process) are:
experience eliciting, analysing, challenging, and documenting business and
user needs, and translating these into structured requirements or analysis
artefacts.
ability to understand business context, define problems, analyse processes,
evaluate options, and make evidence-based recommendations.
experience managing stakeholder relationships, communicating analysis to a
range of audiences, and working within multidisciplinary teams to build shared
understanding and consensus.
A wide range of support is also available throughout the recruitment process
to help you perform at your best.
Visit our How to Apply page for information on the reasonable adjustments we
can offer.
What to expect
Our recruitment process is fair, transparent, and based on merit. Here is a
brief overview of each stage, in order:
Application sift.
Virtual interview (assessing your technical skills and the organisational
competencies).
If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment.
Please note, you must successfully pass each stage of the process to
progress to the next. Your application may take around 6 to 9 months to
process including vetting, so we advise you continue any current employment
until you have received your final job offer.
Before you apply
To work at GCHQ, you need to be a British citizen or hold dual British
nationality. 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, you
must not take any recreational drugs, and you will be required to declare any
previous drug use at the relevant stage.
Before you apply, we advise you to consider setting up a separate email
address for your contact with us, to ensure your personal and application
correspondence remain separate. Try to avoid using identifying features in
your email address, such as your first or surname or date of birth. This is good
practice and will help you manage your application more securely.
The role is based in Cheltenham, so you will need to live within a commutable
distance. Please consider any financial implications and practicalities before
applying, 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 details
will be provided with your interview or assessment invitation. Reimbursement
is discretionary and will only be made in line with the Candidate Expenses
Policy, as amended from time to time. Candidates must book their own travel,
using the most economical option, and provide original hard copy receipts for
reimbursement.
You should only launch your application from within the UK. If you are
overseas, please wait until you visit the UK before applying, as
submitting an application from outside the UK may affect our ability to
process it. You should not discuss your application except with your
partner or a close family member.
Right to withdraw statement:
Please be aware that we reserve the right to bring forward the closing date for
this role once a certain number of applications have been received. We
encourage you to submit your application at your earliest convenience to
avoid disappointment.