Senior Business Analyst

Job summary

Can you turn complex business challenges into clear, effective solutions?

Do you enjoy working with stakeholders to shape meaningful change?

Have you led analysis that influenced decisions, services or change initiatives?

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is seeking a Senior Business Analyst to join the IT Delivery Management function, based in HQ Southampton. The function enables the organisation to deliver world class services by managing IT portfolios, programmes and projects in line with government policy, value for money and organisational objectives. The Business Analysis team plays a key role in supporting project decision-making by understanding business needs, analysing requirements and ensuring alignment with project goals and stakeholder needs.

Joining our department comes with many benefits, including:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Read more in the Benefits section below!

Find out more about what it's like working at: Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Department for Transport Careers

Job description

As a Senior Business Analyst, you will be an expert practitioner who researches business needs to define the functional and non-functional requirements of systems, processes and digital solutions. You will have a strong understanding of strategic areas and lead large or complex analysis projects.

Your responsibilities will include, but aren’t limited to:

• Managing stakeholder relationships to support successful project outcomes.
• Developing the business analysis community through mentoring and sharing best practice.
• Analysing business problems and opportunities to inform decision-making.
• Researching organisations, processes, data, technology and ways of working.
• Identifying improvement opportunities, evaluating options and defining success measures.
• Gathering and translating user and business needs into effective solutions.
• Prioritising requirements and minimum viable products using analysis-led insights.
• Ensuring products and services meet business needs, organisational goals and policy requirements.

For further information on the role, please read the role profile . Please note that the role profile is for information purposes only - whilst all elements are relevant to the role, they may not all be assessed during the recruitment process. This job advert will detail exactly what will be assessed during the recruitment process.

Person specification

Required experience:

To be successful in this role you will need to have the following experience:

• Possess a functional appreciation of business analysis methodologies.
• The use of analysis and modelling techniques and tools.

Additional Information

The role is part of the Government Digital and Data (or Government Security Profession Career Framework) profession and utilises an enhanced Capability–Based Pay Framework which provides access to a Digital and Data allowance.

This role doesn’t attract an additional allowance.

This post is offered on a Fixed Term Appointment (FTA) basis to complete a finite piece of work, however this may be extended or made permanent.

Permanent Civil Servants will be appointed on an inward loan and subject to the terms of the agreed inward loan. You must have your home departments approval to return to them at the end of the loan before you apply. Internal candidates will return to their previous post at the end of the loan period, which will need to be agreed with your line manager in advance. If your home department cannot agree to release you on loan, there is the opportunity for you to move across to the department on a fixed term appointment. In this instance the Department for Transport would become your home department and if there is no role available for you at the end of this appointment, you would be subject to the redeployment and redundancy process.

If you're employed by a non-departmental public body (NDPB) by moving jobs this will involve a change of employer and you may break the statutory rules on continuity of employment.

Working hours, office attendance and travel requirements

Full time roles consist of 37 hours per week.

Whilst we welcome applications from those looking to work with us on a part time basis, there is a business requirement for the successful candidate to be able to work at least hours 30 hours per week.

This role is suitable for hybrid working, which is a non-contractual arrangement where a combination of workplace and home-based working can be accommodated subject to business requirements.

The expectation at present is a minimum of 60% of your working time a month will be spent at either your designated workplace (one of th e locations cited in the advert) or, when required for business reasons, in another office/work location/visiting stakeholders. Your designated workplace will be your contractual place of work. Ther e may be occasions where you are required to attend above the minimum expectation.

Occasional travel to other offices will be required, which may involve overnight stays.

If you have a question about hybrid working, part time/job share hours, flexible working, travelling for work, or require a reasonable adjustment, please contact the Vacancy Holder during the recruitment process to avoid possible disappointment later in the process should your working arrangements not be compatible with the requirements of the role (see below for contact details).

Visa Sponsorship

Please note that we will only offer sponsorship for a skilled worker visa where a role has been deemed to be business critical. This role does not meet that category, and we will not sponsor a visa . Therefore, this role is not open to applications from those who require sponsorship – candidates must ensure they have the appropriate right to work in the UK before applying. Should you apply for this role and be found to require sponsorship, your application will be rejected and any provisional offer of employment withdrawn.

Behaviours

We'll assess you against these behaviours during the selection process:

• Changing and Improving
• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical skills

We'll assess you against these technical skills during the selection process:

• Defining and managing business needs, user needs and requirements. Level: Practitioner - https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/business-analyst#senior-business-analyst
• Business Modelling. Level: Practitioner - https://ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk/role/business-analyst#senior-business-analyst

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,241, Maritime and Coastguard Agency contributes

£12,816 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme.

Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides (opens in a new window).

Being part of our brilliant Civil Service means you will have access to a wide range of fantastic benefits:

• Employer pension contribution of 28.97% of your salary. Read more about Civil Service Pensions here
• 25 days annual leave, increasing by 1 day each year of service (up to a maximum of 30 days annual leave).
• 8 Bank Holidays plus an additional Privilege Day to mark the King’s birthday.
• Access to the staff discount portal.
• Excellent career development opportunities and the potential to undertake professional qualifications relevant to your role paid for by the department, such as CIPD, Prince2, apprenticeships, etc.
• Joining a diverse and inclusive workforce with a range of staff communities to support all our colleagues.
• 24-hour Employee Assistance Programme providing free confidential help and advice for staff.
• Flexible working options where we encourage a great work-life balance.

Find out more about the benefits of working at MCA (opens in a new window).

Things you need to know

Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence can be a useful tool to support your application, however, all examples and statements provided must be truthful, factually accurate and taken directly from your own experience. Where plagiarism has been identified (presenting the ideas and experiences of others, or generated by artificial intelligence, as your own) applications may be withdrawn and internal candidates may be subject to disciplinary action. Please see our candidate guidance (opens in a new window) for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window) , and will assess your Behaviours, Experience and Technical skills.

How to apply:

Our selection process ensures a comprehensive assessment of each applicant's skills, and potential fit within our organisation.

The selection process for this role will be:

• Stage 1: Sift of CV and personal statement
• Stage 2: Interview (on Teams)
• Stage 3: Interview (In Person)

You must be successful at each stage to progress to the next stage.

Stage 1: Sift

At sift, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Experience – you will be asked to provide a CV (unlimited wordcount) and personal statement (500-word count). Please provide evidence of your Experience of the following: • Possesses a functional appreciation of business analysis methodologies.
• The use of analysis and modelling techniques and tools.

Should a large number of applications be received, an initial sift may be conducted using the lead Success Profile element, Experience – Possesses a functional appreciation of business analysis methodologies. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

Should we receive a high volume of quality applications, we may invite a shortlist of the highest scoring candidates to interview. This means that some applications that meet the required standard could be placed ‘on hold’ after the sift and invited to interview if the vacant position(s) remain unfilled. You will be notified if your application is being put ‘on hold’ once the sift has been completed. Following interviews, any applicants remaining on hold will be notified by the panel of the next steps regarding their application.

The sift will take place 29/09/2026

Stage 2: Interview (on Teams)

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

• Behaviours – Changing and Improving
• Experience

The interviews will take place 06/10/2026

This interview will be conducted online via Microsoft Teams. Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

Stage 3: Interview (In Person)

At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements:

Behaviours:

• Working Together
• Communicating and Influencing
• Seeing the Big Picture

Technical based on the Business analyst - Government Digital and Data Profession Capability Framework (ddat-capability-framework.service.gov.uk)

• Defining and managing business needs, user needs and requirements. Level: Practitioner
• Business modelling. Level: Practitioner

The interviews will take place week 15/10/2026

This interview will be conducted in person at our Southampton office (Spring Place, 105 Commercial Road, Southampton, SO15 1EG). Further details will be provided to you should you be selected for interview.

You can find out more about our hiring process, how to apply, and application and interview guidance on our careers site (opens in a new window) .

Please note that we will try to meet the dates set out in the advert. Th