Head of Business Analysis
Location: National*
Closing Date: 14th August 2026
Interviews: W/C 31st August 2026 (subject to change)
Grade: G6
(MoJ candidates who are on a specialist grade, will be able to retain this grade on lateral transfer)
Salary**: London: £75,674 - £85,913 (which may include an allowance of £10329). National: £71,381 - £80,419.
Working pattern: Full-time, Part-time, Flexible working, Job share.
Contract Type: Permanent
Number of vacancies: 1
*We offer a hybrid working model, allowing for a balance between remote work and time spent in your local office. Office locations can be found ON THIS MAP
Please note that unless you are an existing member of staff at Justice Digital, Data and Science, the only London location being recruited to is 10 South Colonnade, E14 4PU. We are no longer recruiting to 102 Petty France, SW1H 9AJ.
The Role
We’re recruiting for a Head of Business Analysis here at Justice Digital, Data and Science (JDDS) to be part of our warm and collaborative team.
This role aligns against Head of Business Analysis from the Government Digital and Data (GDD) Framework.
You will be responsible for leading, developing and supporting the Business Analysis community of practice. Although based in JDDS, this role will have oversight of practices across the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
There will be a focus on building capability, knowledge, talent and expertise within the profession through thought-leadership, knowledge sharing, collaborative ways of working, common working practices and championing a culture of excellence.
You will be a recognised expert in Business Analysis. You will have a proven track record of identifying, testing and championing the adoption of emerging technologies, techniques and practices within your professional domain, advising digital teams on the art of the possible and examples of innovative thinking.
You will collaborate with, and support the work of, the Digital Capability team to develop the professionalism along with the skills and capability of GDD Professionals across the MOJ, using feedback to ensure that the profession is adding value, and addressing any areas of concern.
Our team culture is based around agile ways of working and keeping our users - both internally (front-line staff, managers and senior leaders) and externally (citizens) - at the centre of our thinking. You will have a proven ability to deliver effectively and at pace within large-scale agile service & delivery teams. You will have the skills to embed professional practices into our user-centric and agile culture and will have deep experience in leading and motivating a community of highly capable, digitally skilled professionals.
You’ll receive a range of excellent benefits when you join our department, including:
A generous employer pension contribution of 28.97% through the Civil Service Pension Scheme.
25 days of annual leave, (increasing to 30 days once you have reached 5 years of service), plus 8 bank holidays and a privilege day for the King’s birthday.
Flexible working arrangements including hybrid working, working part time or compressed hours. Designed to support a positive work-life balance.
Employees are allocated 10% of their working time for personal and professional development.
A £1k per person learning budget is in place to support all our people, with access to best-in-class conferences and seminars, accreditation with professional bodies, fully funded vocational programmes and e-learning platforms.
Compassionate maternity, adoption, and shared parental leave policies, with up to 26 weeks leave at full pay, 13 weeks with partial pay, and 13 weeks further leave. And maternity support/paternity leave at full pay for 2 weeks, too!
You can find more details of the Benefits we offer here. To help picture your life at MoJ Justice Digital, Data and Science please take a look at our blog.
Key Responsibilities
Vision and Strategic Leadership
Set the vision and strategy for the community of practice for Business Analysis within JDDS and the wider MoJ
Collaborate with JDDS and MoJ colleagues to ensure that the vision and strategy for the profession and the community of practice is aligned, supporting and delivering to the strategic priorities, outcomes and goals of the organisation
Create and own the strategic plan for the development of the people in the profession, delivering a prioritised roadmap that builds and strengthens the professional capability and expertise for your community of practice. This includes discussion, alignment and agreement with SCS leaders in JDDS on the priorities for each quarter
Proactively work across government departments, the wider private sector and academia to develop and promote excellence within the specialism, attract new funding and resources, create opportunities for innovation and collaboration through networks, forums and interest groups - setting up new ones where they don’t exist
Collaborate with the centre to standardise and strengthen GDD professions across His Majesty’s Government
Ensure that all members of the community have a voice and can contribute towards continually improving the profession and building a thriving, diverse and inclusive community
Support the promotion of the JDDS brand and our employee value proposition; raising the profile of the community of practice across MoJ, the wider Civil Service and beyond through thought leadership; public speaking, videos, case studies, events, awards, blogs, social media promotion etc.
Community
Build and grow a thriving community
Ensure standards are understood and applied within the wider profession, and support profession leads in driving continuous improvement across JDDS and MoJ
Work across MoJ, wider government and externally to build connections into professional communities where mutually beneficial opportunities exist
Work with the other heads of profession and leads to ensure consistency across GDD professions not only within MoJ but across government
Quality and Standards
Own the standards for Business Analysis and be responsible for defining, leading and continually improving these standards for the profession
Curate accessible knowledge, standards and best practice to set the right conditions for people to work effectively within the specialism
Define and embed performance metrics and KPIs for the profession and ensure they are effectively embedded within JDDS teams. Provide management reports, analysis and insight for the profession as necessary
Ensure the quality and standards support and enable our Agile culture with a governance model that helps us to accelerate both pace and value of delivery
People
Build and grow a forward-thinking and diverse team within the profession. Ensure all practitioners have clear routes for progression through career pathways and structured learning and development plans
Ensure we attract, develop and retain high calibre talent within the profession, building the digital capability, skills and competencies needed within JDDS and across the MoJ
Collaborate with Digital Capability teams to define and implement approaches for recruitment, onboarding, retention, early talent pipelines, learning and development
Support profession leads to identify skills gaps and development opportunities and effective management of under-performance
Own the L&D budget for your profession, ensuring effective use of the department's funds and reward and recognition schemes
Recruit and provide line management for Lead Business Analysts
Organisational Delivery
Proactively build close relationships with JDDS senior leaders and their teams to understand the needs and challenges and be able to identify areas of community-related interventions and collaboration.
Provide consulting support where professional expertise is required, including support for programmes and areas where there are delivery issues.
Define and own the choice of tools, equipment, technologies, platforms, services, and content needed to enable the profession to thrive; ensuring consistency and best practice of use across all JDDS and MoJ teams.
If this feels like an exciting challenge, something you are enthusiastic about, and want to join our team please read on and apply!
Person Specification
Essential Criteria
Agile working. You can coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You can act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team.
Business analysis. You can set the direction for business analysis within a programme of work, enterprise or wider sector. You can guide tactical decision making and influence the formulation of longer-term strategic plans in an evolving, complex and unpredictable environment. You can give colleagues the means and authority to make decisions about their approach to business analysis activities. You can ensure that the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision.
Business modelling. You can set the direction of scope and methodology for the representation of real world complex situations across a programme or organisation. You can document conceptual models to support strategic planning and decision making.
Business process improvement. You can set the direction within a programme or enterprise to identify opportunities to perform business activities in alternative ways. You can lead the exploration of ways to improve process efficiency and enhance business outcomes. You can enable others to recognise the potential for change in potentially ambiguous and complex settings. You can oversee the implementation of proposed improvements.
Business process testing. You can lead on the application of business analysis and evaluation skills to support the design, execution and assessment of business process tests and usability evaluations within a project or programme of work.
Consultancy (business analysis). You can provide advice and recommendations to stakeholders based on your significant specialist knowledge and experience. You can lead on the definition of guidance and inform how the organisation can use business analysis services more effectively.
Enterprise and business architecture (business analyst). You can work with limited direction to translate business drivers, goals and constraints into business objectives. You can help to define required capabilities and support organisational changes to create operating models that meet business objectives.
Methods and tools. You can set direction and give others the means and authority to advise on the best methodologies and tools for the work, ensuring they are adopted consistently. You can assess the effectiveness of different approaches (such as Agile or plan-driven) and recommend tools to support organisational collaboration and build capability.
Requirement definition and management. You can direct the approach to requirements management. You can enable others to select and apply appropriate life cycle methods. You can influence the prioritisation of complex requirement sets, enabling long-term strategic decision making and short-term tactical fixes. You can ensure the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision.
Stakeholder relationship management (business analysis). You can develop engagement strategies and lead on communication with stakeholders at all levels. You can actively establish relationships and apply the benefits of professional networks. You can act as a point of consultation and escalation to resolve conflict in complex situations.
Systems analysis. You can lead the identification and analysis of IT system capabilities, developing models and system requirements. You can use systems analysis to support a deeper understanding of how processes and systems work, and to identify gaps. You can work with other digital professionals to design and develop system and user interfaces, identify gaps in functionality and assess the effect of proposed software changes on users or the organisation.
User experience analysis. You can advise on the approach to analysis, prioritisation and validation of user experience needs. You can recommend a range of techniques to analyse the user experience and ensure that it meets business and user needs. You can articulate and communicate how user experience needs affect the design of a system in a project or programme of work.
Willingness to be assessed against the requirements for BPSS clearance.
We welcome the unique contribution diverse applicants bring and do not discriminate based on culture, ethnicity, race, nationality or national origin, age, sex, gender identity or expression, religion or belief, disability status, sexual orientation, educational or social background or any other factor.
Our values are Purpose, Humanity Openness and Together. Find out more here about how we celebrate diversity and an inclusive culture in our workplace.
The Civil Service is committed to attract, retain and invest in talent wherever it is found. To learn more please see the Civil Service People Plan and the Civil Service D&I Strategy.
Salary Information**
Base salary for this role is from London: £75,674 - £85,257, National: £71,381 - £80,419.
New entrants to the Civil Service joining the MoJ are expected to start at the minimum of the pay band.
Existing Civil Servants moving on a level transfer will retain their current base salary or move to the minimum of the pay band for the role, whichever is higher.
Existing Civil Servants who are promoted will either move to the bottom of the new grade’s pay band or receive a 10% uplift, whichever provides the greater increase.
Candidates may also be eligible for a non‑pensionable Government Digital & Data Allowance of up to £10,329 per year if they live in London. This is a temporary allowance, reviewed annually and may be retained, amended, or withdrawn.
The final offer will reflect the skills and experience you demonstrate during the assessment process.
How to Apply
In Justice Digital, Data and Science, we recruit using a combination of the Government Digital and Data Profession Capability and Success Profiles Frameworks. We shall assess a combination of your Experience and Behaviours during the assessment process.
Stage 1 - Application and sift:
To apply for this position, you must submit the following as part of your application:
A CV detailing your career history (including any relevant qualifications). Your CV will be assessed against the essential criteria outlined within the Person Specification of this advert.
A Personal Statement (no more than 750 words) which should outline your experience and skills, giving clear examples of work undertaken.
During the sift stage, the following criteria will be assessed -
Agile working. You can coach and lead teams in Agile and Lean practices, determining the right approach for the team to take and evaluating this through the life of a project. You can think of new and innovative ways of working to achieve the right outcomes. You can act as a recognised expert and advocate for the approaches, continuously reflecting and challenging the team.
Business analysis. You can set the direction for business analysis within a programme of work, enterprise or wider sector. You can guide tactical decision making and influence the formulation of longer-term strategic plans in an evolving, complex and unpredictable environment. You can give colleagues the means and authority to make decisions about their approach to business analysis activities. You can ensure that the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision.
Business process improvement. You can set the direction within a programme or enterprise to identify opportunities to perform business activities in alternative ways. You can lead the exploration of ways to improve process efficiency and enhance business outcomes. You can enable others to recognise the potential for change in potentially ambiguous and complex settings. You can oversee the implementation of proposed improvements.
A diverse sift panel will review the information in your CV and Personal Statement to assess the sift criteria specified above. We operate an anonymous shortlisting process. Please ensure your CV and Personal Statement do not include your name or any other identifying details.
Should we receive a high volume of applications, a pre-sift based on the following criteria will be conducted before the sift -
Business analysis. You can set the direction for business analysis within a programme of work, enterprise or wider sector. You can guide tactical decision making and influence the formulation of longer-term strategic plans in an evolving, complex and unpredictable environment. You can give colleagues the means and authority to make decisions about their approach to business analysis activities. You can ensure that the proposed solutions align with the organisational strategy and vision.
Please access the following link for guidance on how to apply - Application Guidance
Stage 2 - Interviews:
Successful candidates who meet the required standard will then be invited to a panel interview held via Microsoft Teams. At interview stage, you will be assessed against the following Success Profile elements - Experience, and the following Behaviours:
Seeing the Big Picture
Leadership
Changing and Improving
Communicating and Influencing
As part of your interview, you will be asked to deliver a short presentation that will assess your Experience. Further details around this part of the assessment process will be shared with candidates invited to attend an interview.
Appointments are made strictly in merit order. In the event that two or more candidates receive identical interview scores, the ‘Leadership’ criterion will be applied as the primary lead criterion to determine the final merit order.
Should you be unsuccessful in the role that you have applied for but demonstrate the capability for a role at a lower level, we reserve the right to discuss this opportunity with you and offer you the position without needing a further application.
A reserve list may be held for up to 12 months, from which further appointments may be made.
Use of 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 for more information on appropriate and inappropriate use.
Please review our Terms and Conditions which set out how we recruit and provide further information related to the role and salary arrangements.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact digitalanddatarecruitment@justice.gov.uk