Business Architect - Digital Transformation - SC Required

Location: Reading (mostly onsite)

Duration: 6 month contract

Rate: 107ph UMB (Inside IR35)

Active SC Required!

Role details:
Our client, a prominent company in the Defence & Security sector, is currently seeking a skilled Business Architect to join their team on a contract basis. This role is critical for a major digital transformation programme within a new start-up organisation.

Key Responsibilities:

• Leadership & Direction
  • Define and implement the approach for requirements gathering, analysis, and documentation across multiple workstreams.
  • Set up a new Business Analysis Team, including recruitment, setting the standards and working practices, overseeing quality.
  • Lead and mentor a team of Business Analysts with varying levels of experience, fostering growth and capability development.
  • Alongside the Product Owner, set the vision for the digital solution.
  • Assure the output of the BA team or around BAs and assurance of the solution produced by our Managed Service Provider.

• Stakeholder Management
  • Engage and manage senior stakeholders, including CxOs and Heads of Functions, to ensure alignment and buy-in for requirements and product vision, and to agree priorities.
  • Experience of delivering solutions in ERP Systems (SAP 4/HANA), HR applications and Microsoft tools, including Power Platform.
  • Facilitate workshops and discussions to resolve conflicts and achieve consensus on requirements.
  • Oversee the quality of work from suppliers and ensure that their solutions align with the business requirements.

• Delivery & Innovation
  • Find creative and pragmatic solutions to deliver requirements when functional teams have limited capacity.
  • Collaborate with suppliers to develop proposals for solutions based on the defined requirements and vision.
  • Work with architects to align requirements to Product choices.
  • Familiarity with digital solutions in the market for business functions including Finance, HR, Programme Management, Legal, IP, and Commercial Supply Chain.

• Agile Practices
  • Drive requirements definition activities within Agile projects, ensuring clarity and prioritisation of User Stories, Use Cases, and acceptance criteria.
  • Champion best practices in requirements management processes and tools across the wider Programme.

• Organisational Development
  • Contribute to the evolution of the organisation's processes and BA maturity.
  • Establish standards and frameworks for requirements management and analysis.

Job Requirements:

• Proven experience leading teams of Business Analysts across digital solutions in HR, Finance, and Programme Management functions on digital transformation projects.
• Experience in setting up a new BA function for digital programmes.
• Strong track record in requirements definition and management within Agile delivery environments.
• Expertise in User Stories, Use Cases, and requirements documentation techniques.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, including experience working with CxOs and senior leadership.
• Ability to work in a start-up or evolving organisation, shaping processes and building capability.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers to define and deliver requirements.
• Familiarity with tools such as Azure DevOps or similar for Agile requirements management tools.

Personal Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with strong leadership and influencing skills.
• Resilient and adaptable in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Excellent communication and facilitation skills.
• Excellent leadership and directing skills.
• Able to work with minimal direction to establish and lead a Business Analysis Function in a new organisation.

If you are an experienced Business Architect looking for a contract role in an exciting and evolving environment, we would love to hear from you. Apply now to join our client's dynamic team in Reading.