Senior Cognos Developer

Job Title: Senior Cognos Developer
Location: Manchester Central (on-site 2 days per week)
Salary/Rate: £525 a day
Start Date: 15.09.25
Job Type: Contract

We are seeking an experienced and highly skilled Senior Cognos Developer to join our clients' Business Intelligence (BI) team. The successful candidate will be responsible for designing, developing, and delivering complex reporting, data extracts, and analytics solutions to support critical business functions. This role focuses on transitioning Legacy data outputs, primarily in Excel and SAS, to a modern Cognos Analytics environment, ensuring robust and scalable BI solutions that meet evolving business requirements.

1. Design, develop, and maintain advanced Cognos reports, dashboards, and data modules using Report Studio, Dashboarding, and Data Module Creation tools.

2. Translate business requirements into effective, user-friendly BI solutions by collaborating with stakeholders and leveraging agile methodologies.

3. Analyse existing data outputs and workflows to help define and deliver new reporting capabilities aligned with business objectives.

4. Utilise Framework Manager to construct and optimise queries based on underlying FM models ensuring high performance and accuracy.

5. Amend existing Cognos reports and build new assets to reflect changing business needs, maintaining high standards for documentation and version control.

6. Ensure data integrity and consistency across all BI solutions, with a keen eye on security, scalability, and maintainability.

7. Work closely with cross-functional teams, including Data Engineers, BI Analysts, and business users, to deliver iterative solutions using an agile, use-case driven approach.

8. Support the migration from SAS-based and Excel-based reporting to Cognos Analytics, providing expertise on best practices and minimal continued SAS usage for essential outputs only.

9. Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues across the Cognos stack, including report performance, data modelling, and integration challenges.

The ideal candidate will have the following:

1. Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, Data Analytics, or a related discipline.

2. 5+ years of hands-on experience working with Cognos Analytics, including advanced proficiency in Report Studio, Framework Manager, and Dashboarding.

3. Strong expertise in data modelling, data warehousing concepts, and SQL; experience with ETL processes is a plus.

4. Proven track record in designing, building, and optimising large-scale BI and reporting solutions, especially in financial or operational domains.

5. Solid understanding of BI best practices, data governance, and compliance requirements.

6. Demonstrated proficiency in agile development methodologies, with experience participating in sprints, reviews, and iterative delivery.

7. Strong analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.

8. Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.

Although not essential, the following skills are desired by the client:

1. Experience with Cognos Transformer and OLAP cube development.

2. Background in migrating Legacy BI platforms (such as SAS or Excel) to Cognos Analytics or similar BI tools.

3. Knowledge of cloud-based Cognos deployments and integration with other data platforms.

4. Familiarity with Scripting languages (Python, Shell) and API integration for dynamic data sources.

5. Experience supporting MSO (Managed Service Operations) Legacy work within Cognos environments.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply now with your updated CV in Microsoft Word/PDF format.

Disclaimer
Notwithstanding any guidelines given to level of experience sought, we will consider candidates from outside this range if they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.
Square One is acting as both an employment agency and an employment business, and is an equal opportunities recruitment business. Square One embraces diversity and will treat everyone equally. Please see our website for our full diversity statement.