Overview

We Include. You Belong.

Our Belonging and Inclusion Strategy aims for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

The National Church Institutions (NCIs) are national administrative bodies that work together to support the mission and ministry of the Church of England. Their activities are hugely varied, ranging from management of a multi-billion-pound investment fund, to a grant-giving charity, a housing service for retired clergy and the administration of four multi-employer pension schemes.

The Church of England Pensions Board is one of the seven National Church Institutions (NCIs), that support the mission and ministry of the Church of England.

The Board provides retirement services to those who work or minister for the Church, providing pensions for 42,000 members, and providing support with retirement housing to 1 in 6 retiring clergy. We also directly manage c£3.2bn of pension investments, ensuring these are invested responsibly in line with the Church of England’s ethical policies.

The Board is currently exploring the possibility of introducing a collective money purchase pension scheme, in tandem with simplifying its existing pension arrangements.

Post Introduction

The Business Analyst supports the Business Systems Manager, Head of Pensions Systems and the Administration Manager to make improvements to business processes and performance within the pensions department and with the services provided by ChECS. Key to this role will be making improvements to the way the Pensions System (UPM) integrates with the systems and processes used by ChECS, using business automation where possible.

Analysing and translating operational requirements into actionable insights and solutions. This role requires a combination of analytical expertise, problem-solving skills and effective communication to support decision-making to improve business processes and performance (through automation where possible), including with our interfaces with our service providers.

Closing date for applications: 7 January 2024.

The Church of England is for everyone and we want to reflect the diversity of the community the Church serves across the whole country. Therefore, while of course we welcome all applications from interested and suitably experienced people, we would particularly welcome applicants from UK Minority Ethnic Backgrounds and other under-represented groups.

We offer a unique environment with opportunities for continuous learning, generous annual leave for work life balance, season ticket loans and a range of benefits including discounted entry to attractions and what we feel is a market leading package when it comes to our pension scheme.

Role Responsibility

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Requirements gathering and analysis: Collaborate with cross-functional teams and service providers to elicit and document business requirements for change to systems and process in support of business goals. Conduct analysis of current business processes and systems to identify areas for improvement and optimisation.
• Data analysis: Analyse data sets of work activity to derive meaningful insights and trends. Interpret data findings and present them in a clear and concise manner to support business decision-making.
• Process mapping and optimisation: Document and map business processes, identifying inefficiencies and areas for process optimisation
• Solution design, evaluation and recommendation: Collaborate with the rest of the Systems team, service providers, and colleagues to design effective and efficient solutions that align with business requirements. Evaluate proposed solutions against business needs, assessing feasibility and cost-effectiveness.
• Management information and reporting: Develop and maintain management information and dashboards to provide visibility on key performance indicators. Monitor and track performance to identify trends, issues and opportunities for improvement.
• Testing and quality assurance: Participate in user acceptance testing to ensure the solutions developed meet business requirements and are of high quality. Identify and report any defects or issues, working closely with development teams to address them.
• Projects: Join project teams and collaborate with colleagues and suppliers to provide analysis and develop solutions where needed. Assist in project planning, estimation and resource allocation to ensure successful project delivery. Provide project status updates and contribute to project documentation as needed.

The Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate should have:

Essential

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively interact with colleagues and suppliers
• Able to build rapport quickly with colleagues at different levels
• Takes pride in doing a good job
• Adaptable to changing deadlines and priorities, with a ‘can-do’ attitude
• Able to work calmly and efficiently under pressure
• Customer focused

Knowledge/Experience:

• Proven experience as a Business Analyst within pension, payroll or finance systems
• Proficiency in data analysis tools (e.g. SQL) and business analysis methodologies
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a track record and specific examples of using these skills to deliver change in support of business goals.
• A keen attention to detail
• Knowledge of project management principles and software development and upgrade cycles
• Experience of developing system and process documentation to support delivery of a change, ensuring these are decipherable also for non-technical experts.
• Experience of facilitating/leading group discussions to gather requirements for change and/or identify problems/solutions to business problems.

Circumstances:

• While the core requirements of the role can be fulfilled while working remotely, on occasion travel may be required within England to see colleagues or suppliers.   

Desirable

• A degree or work-based qualification in Business Intelligence, Analytics Administration, Financial Analysis, Computer Science or a related field
• Certification in Lean or other process improvement or problem-solving methodology
• Some experience working with pensions systems (ideally UPM)
• Understanding of the structures of the Church of England and sympathy with its work and aims

About Us

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.  

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions at Careers | The Church of England

NCI values

• We strive for excellence 
• We collaborate 
• We act with integrity 
• We show compassion 
• We respect others 

We believe our commitment to belonging and inclusion fuels our progress and drives us forward.  The NCIs are a safe, inclusive workplace for people of all backgrounds and walks of life. We welcome applications from people of all faiths and of no faith. We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people who share our values.  Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you. 

If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org

As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.  

• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.