Core Functions Business Analysis Lead

At AstraZeneca we turn ideas into life changing medicines. Working here means being ambitious, thinking big and working together to make the impossible a reality. We’re passionate about the potential of science to address the unmet needs of patients around the world. We commit to those areas where we believe we can really change the course of medicine and bring big new ideas to life.

Enabling Units IT delivers digital and technology solutions and services to multiple business areas including HR, Finance, Legal, Compliance, Corporate Affairs and Global Business Services. The overall EU IT team is comprised of around 400 staff located in 7 major locations within AstraZeneca. Our business relies on the most up-to-date software to turn ideas into life-changing medicines that benefit patients the world over.

The Core Functions team partners with our stakeholders in HR, GBS, Legal, Compliance and Corporate Affairs to service all Technology needs, ranging from strategic roadmap planning through implementation of new solutions and operational excellence in ongoing support. The Business Analysis function within this team works closely with business stakeholders to support them in defining the vision, scope and detailed requirements for technology.

The Business Analysis Lead will take responsibility for running a small team of business analysts to produce deliverables of the highest quality to delight our stakeholders. You’ll be part of a passionate and expert team of IT professionals that engages at all levels of the organization to identify business needs and bring to life in accordance with our industry leading tools and best practices.

We are looking for a hardworking Business Analysis Lead with substantial experience in the business analysis capability, likely having several years’ business analysis experience within a global business including significant transformation. The role will include undertaking hands-on business analysis responsibilities on significant programmes, working with senior stakeholders from across our business. In addition, you will have management responsibility of a number of business analysts deployed across the Core Functions portfolio. You will also lead the Core Functions business analysis capability through coaching, mentoring and overseeing professional development as appropriate, aligning with peers from other functions in a broader capability network.

The Business Analysis Lead role will report to a Core Functions Business Partner and will be based in our Lisbon office. 

Accountabilities

The Business Analysis Lead is expected to perform a combined role of team leadership and advanced level business analyst. This will required Advanced level in the following:

• Line management of a team of Core Functions (primarily HR) business analysts including reward and performance, allocation of assignments and regular coaching / development

• Overseeing the capability and development of the team including networking with other Communities of Practice and appropriate professional development

• Determines the process and requirements management methodology practices within their function

• Business Needs Identification - operates at a enterprise level in assessing and defining business need and areas for improvement. Proactively seeks out opportunities to enhance and improve in line with strategic goals. Actively monitors and identifies capability gaps and proposes potential solutions through research internally and externally.

• Business Analysis Planning - Selects the appropriate analysis approach to a piece of work depending on its complexity, level of risk, known assumptions, constraints and dependencies. Proficient in scoping and recommending appropriate approaches. Capable of planning and managing their own and other team member’s activities to meet deliverables and deadlines. Accountable for performance and quality of analytical work delivered, both their own and the work of others. 

• Stakeholder Analysis & Change - Effectively identifies stakeholders from the Core Functions (primarily HR) and actively builds and maintains relationships according to individual stakeholder needs and levels of influence. Contributes to communication plans and change management for project and stakeholders.

• Requirements Analysis and Design Definition - Responsible and accountable for requirements management plans including elicitation, approvals, processes, RAID and scope impacts. Highly responsive to changing business priorities with ability to plan ahead, accounting for potential changes and corrective actions. Advanced requirements elicitation and management skill-set; including traceability, testing and validation. Leads the work with the business to identify functional and technical requirements, translating the requirements into design specifications reflecting Functional Design, User Interface Design and Business Process Design. Closely partnering with the Architecture team, ensuring the technical solution will deliver the agreed business benefits.

• Business Case Definition - Shapes and defines the business case, producing detailed business justification for investment including ROI and benefits realization.

• Solution Evaluation - Highly proficient in analyzing and assessing solution proposals and able to articulate supporting reasoning. i.e. assessing business readiness, maximizing value vs. spend..

Work collaboratively with:

• Business Stakeholders to ensure that solutions fulfil their future strategic needs and challenges

• IT Business Partners to manage business analysis needs effectively, develop and maintain the business relationship, support business process change and act as point of contact for scope and user requirements

• IT Portfolio Management and other Resource Managers to ensure the effective assignment of business analyst resources to projects and collaborate to shape and direct the relevant activities within a project

• Business customers to identify business requirements and effectively communicate impact, cost and benefits of new and changed demands

• Process owners to identify and devise solutions that optimize business process performance, capability and competitiveness

• IT Architecture, delivery and support to ensure clear understanding of requirements and effective testing so that the solutions delivered to the business are efficient and effective, meeting the customer experience expectations.

• Test Lead to define the testing approach and the components of testing to ensure traceability of requirements and effectiveness of overall solution. 

• Change Management/Communication Lead to ensure the Change Management and Communications plans and delivery support the Stakeholder Analysis.

Education, Qualifications, Skills and Experience

Essential:

• Degree in relevant discipline or formal certification in business analysis practice

• Proven experience of successfully deploying a variety of business analysis tools/techniques to enable business change

• Proven experience of working with complex integrated systems, using creative and strategic thinking to deliver exceptional results

• Strong engagement, communication and stakeholder management skills, including excellent presentation and influencing skills

• Business acumen; challenge, negotiation and influence

• Presentation, Communication & Facilitation skills

• Customer Focus; Stakeholder Management; Networking

• Benefits Management and Realisation

• Planning; Business Process Management; Requirements Management

• Experience of virtual collaboration to lead, shape and develop innovative solutions

• Experience of line managing, coaching or developing others

• Experience of working with and managing third party suppliers/vendors

Desirable:

• Lean SIGMA training; Practical usage of Agile Methodology
• Experience of working in a global organisation with complex/geographical context;
• Pharmaceutical business awareness/business domain knowledge;
• HR business awareness/business domain knowledge
• User Centred Design (User Experience, User Interface Design and Business Process Design)
• Experience of working in a regulated environment

AstraZeneca embraces diversity and equality of opportunity. We are committed to building an inclusive and diverse team representing all backgrounds, with as wide a range of perspectives as possible, and harnessing industry-leading skills. We believe that the more inclusive we are, the better our work will be. We welcome and consider applications to join our team from all qualified candidates, regardless of their characteristics. We comply with all applicable laws and regulations on non-discrimination in employment (and recruitment), as well as work authorization and employment eligibility verification requirements.