Business Analyst

Business Analyst £40,000 - £50,000 plus great benefits (Work Level 6A) 12-month fixed-term contract Manchester city centre - in this role you’ll work in a hybrid way splitting your time between home and the office two or three times per week (find out more about our hybrid working policy at https://jobs.coop.co.uk/hybrid-working-policy).

We’re open to applications from people who may require flexible working arrangements. There’ll be an opportunity to discuss your flexible working requirements during the interview process, and at offer stage.

We’re reshaping our Digital, Technology and Data function for the future, creating new opportunities, strengthening our capability, and building clearer, more resilient ways of working so we can deliver even better services for our Co-op, our colleagues, members and customers.

We're looking for a Business Analyst to join our Business Analysis team and help us deliver change initiatives across Co-op. You'll work with colleagues across a range of business areas to understand needs, analyse processes, define requirements and support change initiatives that improve how we work. Working as a trusted Business Analysis professional within multidisciplinary delivery teams, you'll lead discovery and analysis activity, shape business outcomes, and turn complex challenges into practical solutions that deliver measurable value for our colleagues, members and customers.

Why this role matters

You'll be involved in a variety of projects and improvement initiatives, helping to solve complex business challenges and make a real difference to the way our organisation operates. You'll play a key role in shaping how change is delivered across Co-op, bringing expert analysis, challenge and insight to complex business problems. As part of our growing Business Analysis community, you'll help drive best practice, influence standards and contribute to the continued evolution of the profession at Co-op.

What you’ll do

• Work with stakeholders to understand business strategy, outcomes and challenges, identify opportunities for improvement
• Facilitate workshops, interviews and collaborative sessions to build shared understanding, uncover needs and drive decision making
• Analyse and map end-to-end business processes, identifying opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Elicit, analyse, prioritise and manage business requirements across the change lifecycle, ensuring solutions address genuine business needs
• Create high-quality requirements, user stories, acceptance criteria and supporting documentation
• Evaluate solution options, assess business impacts and ensure recommendations align with strategic objectives, target operating models and desired outcomes
• Support the development and maintenance of business process and business architecture documentation
• Collaborate with project, change, architecture, technology and operational teams to support successful delivery and adoption of change

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Significant experience working as a Business Analyst within complex project, programme or transformation environments, leading analysis activities from discovery through to delivery
• Strong business process analysis skills, including end-to-end process modelling, root cause analysis and identification of opportunities to improve business outcomes
• Excellent stakeholder management, influencing and challenge skills, with experience engaging senior leaders and multidisciplinary teams
• The ability to translate complex technical information into clear, business-friendly language
• Proven experience leading workshops, discovery activities and complex stakeholder discussions to achieve consensus and drive decision making
• An understanding of business change and how people, process and technology changes impact colleagues
• Experience assessing solution options, defining target processes and supporting business and technology teams in delivering effective change
• Ability to work independently on complex initiatives, providing clear recommendations and influencing decisions using evidence and analysis
• A willingness to contribute to the development of Business Analysis as a capability at Co-op, sharing ideas, knowledge and best practice with others

We know some people may hesitate to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. At Co-op, we’re committed to building diverse and inclusive teams, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly, we still encourage you to apply.

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• Access to a subsidised onsite gym (at our Manchester HQ)
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve. We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion