Business Analyst - Research & Secure Innovation Network

Job Description

Role: Business Analyst

Grade and Salary: Grade 7, £37,694 - £47,389

FTE and working pattern: 1

FTE, 35hrs per week

Contract: Fixed Term until 31 July 2027 (potential for a secondment opportunity)

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

The Trusted Research and Secure Innovation (TReSI) Network is new project, led by Heriot‑Watt University and funded by the Scottish Funding Council as part of a portfolio of four projects under its Research and Innovation Shared Services Fund. The aim of the project is to build scalable, sustainable capabilities across Scottish universities to implement transparent and responsible Trusted Research and Secure Innovation practices.

Leveraging collaboration across Scotland’s universities, the project will develop a customisable digital toolkit comprising scalable processes, case studies, decision‑support and audit materials. Using agile, sprint‑based project management, it will:

• Define minimum requirements for due diligence, monitoring and reporting across different research contexts
• Create adaptable tools for identifying and managing high risk research areas
• Build a case study bank to support decision‑making and researcher awareness

Forming part of the TReSI Network Project Team, the Business Analyst will provide business analysis skills and expertise to the project to deliver strategic and operational change across the project partners. The role operates within a matrix management environment and is part of the Global Project Management Office’s Professional Family. The role-holder will work closely with stakeholders at all levels in the host and partner organisations, acting as the key interface between stakeholders, sponsors, the project manager and project teams.

The role is responsible for analysis, design and requirements work to ensure business needs are understood, appropriate solutions are defined, and stakeholder expectations are managed across the full project lifecycle through to successful delivery.

• Requirements definition, gathering & management – capture, refine, and maintain requirements using interviews, workshops, and analysis techniques.
• Business Process Analysis & Design – document current‑state processes, identify gaps and improvements, and design validated future‑state processes.
• Stakeholder Engagement – facilitate discussions, manage expectations, and ensure clear communication throughout the project delivery lifecycle.
• Collaborate to define business needs and requirements through facilitation of workshops, meetings and individual engagement.
• Solution Assessment & Validation – support evaluation, selection, and validation of solutions, coordinating User Acceptance Testing (UAT) where applicable and ensuring that solutions align with overall project and strategic goals.
• Documentation & Artefacts – produce standardised Business Requirements Documents, user stories, process maps, data flow diagrams, and benefits maps to agreed standards.
• Collaboration with Project Teams – work with PMs, PMO and other analysts, developers, testers, and business SMEs to deliver agreed scope.
• Promote continuous improvement and be a positive advocate for transformational change to business systems and processes; contribute to BA capability development, and mentor and develop junior colleagues.
• Prepare quality presentation material showcasing the ability to summarise complexity into clarity fit for a range of stakeholders including executives.
• Change operating model development – contribute and influence future state change capability development and directly influence analysis and design within the project; support training, communications, and PMO team activities.
• Undertake strategic transformation activities as required, including analysis work to evolve strategy development.

• Global Director of Research Engagement – project lead
• TReSI Network Project Manager – colleague
• TReSI Network Community Engagement Co‑ordinator – colleague
• TReSI Network Technical Specialist – colleague
• Deputy…