Senior Business Analyst

NHS Operational Analysis & Improvement

Analyse NHS operational data to identify productivity opportunities, pathway improvements and service efficiencies.
Undertake demand and capacity modelling, performance analysis and backlog reviews, translating findings into practical recommendations and implementation plans.

Client Engagement & Transformation

Work closely with NHS stakeholders to understand priorities, facilitate workshops and support transformation initiatives.
Co-develop improvement plans and provide analytical expertise during client engagements.

Performance & Benefits Realisation

Establish performance measures and targets, develop dashboards and reports, and monitor outcomes to demonstrate realised benefits.
Produce clear reports, presentations and board-level insights.

Data Quality & Governance

Validate and analyse data from NHS systems, ensuring data quality, transparency and compliance with information governance requirements.
Maintain robust analytical documentation and quality assurance processes.

Stakeholder Engagement & Knowledge Sharing

Present complex analysis in a clear and meaningful way for clinical, operational and executive audiences.
Build strong relationships with stakeholders, support junior analysts and contribute to the development of analytical best practice and transformation methodologies.

PRINCIPAL TASKS AND ACTIVITIES
NHS operational and pathway analysis
Analyse specialty-level activity, demand, capacity, waiting lists and patient flow to identify constraints, variation, productivity opportunities and avoidable waste.
Use NHS operational datasets, including SUS, RTT/PTL, outpatient, theatre and diagnostics data, to support evidence-based decision-making.
Undertake demand and capacity modelling, backlog analysis, clinic template reviews and pathway-level performance analysis.
Translate findings into practical recommendations, redesigned pathways, standard operating procedures and implementation plans.
Client engagement and transformation delivery
Work alongside the site engagement lead to understand each NHS clients priorities, operational context and analytical requirements.
Plan and facilitate discovery, data validation and insight workshops with clinical, operational, performance and analytical stakeholders.
Co-develop improvement roadmaps with clear milestones, measures, ownership, risks and governance.
Provide on-site analytical and advisory support during multi-day engagements and contribute to clinical and operational improvement sessions.
Performance measurement and benefits realisation
Establish clear baselines, targets and measures for productivity, efficiency, access, pathway timeliness and patient experience.
Develop accessible dashboards and reports that enable NHS teams to monitor delivery and take timely action.
Track outcomes, identify where interventions require adjustment and support the validation of realised benefits.
Produce concise, executive-ready reports, presentations and board papers.
Data quality and assurance
Work with NHS Trust data teams to extract, understand, validate and analyse data from relevant systems, including EPR, PAS and local operational systems.
Investigate data quality issues and agree definitions, assumptions and limitations with client teams.
Maintain clear analytical documentation so that methods, calculations and outputs are transparent and reproducible.
Work in accordance with information governance, confidentiality and information security requirements.
Communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing
Present complex analysis as a clear, compelling narrative for clinical, operational and executive audiences.
Build trusted working relationships, manage expectations and communicate risks, issues and dependencies promptly and professionally.
Mentor and support junior analysts, promoting good practice in NHS analysis, visualisation, quality assurance and stakeholder communication.
Contribute to Liaison Group methodologies, templates and reusable analytical resources for specialty transformation.

PRINCIPAL TASKS AND ACTIVITIES

NHS operational and pathway analysis

Analyse specialty-level activity, demand, capacity, waiting lists and patient flow to identify constraints, variation, productivity opportunities and avoidable waste.
Use NHS operational datasets, including SUS, RTT/PTL, outpatient, theatre and diagnostics data, to support evidence-based decision-making.
Undertake demand and capacity modelling, backlog analysis, clinic template reviews and pathway-level performance analysis.
Translate findings into practical recommendations, redesigned pathways, standard operating procedures and implementation plans.

Client engagement and transformation delivery

Work alongside the site engagement lead to understand each NHS clients priorities, operational context and analytical requirements.
Plan and facilitate discovery, data validation and insight workshops with clinical, operational, performance and analytical stakeholders.
Co-develop improvement roadmaps with clear milestones, measures, ownership, risks and governance.
Provide on-site analytical and advisory support during multi-day engagements and contribute to clinical and operational improvement sessions.

Performance measurement and benefits realisation

Establish clear baselines, targets and measures for productivity, efficiency, access, pathway timeliness and patient experience.
Develop accessible dashboards and reports that enable NHS teams to monitor delivery and take timely action.
Track outcomes, identify where interventions require adjustment and support the validation of realised benefits.
Produce concise, executive-ready reports, presentations and board papers.

Data quality and assurance

Work with NHS Trust data teams to extract, understand, validate and analyse data from relevant systems, including EPR, PAS and local operational systems.
Investigate data quality issues and agree definitions, assumptions and limitations with client teams.
Maintain clear analytical documentation so that methods, calculations and outputs are transparent and reproducible.
Work in accordance with information governance, confidentiality and information security requirements.

Communication, collaboration and knowledge sharing

Present complex analysis as a clear, compelling narrative for clinical, operational and executive audiences.
Build trusted working relationships, manage expectations and communicate risks, issues and dependencies promptly and professionally.
Mentor and support junior analysts, promoting good practice in NHS analysis, visualisation, quality assurance and stakeholder communication.
Contribute to Liaison Group methodologies, templates and reusable analytical resources for specialty transformation.

Essential criteria
- Experience working within an NHS Trust, Integrated Care Board, Commissioning Support Unit or NHS-focused consultancy.
- Significant experience in an NHS analytics, performance, business intelligence, operational improvement or transformation role.
- Strong working knowledge of NHS operational data and performance measures, including RTT/PTL, elective recovery, outpatient, theatre and diagnostic activity.
- Experience using analysis to support service improvement, demand and capacity planning, waiting-list recovery, pathway redesign or productivity programmes.
- Advanced analytical skills, with the ability to interrogate, validate and interpret complex datasets and explain limitations clearly.
- Strong SQL, Microsoft Excel and Power BI skills, including data preparation, analysis, dashboard creation and visualisation.
- Understanding of activity capture from clinical and local systems through to SUS submission and reimbursement.
- Knowledge of NHS data quality, information standards and information governance requirements.
- Experience presenting analysis and recommendations to clinicians, operational managers and senior leaders.
- Confident facilitation and stakeholder-management skills, including the ability to challenge constructively and build agreement.
- Evidence of contributing to measurable improvements in productivity, efficiency, access, pathway performance or patient experience.
- Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and remain effective during intensive client-site engagements.
- Degree in a quantitative or relevant discipline, such as mathematics, statistics, operational research, economics, health informatics or equivalent professional experience.
- Degree-level qualification or equivalent experience in a relevant discipline such as Healthcare Analytics Health Informatics Operational Research Service Improvement Business Analysis Mathematics or Statistics.
- Evidence of ongoing professional development in healthcare analytics NHS operational performance pathway redesign demand and capacity planning and service improvement methodologies.
- Strong understanding of NHS operational processes, performance management and the use of data to support clinical pathway transformation and decision-making.

Desirable criteria
- Experience of specialty transformation, elective recovery, theatre improvement or outpatient productivity programmes.
- Knowledge of advanced forecasting, queuing or scenario-modelling techniques where relevant to NHS operational decision-making.
- Experience using Python, R or Tableau for analysis or visualisation.
- Postgraduate qualification or professional certification in analytics, improvement science or project delivery, such as Lean, Six Sigma, PRINCE2 or Agile.
- Experience mentoring analysts or developing analytical standards, templates and methods.
- Professional qualifications or certifications in service improvement healthcare transformation programme delivery or project management (e. g. Lean Six Sigma, PRINCE2, Agile) would be advantageous.