Business Analyst

The UK’s Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is seeking to appoint a Business Analyst. This is an exciting time to be joining the organisation as the NDA Group will be heading in a new direction over the next 3 years with several significant strategic decisions beginning to take effect.

The NDA is an executive non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS), supported by 5 agencies and public bodies. They report to BEIS; for some aspects of their work in Scotland, they are responsible to Scottish ministers. They ensure the safe and efficient clean-up of the UK’s nuclear legacy. This involves decommissioning and demolishing all buildings, as well as treatment and disposal of associated waste, both radioactive and conventional. They employ just over 200 employees. The headquarters are based in west Cumbria with another 17 sites across England, Wales and Scotland, some dating back to the 1940s, plus the associated liabilities and assets. The NDA’s role is strategic and includes: establishing the overall approach, allocation budgets, setting targets and monitoring progress. They do not have a hands-on role in cleaning up facilities. Instead, they deliver their mission through others, primarily 12 businesses.

Role description

Reporting to the Head of Financial Operations, the role of the Business Analyst is to recommend and implement methods for improving business performance, through analysing NDA’s business model and finances, and using findings to make suggestions for improvements. To perform this work at the level required, the individual will have built up experience of working with large amounts of data in the private or public sector, most likely in a commercial, operational or finance function. The role requires a good understanding of investment appraisal and Treasury Green Book requirements. The successful candidate will be a competent modeller with the ability to explain complex scenarios to individuals and stakeholders inside and outside the NDA, acting as a trusted adviser.

Responsibilities

• Conducting complex financial analysis to determine present and future performance, documenting all data and findings thoroughly
• Using results from financial and budget analysis data, communicate results and present recommendations which may include cost reduction measures, revenue generation ideas, and ways to streamline operations
• Evaluating operational efficiency together with results of overall financial analysis in order to develop and implement future changes
• Designing predictive models to forecast risk, planning and pricing consequences for NDA and develop monthly financial and ad-hoc reports to interpret results.
• Creating models to support strategy and business colleagues in developing, exploring and explaining our strategic and option analysis together with value for money assessments
• Capturing large amounts of data and translating this into meaningful analysis
• Carrying out quality assurance of critical spreadsheets and models developed within or for NDA.
• Developing models and analysis tools to a structured build, to support NDA strategic development
• Providing commercial and financial quantification to investment decision-making
• Assisting reporting functions with capturing and consolidating large amounts of data
• Exploring “what ifs”, uncertainty and the impact of immature data
• Identification of strategic and tactical opportunities

Essential skills

• Understanding of accounting principles and group structures
• Experience as a business analyst
• Advanced excel skills (Including Macros and VBA)
• Strong and structured modelling capability
• Practical experience of numerical support to decision-making
• Experienced and competent working with uncertainty and ambiguity
• Logical approach to problem solving
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

Desired skills

• Relevant qualification e.g. in finance or business management
• Professional body membership or Chartered Accountant
• Educated to degree standard ideally with a mathematics or science background

Rate/Salary

Competitive and depending on experience