Senior Business Analyst (Process Efficiency)

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About Ashurst

Ashurst is a leading progressive global law firm with a rich history spanning more than 200 years. We are proud of our history and are future-focused, having expanded into new technologies through our NewLaw division, Ashurst Advance, and our consulting arm. Our in-depth understanding of our clients and commitment to providing excellent standards of service have seen us become a trusted adviser to local and global corporates, financial institutions and governments in all areas of commercial law. To find out more please visit www.ashurst.com .

Department/Role overview

We are on the lookout for an experienced Senior Business Analyst to join our Ashurst Service Central (ASC) Process Efficiency team during a period of change. You will be instrumental in building a comprehensive service catalogue for Business Services. This role is a unique opportunity for a driven individual to enhance their expertise by delivering substantial improvements to business service processes and fostering a robust culture of continuous improvement in a dynamic environment.

As a Senior Business Analyst within the Centre of Excellence for Process Efficiency, you will assume a critical role in partnering with global senior stakeholders to design and refine the service catalogue. Your strong communication skills and customer-centric approach will be vital as you engage and build relationships at all levels. You will be tasked with defining the metadata and taxonomy for the service catalogue, determining its format and interim storage, and producing high-level capability models for each function.

Your responsibilities will extend to creating and refining the service catalogue, as well as designing governance processes to maintain its integrity. As a subject matter expert in process analysis and documentation, you will also coach and train the ASC Process Efficiency team in the application of process design and improvement tools and techniques. Your role will involve facilitating process workshops and problem-solving sessions to enhance existing processes and identify service requirements.

This position offers a platform to showcase your leadership skills and your ability to drive process optimisation initiatives across Ashurst.

Main responsibilities

• Leading the development of the service catalogue, ensuring it is user-friendly and meets the requirements of all stakeholders. Continuously refining the catalogue to reflect the evolving needs of the business.
• Establishing a clear and comprehensive metadata and taxonomy structure for the service catalogue, ensuring it aligns with business objectives and user needs.
• Collaborating with various functions to produce high-level capability models for each business service, providing a framework for the catalogue's content.
• Establishing and owning a robust governance process for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the service catalogue over time.
• Engaging with key stakeholders, including the CTO, Director of ASC, Head of Special Projects and others, to align on the project's vision and secure their commitment and resources.
• Identifying potential risks associated with the project and developing mitigation strategies to ensure successful delivery within the defined timeline.
• Developing a comprehensive communication plan to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged, and providing regular progress updates, benefits summaries and reports.
• Overseeing the project's milestones, from defining metadata structures to publishing the final service catalogue, ensuring alignment with the project's objectives and key benefits.
• Developing training materials and providing coaching to staff involved in improvement initiatives, ensuring proficiency in process design and improvement tools and techniques.
• Applying technical and procedural knowledge to facilitate mapping and improvement workshops and events.
• Acting as a change advocate and promoting a culture of continuous improvement across the organisation, disseminating information on the benefits of process optimisation.
• Supporting the development of a Continuous Improvement (CI) mindset across the firm through coaching and participation in various improvement initiatives.

Risk and Control: Ensure that all activities and duties are carried out in full compliance with our regulatory requirements and internal policies.

Essential skills and experience

• 2+ years of leadership experience.
• Expert knowledge of leading projects, process mapping workshops and capability models.
• Certified Lean Sigma Greenbelt or Lean Practitioner preferred; if not certified then a strong CI mindset and delivery background is required.
• A good grasp of the technical aspects of customer service management tools to ensure feasibility and practicality of the defined services.
• Excellent written and communication skills. The ability to articulate ideas clearly and concisely, both in writing and verbally, to senior stakeholders.
• Strong experience in facilitating stakeholder workshop and coaching/ mentoring activities. Experience in managing relationships and expectations with senior-level stakeholders, understanding their needs and translating them into service requirements.
• The capacity to understand the big picture and align the service catalogue with the organisation's strategic goals.
• Strong team-working skills with the ability to influence and motivate diverse teams to embrace and deliver sustained process improvement.
• The role involves extensive interactions with various stakeholders and therefore requires a combination of intellect, maturity, strength of character, and an ability to earn respect.
• Proficiency in analysing complex information to define services and their specifications. Passion and sense of urgency for executing performance improvement projects.
• Works with and able to challenge senior leaders.
• Self-motivated and possess demonstrated ability to motivate others to achieve results.
• Demonstrated strong process and project management skills.
• Ability to translate general needs and goals into clear roadmaps and project plans for meeting them.
• Exceptional eye for detail coupled with analytical mind and problem-solving mindset.
• Proficiency across JIRA, SharePoint and the MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, Visio, PowerPoint).

Background checks

In order to comply with regulatory and client requirements, Ashurst will undertake appropriate vetting of staff. When applicants accept a job offer, Ashurst, alongside a specialist provider, will undertake professional verification and background checks. These checks are only undertaken with consent, and in accordance with our legal and regulatory obligations.

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