Principal Business Analyst

Principal Business Analyst (Data Platforms)

Contract – 6 months initially

Rare – Daily inside IR35

Location: London (Hybrid) Must attend site 3 days per week – UK based applicants
Sector: Investment Management, Financial Services or Capital Markets. (prior experience a must)

About the Opportunity

Are you an experienced Business Analyst with a passion for data and technology? Do you enjoy working closely with stakeholders to deliver business-critical solutions that drive real business value?

We're recruiting for a Principal Business Analyst to join a highly respected global investment organisation, supporting the continued evolution of its enterprise Data Platform. This is a fantastic opportunity to work on strategic initiatives across a complex data landscape, partnering with business and technology teams to deliver innovative, scalable data solutions.

You'll play a key role in shaping data-driven change across multiple business functions, working on projects ranging from operational data and reporting through to analytics and AI initiatives.

The Role

Working within a collaborative Agile environment, you'll act as the bridge between business stakeholders and technical delivery teams, ensuring data solutions are aligned with both immediate business needs and long-term strategic objectives.

Key responsibilities include:

* Lead business analysis activities across multiple concurrent data and technology projects.

* Engage with business stakeholders to gather, challenge and document complex requirements.

* Facilitate workshops and drive consensus across technical and non-technical teams.

* Translate business requirements into clear functional specifications, user stories and acceptance criteria.

* Produce process flows, data mappings and business documentation.

* Work closely with Data Engineers, Architects, Developers and QA teams throughout the full software development lifecycle.

* Perform data analysis using SQL to investigate, validate and reconcile large data sets.

* Support testing, UAT and production releases, ensuring successful delivery of solutions.

* Identify business process improvements and recommend data-driven solutions.

* Manage project risks, dependencies and delivery priorities across multiple workstreams.

* Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders across both business and technology functions.

About You

We're looking for someone who combines excellent Business Analysis skills with a strong understanding of data.

You'll ideally have:

* Proven experience as a Business Analyst delivering complex data or technology projects.

* Strong SQL skills, with experience querying and analysing large datasets.

* Experience working with SQL Server, Snowflake or similar cloud-based data platforms.

* Excellent requirements gathering and documentation skills.

* Strong stakeholder management and workshop facilitation experience.

* Experience producing user stories, process maps, acceptance criteria and functional specifications.

* Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.

* Experience working across the full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC).

* Ability to manage multiple priorities within a fast-paced environment.

Desirable Experience

* Experience within Investment Management, Financial Services or Capital Markets.

* Understanding of front-office, investment or operational data.

* Knowledge of reference data, pricing, transactions, holdings, performance or risk data.

* Experience working within Agile delivery environments.

* Understanding of data governance, data quality and data lineage.

* Exposure to modern cloud data platforms and enterprise data architecture.

* Experience supporting production releases and operational readiness.

If you're an experienced Business Analyst with a strong data background and enjoy working with complex technology platforms, we'd love to hear from you