At HS2 we offer a two-year rotational graduate programme, providing you with the opportunity to stretch and challenge yourself across various placements. This programme is designed around enabling you to get as much experience as possible across the business, to support your personal development.
We have a graduate Business Analyst opportunity available based in Birmingham, with opportunities to undertake placements at other HS2 offices/sites so travel may be required.
The Graduate Business Analyst role gives an opportunity to gain valuable experience in business analysis during a two-year rotational placement programme. You will spend time in a variety of roles across HS2’s IT function and gain valuable insights, develop a broad skillset, and build a strong foundation for your future career in business analysis. Working alongside key stakeholders with the aim to review and understand processes and services that will result in meaningful/valuable improvements across HS2’s IT function and the wider business.
Information Technology (IT) function overview
IT sits within the CFO Directorate, playing an essential role in daily operations and success of the programme. The department provides technical leadership, advisory and delivery of IT services across HS2 Ltd, enabling the delivery of HS2’s mission. Its main objective is to provide the guiding principles, assurance, systems, processes and promote the skills necessary to enable the maximum use of information and technology to improve the design, construction and ultimately operation of the HS2 programme.
The Delivery Integration & Management function is accountable for the effective delivery of IT’s portfolio of initiatives, across the business, IT platforms, products and services, utilising and integrating multi-discipline teams and delivery methodologies.
Over your two-year development programme, you will have the opportunity to rotate within the following teams within the IT function (noting that the rotational placements may vary and are subject to business requirements):
IT Project Delivery Team: Your placement in this area will help develop your understanding of new business needs, requirements gathering, process analysis, stakeholder communication & management, testing and validation, solution design support and change management.
Enterprise & Data Management and Strategy Team: Your placement in this area will help you to understand how business initiatives align with the organisation’s data strategy including data governance, data quality and data integration.
IT Product Team: You will learn the importance of product delivery using agile practices to deliver value to the business through the different initiatives that will be undertaken while being technically feasible and user-friendly.
Change Management: This will help you to understand the importance of change in IT services aligning with business objectives, improving efficiency and service delivery.
Accountabilities:
Understanding how to analyse business processes, systems and services within HS2 which will include research and analysis to articulate business needs to achieve effective delivery of solutions.
- Learning the importance of stakeholder management and how different analysis techniques and strategies are tailored to support business change.
- Assisting in the elicitation and documentation of business requirements, business case and benefits. Documenting epics and user stories to articulate the user requirement. Including developing business scenarios, wireframes to aid discussions and acceptance criteria with traceability to requirements.
- Supporting the mapping and analysis of business processes to identify inefficiencies and propose improvements.
- Assisting with the preparation of clear and concise documentation and presentations for stakeholders and senior management.
- Learning and using business analysis tools and software to aid data visualisation, process modelling, requirement gathering and change management.
- Assisting in the coordination of tasks and supporting project delivery under the guidance of senior team members.
- Actively promote and embed Equality Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in all your work, and support and comply with all organisational initiatives, policies and procedures on EDI.
Skills:
- Communication skills and the ability to liaise effectively with stakeholders
- Good stakeholder management skill with the ability to build and maintain relationships with team members, clients and other stakeholders.
- Ability to collaborate with other teams/cross functional teams.
- Comfortable working in fast-paced environments and adapting to changing priorities.
- Good time management skills for effective task management and prioritisation.
- Eagerness to learn new tools, methodologies and technologies.
- Good presentation skills in presenting findings and recommendations confidently.
Knowledge:
- 2:2 Bachelor’s degree (or non-UK equivalent) or above in a business or finance degree, computer or data science degree or Msc in business analytics.
- Basic knowledge of business analysis, processes and methodologies.
- Knowledge of tools and techniques for requirement gathering/elicitation.
- Familiar with Agile Scrum ceremonies.
- Basic knowledge of data analysis and visualisation using tools loke Excel or Power BI.
- Familiarity with Business Process Modelling Tools like BPMN, Visio or Lucidchart for visualising workflows and processes.
- Basic knowledge in the elicitation, documenting and managing of requirements.
- Adequate in the use of Ms Office Suite like Word, Excel and Powerpoint for reporting and presentations.
Does HS2 offer sponsorship if I do not have the Right to Work in the UK?
To be eligible to apply to the HS2 Graduate scheme for our September 2025 in-take, any applicant will need to already have the on-going Right to Work in the UK, that is not time-bound in any way.
Due to the nature of our organisation, HS2 are not able to sponsor any applications as we do not hold the required sponsorship license from the UK Home Office and candidates are not allowed to sponsor themselves.
We appreciate the Right to Work question can be complex to understand, so if you are unsure of your Right to Work status in the UK, please email us at HS2Jobs@hs2.org.uk and we will be happy to advise further. Please note, to enable HS2 to comply with UK Home Office policy, your Right to Work status will be checked early in the recruitment process.
Our graduate programme salaries:
Salaries are currently pending pay review however please see below figures based on 2024;
Outside of London
Basic £23,750 + 15% Flexible allowance
Please note the rotational placements may vary and are subject to business requirements.
