Our aim is for everyone in the National Church Institutions (NCIs) to feel that they belong, and are valued for who they are and what they contribute. Together, our people contribute in different ways towards our common purpose, whichever NCI they work in and whatever their background.

The Technology Team provide BAU and Project support services across all of the National Church Institutions (NCIs) and some Dioceses. Ranging from End User Support to Cloud Infrastructure, we provide subject matter expertise for all aspects of Technology. Predominantly using the Microsoft ‘stack’ of tools (Office 365, Azure, etc) we have a cloud-first approach that enables diverse business units a stable and predictable platform to deliver on their goals and objectives.

As thebusiness relationship manager you will play a pivotal role in standardising and centralising IT capabilities within the broader NCIs. You will collaborate with departments, project teams and other IT colleagues to identify and itemise technological solutions, including, detecting instances of shadow-IT that have not been authorised by the Technology department and assist in locating alternative solutions. You will be responsible for promoting the Technology Department by providing business & systems advisory, consultancy and support such as investigations on ways of working and process mapping through workshops, questionnaires, impact assessments or other such activities. Acting as the primary technology partner (liaison) between the organisational units and the Technology Team to gather high-level requirements, develop business cases, research solutions and submit new change requirements. You will produce high-level functional and non-functional specifications that will meet, or exceed, business requirements, and support the business units in adopting new technology by drawing up business readiness and implementation plans. You will influence business areas to become more efficient by utilising technology and providing operational support during the change process.

The main responsibilities for this role are:

• Partner with departments, establishing a working relationship of trust and respect between them and the Technology Department.
• Assist in compiling a list of technologies utilised, identifying instances of shadow IT.
• Offer consultancy to promote the use of Technology Department-approved solutions.
• Research and compare solution offerings that are not already on the Technology Department’s list of preferred solutions, and make recommendations for alternative solutions.
• Conduct systems analysis, write business process improvement documentation and support activities to help users understand and articulate their requirements.
• Work with departments to support and guide them through the required steps to successfully implement technology enabled change projects.
• Establish and manage communication channels within and among departments to provide their feedback and views to influence the IT Strategy, Operations and change plans
• Assist in the change process to imbed best practice requirements onboarding and requirements fulfilment procedures.
• Assisting users in being trained to use the new systems and that business processes and working practices are adjusted accordingly to take on systems that will drive tangible business benefits
• Ensure business and system readiness activities are planned and lead the transition of the project deliverables to business as usual state.
• Ensure there is sufficient helpdesk handover and competent IT support available for new systems to move to a ‘production’ supported product.
• Liaise with the owners of the relevant plans for training, communications and stakeholder management to ensure that projects and change requirements remain fully linked to and part of the overall process for change management across NCIs
• Write, refine and update project benefits profiles and undertake regular reviews with managers to assess the benefits and disadvantages arising in the course of projects
• Provide a focus on IT security to ensure new systems comply with data handling, data protection and user acceptable use policies
• Provide operations and project support to the Application and Change Manager.

The ideal candidate must have:

Essential

Education:

• Business Analyst qualification or demonstrable on the job experience
• Change Management qualification or demonstrable on the job experience
• Project/Product management experience in delivering technology initiatives

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Ability to effectively problem solve in a logical and structured manner
• Strong report writing skills
• Good written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to work on own initiative, under pressure and to deadlines
• Ability to explain technical issues clearly and simply to a non-technical audience
• Ability to manage stakeholders at all levels, internally and externally

Knowledge/Experience:

• Experience of using a wide range of IT systems and of providing consultancy and support.
• Experience in using Business Process improvement techniques.
• Experience of working in a mature agile environment and of implementing Agile ways of working.
• Highly experienced in use of intensive systems research and analysis techniques.
• Detailed understanding of the impact of change, the interdependencies and impact on the business
• Significant experience in conducting impact assessments for IT change requests and making suitable recommendations
• Experience in helping staff and departments to use IT solutions
• Experience of Benefits and Quality management techniques

Personal Attributes:

• Outgoing self-starter
• Team player with good interpersonal skills to influence positive outcomes
• Committed to delivering a high level of customer service
• Attention to detail, including tolerance and the ability to handle detail, analyse, understand and produce detailed information accurately
• A sense of urgency and commitment to completion of work, attention to detail, quality and confidentiality
• Committed to continuing professional development and identifying means to update key knowledge

Circumstances:

• The role is hybrid with at least two days a week located in an NCI location with the potential of occasional travel to other Church of England locations across the Country.

Desirable

Education:

• Systems Analysis qualification

Skills/Aptitudes:

• Able to lead by example, engender trust and demonstrate personal gravitas and credibility

Knowledge/Experience:

• A good understanding of ITIL framework
• Experience of managing requirements end to end using Team Foundation Server or a similar product.
• Supporting staff to use Microsoft CRM Dynamics, SharePoint and Office 365
• MS Office (MS Project and Visio)
• Creating and providing presentations for learning sessions

In the National Church Institutions (NCIs), we support the mission and ministries of the Church of England. We work with parishes, dioceses, schools, chaplaincies and other ministries, and with national and international partners including mission agencies, and other denominations and faith groups.-.

Find out more about working for the National Church Institutions at Careers | The Church of England

Our NCI values

• We strive for excellence
• We collaborate
• We act with integrity
• We show compassion
• We respect others

We welcome everyone and we accept and value people for who they are and what they contribute, treating others in the way we would wish to be treated ourselves. We actively listen to and include others, encouraging and enabling everyone’s voice to be heard in discussions and decisions. When we disagree, we aim to disagree well with respect and kindness.

We want to encourage applications from a diverse group of people. Even if you have never thought about working for us before, if you have the skills and experience we’re looking for then we would like to hear from you. If there is anything we can do to support you in your application please get in touch via email to hr.recruitment@churchofengland.org.

• As a Disability Confident Leader, we actively look to attract, recruit and retain those of you who are disabled.
• We are a member of the Armed Forces Covenant, and welcome applications from those of you who have served in our Armed Forces and their families.