Technical Business Analyst – Application Transition & Transformation

Overview

We are seeking technically minded Business Analysts to support application transition and technology transformation programmes for a leading automotive client.

The roles will focus on understanding the existing application and technology landscape, assessing system dependencies and interfaces, and defining the approach to transitioning or transforming applications while minimising disruption to business operations and end users.

Two opportunities are available:

• Application Transition: Supporting the transition of applications from an existing platform to a new platform, with the longer-term objective of migrating to the platform used by the organisation's German operation.
• Application & Database Transformation: Supporting the transformation of applications with a range of underlying databases that require upgrading, ensuring dependencies, integration points and business impacts are understood and managed.

Both roles require strong Business Analysis skills combined with an understanding of enterprise application landscapes, system integrations, technical dependencies and technology change. The successful candidates will work closely with technical teams, architects, service management and third-party service providers to understand the technology while translating that information into actionable plans for Project Managers and coordinate the activities required for a controlled transition or transformation.

The emphasis will be on achieving technology change with minimal business impact and as little change as possible for business stakeholders and end users.

Responsibilities

Technical Business Analysis & Application Landscape

• Analyse the existing application and technology landscape to understand system capabilities, architecture, interfaces, integrations and dependencies.
• Work with Solution Architects, technical teams and application owners to establish a clear understanding of the current and target environments.
• Identify applications, databases, interfaces, infrastructure components and third-party services affected by the proposed changes.
• Assess upstream and downstream dependencies, data flows and integration points to understand the potential impact of individual application changes.
• Document application relationships, technical constraints, assumptions, risks and dependencies to support planning and decision-making.
• Translate technical information into clear analysis, options, recommendations and plans for project and business stakeholders.

Application Transition & Migration Planning

• Analyse application transition requirements and assess the implications of moving applications from the existing platform to a new platform.
• Support planning for the longer-term migration towards the platform used by the German operation, considering interim arrangements and dependencies.
• Identify and group applications into logical migration or transition waves based on dependencies, complexity, risk and readiness.
• Define sequencing and prerequisite activities to support a controlled transition, including interfaces, data dependencies and third-party services.
• Work with Project Managers and technical teams to develop and maintain the application transition roadmap.
• Identify business and technical impacts, transition risks, rollback requirements and contingency arrangements.
• Ensure transition plans consider service continuity, operational readiness and the need to minimise disruption to end users.

Application & Database Transformation

• Analyse applications and their underlying databases to understand the scope and implications of planned database upgrades and associated application changes.
• Assess dependencies between applications, databases, interfaces and connected services to identify potential compatibility and integration issues.
• Work with technical specialists to understand upgrade requirements, constraints, options and implementation dependencies.
• Identify the applications and services affected by each upgrade and determine appropriate sequencing and grouping.
• Support the development of transformation roadmaps, implementation plans and dependency-based delivery schedules.
• Assess potential business and operational impacts and identify measures to minimise disruption.
• Support the definition of contingency and rollback approaches for changes that introduce material operational or technical risk.

Stakeholder & Delivery Coordination

• Work collaboratively with Project Managers to support planning, coordination, progress tracking and management of dependencies across transition and transformation activities.
• Liaise with a separate Service Management and Support workstream to ensure service continuity, support arrangements and operational readiness are considered.
• Engage application owners, technical SMEs, infrastructure teams, database specialists and business stakeholders to validate requirements and assumptions.
• Coordinate with third-party suppliers and service providers responsible for applications, services or components within the technology landscape.
• Identify and escalate risks, issues, dependencies and decisions requiring resolution.
• Produce clear documentation and reporting to support governance, planning and delivery assurance.

Business Impact & Operational Readiness

• Assess the potential impact of application transitions and database upgrades on business processes, services, integrations and end users.
• Identify opportunities to maintain existing business processes and minimise the need for stakeholder retraining or operational change.
• Define business and technical readiness considerations, including validation, testing, communications and support requirements.
• Support the identification of test scenarios and acceptance criteria to validate that affected applications, interfaces and services continue to operate as expected.
• Ensure transition and transformation plans consider service continuity, contingency arrangements and recovery requirements.
• Work with delivery and service management teams to ensure changes can be implemented in a controlled and supportable manner.

Qualifications

• A relevant degree or equivalent practical experience in Business Analysis, Information Technology, Computer Science, Information Systems or a related discipline.
• Relevant Business Analysis qualifications, such as BCS or IIBA, would be advantageous. Training or qualifications in Enterprise Architecture, IT service management, cloud technologies or database technologies would also be beneficial.

Essential skills

• Ability to interpret application architecture diagrams, system inventories, interface specifications and technical documentation, and use these to identify dependencies, constraints, risks and impacts.
• A sound understanding of relational databases and the implications of database upgrades or migrations for dependent applications, interfaces and data flows.
• Understanding of rollback, contingency and recovery planning for application or platform changes.
• Ability to engage with third-party suppliers and service providers to understand dependencies, responsibilities and delivery constraints.
• Understanding of IT service management and the importance of service continuity during technology change.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to structure complex technical information and identify dependencies that may not be immediately apparent.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with the ability to work across business and technical teams.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and documentation skills, with the ability to translate complex technical information into clear assessments, recommendations, decisions and delivery plans.

Personal & Consulting Capabilities

The successful candidates will demonstrate strong analytical, consultancy and interpersonal skills, with the ability to understand complex technical environments, challenge assumptions constructively and translate technical dependencies into practical delivery recommendations.

They will be:

• Technically curious: Comfortable investigating application architectures, interfaces, databases and system dependencies.
• Analytical: Able to break down complex application landscapes into manageable components and identify sequencing constraints and risks.
• Structured: Capable of organising applications into logical migration or transformation groups and developing clear roadmaps.
• Collaborative: Effective at working across architects, technical specialists, Project Managers, service management teams and third-party suppliers.
• Pragmatic: Focused on achievable solutions that minimise business disruption and unnecessary change.
• Risk aware: Able to identify potential failure points, dependencies and continuity risks and support the definition of appropriate contingency measures.
• Outcome focused: Able to translate analysis into clear, actionable plans that support controlled technology change.

Desired skills

• Familiarity with application portfolio management and tools used to map application relationships and dependencies.
• Familiarity with ITIL, change management, release management and service transition processes.
• Knowledge of Agile, Waterfall or hybrid delivery approaches.

Experience

• Demonstrable experience as a Technical Business Analyst working on application transition, application migration, database upgrades or comparable technology transformation programmes.
• Experience analysing complex application landscapes, including application dependencies, system interfaces, integrations, data flows and relationships between applications and databases.
• Experience supporting the development of migration, transition or transformation roadmaps, including application sequencing, grouping and dependency management.
• Experience identifying technical and operational risks, assessing potential business impacts and supporting mitigation planning
• Experience working with Project Managers, technical delivery teams, architects and application owners.
• Experience within a large, complex enterprise application estate, ideally within the automotive sector.
• Experience working within Enterprise Architecture or Solution Architecture frameworks, with the ability to apply architectural views and principles to Business Analysis.
• Experience transitioning applications between hosting platforms, infrastructure environments or enterprise technology platforms.
• Experience of database upgrades, database migrations or application modernisation.
• Experience working with globally distributed IT organisations and aligning local application landscapes to a central or group platform.
• Experience coordinating change across multiple workstreams, including infrastructure, application delivery, service management and operational support.
• Experience working with outsourced IT services, third-party application providers or managed service providers.

What do I need before I apply

• These roles will be based in Milton Keynes, with a hybrid working arrangement requiring 2–3 days onsite per week.
• The successful candidates will work within a complex enterprise technology environment, collaborating with UK-based stakeholders, wider international technology teams and third-party service providers

Benefits

• Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges 
• We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects  
• Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses 
• Competitive company benefits
• Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo 

• As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
  • Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
  • Communicating and promoting vacancies
  • Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
  • Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
  • Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people

“We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age”.

We treat everyone fairly and equitably across the organisation, including providing any additional support and adjustments needed for everyone to thrive