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