Business Analyst, Life and Pensions

The Company

Cognizant (NASDAQ:CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process outsourcing services, dedicated to helping the world\'s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant has over 350,000 employees as of January 2025. Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 1000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world.

Purpose of the Role

Work within a high energy and entrepreneurial Business & Technology Consulting Practice providing end to end Consulting and Business Analysis services to UK & Ireland based Insurance clients.

The role will focus on providing Insurance clients with Consulting and Business Analysis services, while at the same time contribute to the growth and vitality of both the local and global Insurance practices. It will also entail developing strong customer relationship and be a ‘Go-To’ person that client wants to bring back for future engagements.

Essential Consulting Skills & Experience

• Building trusted advisor relationships, influencing senior stakeholders, and negotiating mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Translating complex strategies into clear, compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Ability to create phased transformation roadmaps connecting people, process, and technology.
• Deep understanding of business models, industry trends, and market dynamics to anticipate disruptions and craft long‑term strategies.

Contribution to Development of Practice

• Support practice management activities such as Proposition or Solution Development, Community & Communications, Sales & Operations Management.
• Contribute to Insurance practice by thought provoking ‘points of view’ or ‘white papers’.

Essential BA Skills & Experience

• Perform Business Analysis roles on complex Business & Technology Transformation Programme, within Insurance clients; assisting them achieve their business, technology, strategic and operational goals.
• Able to gather, prioritize, analyse, specify, and validate requirements including the facilitation & coordination of user workshops.
• Experience in using AI tools across life cycle to improve productivity and efficiency.
• Experience in effectively defining problem/scope, gathering/analyzing data, and structuring recommendations, creating presentations, and making compelling recommendations to clients.
• An appreciation for both business and technical requirements and the ability to bridge the gap between the two.
• Full project life‑cycle experience Business Analysis experience – with demonstrable knowledge of different project life cycles: waterfall, agile; with hands on experience in agile (Scrum).
• Experience of working in matrix environment and able to provide examples of proactively building and winning trust of relevant business/IT stakeholders.
• Previous experience of working in a similar capacity in other Consultancy or Insurance Industry.
• Excellent knowledge in Life and Pensions, with at least 8+ years of experience.

Personal Attributes

• A ‘best practice practitioner’ Business Analyst (BA), with outstanding full project lifecycle Business Analysis skills.
• Able to work on simultaneous projects.
• Comfortable working in a team, building strong relationships with clients and colleagues as well as on your own.
• Comfortable facilitating workshops, e.g. to develop business requirements.
• Organized and able to prioritise competing responsibilities.
• Excellent engagement, communication skills (both written and verbal) and numeracy skills, able to deliver a concise message.
• Proficient in use of MS Visio and MS office suite, specifically excel.
• Self‑motivated, actively seeks responsibility and driven to achieve results.
• Ability to challenge the status quo and disrupt thinking, suggesting viable alternatives.
• Creative thinker, able to quickly analyse complex problems and identify appropriate solutions underpinned by logic and analytic approach.
• Open‑minded and pragmatic, willing to work with the tools available on assignment, or build them from scratch if required.
• Demonstrable accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work independently and ensure successful delivery of assigned tasks.
• Ability to work effectively under pressure and to tight deadlines.
• Degree educated or have a recognised business professional qualification.
• Willing to Travel to client sites across UK & Ireland Mon‑Friday.