Business Analyst /Feature Analyst (9 month contract)

We are looking for a Business Analyst/Feature Analyst to join our team for a 9 month hybrid engagement. The Business Analyst will independently support BAU and change demand within the Custody environment by delivering clear, end to end analysis artefacts. This includes demand analysis, custody process and requirements definition, ISO15022/20022 messaging specifications, data mapping, and SAFe aligned backlog management. The role supports agile delivery through PI planning, testing, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring high quality, signed off requirements that enable successful development, testing, and implementation across Local and Global Custody operations.

Key Responsibilities 1. Demand Intake & Analysis

• Perform analysis for new custody related demand, ensuring clear articulation of problem statements, business value, and expected outcomes.
• Break down features into high quality, well defined user stories aligned with SAFE Agile principles.
• Assess upstream/downstream impacts across custody operations, financial markets, reconciliations, settlement flows, reporting, and data domains.

2. Custody Domain Requirements & Workflow Design

• Analyse and document current state and target state processes for SA Local Custody, Global Custody, and SA Financial Markets.
• Translate complex custody workflows into logical business and technical requirements.
• Validate feasibility and completeness of requirements with operations, product SMEs, and technology teams.

3. Messaging Standards (ISO15022 & ISO20022)

• Lead requirement definition for message formats, field behaviour, validations, and mapping rules.
• Analyse and design message transformations for MT/MX standards across trade capture, settlement, cash movements, corporate actions, and reconciliations.
• Partner with integration and vendor teams to ensure correct interpretation and implementation of messaging standards.

4. Data Mapping & Technical Collaboration

• Perform detailed data mapping between systems, including field level specifications, transformation logic, and data lineage.
• Support interface, integration, and workflow requirements with internal and external systems (e.g., CSD, brokers, custodians, vendors).
• Collaborate with architects and engineers to ensure requirements are technically sound and achievable.

5. Agile Delivery & Feature Progression

• Participate in PI planning, backlog refinement, iteration planning, and feature prioritisation activities.
• Ensure stories meet the Definition of Ready and Definition of Done.
• Provide ongoing clarification to developers, testers, and product owners throughout the lifecycle.

6. Testing Support & Quality Assurance

• Input and definition of acceptance criteria for stories.
• Support test case creation, data preparation, and message validation for ISO15022/20022 formats.
• Validate end to end custody workflows during functional, integration testing.

7. Stakeholder Engagement & Communication

• Engage senior business stakeholders to validate solution options, impacts, and process changes.
• Communicate risks, decisions, and dependencies clearly and timeously across teams.
• Prepare analysis artefacts, diagrams, message specifications, and data maps for review and sign off.

8. Independent Delivery & Ownership

• Operate independently with minimal supervision, driving the analysis from discovery through to delivery.
• Proactively identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities across custody processes.
• Ensure timely delivery of all analysis outputs to support planning, development, and testing cycles.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum experience of 5-7 years in a similar position.
• Senior Business Analysis experience in complex financial services environments.
• Strong understanding of custody operations (local & global), settlement flows, corporate actions, and financial market processes.
• Expert knowledge of ISO15022 (MT) and ISO20022 (MX) message standards.
• Experience with SAFE Agile, backlog refinement, PI Planning, and traditional BRS writing.
• Strong competencies in data mapping, process design, and requirements engineering.
• Ability to work independently, facilitate decisions, and drive clarity in ambiguous environments.

Job Requirements

• Degree or Advanced Diploma in an IT related field.
• Logical approach to problem solving.
• Critical thinking skills.
• Meticulous attention to detail.
• Managing and communicating directly with multiple clients or stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal.