Job Description
This is a permanent, long-term business systems and process improvement role. It is suited to someone who can understand how the business works, organise controlled improvement activity, and then help build, maintain and continually develop the systems, workflows, dashboards and AI-enabled tools that support the business over time.
Job title: Business Systems Analyst
Reports to: Head of Engineering & Operations
Location: Whitham Mills Engineering Ltd., Middleton, Manchester
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Role Summary
Whitham Mills is building a practical AI and business systems roadmap to create a single source of truth across quoting, engineering, purchasing, operations, service and leadership reporting. This role will work under the direction of the Head of Engineering & Operations to turn business improvement priorities into structured, controlled delivery and then support their ongoing development, adoption and improvement. The role is a long-term role focused on understanding how the business works, shaping robust processes, organising work properly, and building, configuring, supporting and improving the systems, automations and data flows that will become part of day-to-day operations.
Key Responsibilities
· Translate business and operational requirements into practical internal tools, workflow automations, integrations, reports and structured improvements that can be supported and developed over time.
· Map current and future-state processes, identify inefficiencies, and help define better ways of working before automation is introduced.
· Help create and maintain clear process rules, data structures, ownership points, controls and supporting documentation.
· Plan, organise and coordinate delivery activity so multiple improvement projects can move forward in a controlled and visible way.
· Break larger goals into manageable work packages, maintain priorities, track actions and ensure follow-through.
· Build, configure, test, release and continually refine small, controlled improvements rather than treating delivery as a one-off system change.
· Work closely with stakeholders across functions to gather requirements, clarify ambiguity and maintain alignment as projects develop.
· Work within company AI, data security and access-control rules, ensuring approved tools, accounts and integrations are used at all times.
· Produce clear requirements, process notes, testing records, issue logs and rollout steps that support reliable delivery and handover.
· Support adoption by helping colleagues understand new processes, systems and ways of working, and by responding to feedback once tools are in daily use.
· Measure outcomes such as time saved, errors reduced, cycle time improved, visibility improved and manual effort removed, using those measures to guide future improvement work.
· Provide ongoing support for implemented systems, including issue logging, user feedback, minor changes, documentation updates and controlled improvement releases.
· Maintain the single-source-of-truth approach as business needs evolve, ensuring new tools and workflows remain aligned with agreed process ownership, data quality and governance rules.
Required Qualifications and Experience
· Experience in a business systems, process improvement, applications, automation or implementation role in a manufacturing, engineering or technically controlled environment.
· Good understanding of how data and information move through operational processes and how process discipline supports better delivery.
· Hands-on experience building, configuring, supporting and improving internal tools, automations, dashboards, workflows or system integrations.
· Comfort working with structured data, rules, categories, templates and process controls rather than purely ad hoc tasks.
· Ability to gather requirements from non-technical users and turn them into clear, workable specifications.
· Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage detail, maintain momentum, coordinate actions and keep multiple workstreams under control.
· Practical understanding of testing, change control, permissions, auditability and safe rollout of new tools.
· Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail and a disciplined approach to documentation and follow-through.
· Confidence using Microsoft 365 tools and a willingness to work with modern AI-enabled development and workflow tools in a controlled, secure and business-led environment.
Preferred Experience
· Experience with SharePoint, Power Automate, Power Apps, SQL, scripting, APIs or similar internal systems tools.
· Exposure to Solidworks PDM, ERPs, MRPs, document control, reporting or other manufacturing data and workflow environments.
· Experience building dashboards, operational reporting or management visibility tools.
· Knowledge of information security, access control or data governance in business systems.
· Experience supporting change adoption, user training or continuous improvement programmes.
· ISO9001 or quality systems exposure where it has been applied practically to process control, traceability and compliance, rather than as a purely documentation-focused role.
Initial Success in the First 12 Months
· Priority improvement projects have been taken from concept into controlled delivery with clear ownership, documentation, measurable progress and a supportable foundation for further development.
· Processes and supporting data structures are better defined, more consistent and easier for teams to follow.
· Operational users have better visibility, less duplicated effort and stronger confidence in the tools being introduced.
· New tools and automations are adopted because they improve day-to-day work in a practical and controlled way.
· Delivery remains aligned with the company AI policy, security rules and approval controls.
Ongoing Success Beyond the First 12 Months
· Implemented systems, automations and dashboards are maintained, refined and extended as business requirements change.
· The role continues to support a programme of business systems improvement across quoting, engineering, purchasing, operations, service, finance and leadership reporting.
· Process ownership, data quality, documentation and adoption remain controlled as new workflows and AI-enabled tools are introduced.
Personal Style and Approach
· Process-minded and disciplined, with the judgement to improve workflows before automating them.
· Highly organised, able to keep track of detail, priorities, dependencies and follow-up without losing momentum.
· Curious and hands-on, comfortable moving between operational conversations and system build work.
· Practical, collaborative and able to work through ambiguity without losing structure.
· Comfortable working under direction, with clear priorities, reviews and business sign-off, while taking ownership of ongoing support, follow-up and continuous improvement.
Pay: £42,000.00-£50,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
