Senior IT Systems Analyst

Senior IT Systems Analyst

Company Description

The Barbour story began in 1894 in South Shields in the North East of England. Founder John Barbour began supplying oilskins and other garments to protect the growing community of sailors, fishermen and dockers. Still family owned and now fifth generation, Barbour HQ remains in South Shields. Under the leadership of Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour, Barbour has grown into a lifestyle brand sold in over 55 countries worldwide including Europe, the US and Asia offering a wardrobe of stylish functional clothing, footwear and accessories inspired by the unique values of the British countryside. The iconic Barbour Bedale and Barbour Beaufort wax jackets continue to be made by hand in the factory in South Shields. In 2020, Barbour launched Wax for Life, an overarching name for all of Barbour’s wax services designed to encourage customers to extend the life of their wax garments. Wax for Life includes re-waxing and repairs (first introduced in 1921) and Barbour Re-Loved an upcycling circularity initiative. Each year over 70,000 wax garments are sent back to Barbour globally to be repaired, rewaxed or altered.

Position Overview

As a Senior IT Systems Analyst, you will play a key role in delivering high-quality IT solutions that meet business needs and support Barbour’s strategic goals. Leading the analysis, design, and delivery of complex system solutions across the organisation, you will ensure technology solutions align with business strategy and drive improvements to critical infrastructure spanning key retail, product, and business applications.

In this role, you will act as a trusted advisor to stakeholders, shaping systems architecture and integration approaches. Additionally, you will take on a leadership position within the IT team—supervising, mentoring, and guiding Associate and Systems Analysts to support their professional development. You will also assist with resource planning and stand in to deputise for the IT Manager – Business Systems when required.

*The role is based at head office in South Shields and the expectation is 4 days in the office and 1 day of home-working.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Solution Analysis & Design: Lead end-to-end requirements gathering, translate business needs into detailed specifications, and provide solution design input across applications, integrations, and data flows.
• System Delivery & Implementation: Lead the design, development, delivery, and implementation of IT solutions, upgrades, and migrations across multiple platforms, ensuring core business systems (including PLM, PIM, and enterprise integrations) run seamlessly.
• Process Optimisation: Analyse and redesign business processes to improve organizational efficiency and effectiveness.
• Risk & Compliance: Perform impact analyses and risk assessments for significant system changes while ensuring compliance with security, data protection, and regulatory standards.
• Collaboration & Vendor Management: Work closely with architects, developers, vendors, and third-party suppliers to ensure successful delivery.
• Leadership & Team Support: Provide line management and mentorship to mid-level and Associate systems analysts, assist in team prioritisation and resource planning, and foster a culture of continuous improvement.
• Documentation & Governance: Own system documentation standards and best practices, acting as an escalation point for complex system issues.

Skills and Experience

• Education & Qualifications: Degree in IT, Computer Science, Business Information Systems, or equivalent experience. Professional certifications such as BCS Business Analysis, ITIL Practitioner, or Agile/Scrum are highly desirable.
• Systems Analysis Expertise: Proven experience as an IT Systems Analyst within a complex IT environment, with a strong understanding of solution design and the implementation lifecycle.
• Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of integrations, APIs, data flows, and experience working within SDLC, Agile, or ITIL frameworks. Experience supporting retail or apparel-aligned enterprise systems (e.g., PIM, PLM, ERP, or CRM platforms) is highly advantageous.
• Stakeholder & Vendor Management: Excellent stakeholder management and influencing skills, with commercial awareness regarding third-party negotiations and managing Statements of Work (SOW).
• Communication: Ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear business language, with excellent communication skills at a leadership level.
• Leadership Capability: Strong mentoring, coaching, or previous managerial/team lead capabilities to guide junior colleagues.
• Personal Attributes: A collaborative team player with a proactive approach to continuous technical learning, strong problem-solving skills, and adaptability to changing business requirements.

Benefits

• Discretionary Company bonus scheme
• Staff Discount
• Staff Shop
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• 25 days holiday as standard increasing with length of service plus bank holidays
• Access to training and development activities to support your career development
• Free onsite parking
• Subsidised canteen
• Operate hybrid & flexible working
• 4pm finish on a Friday
• Wellbeing support
• Refer a friend bonus scheme
• Reward & Recognition Program
• Length of service rewards