Lead/Senior Business Analyst - Banking & Payments

Lead/Senior Business Analyst - Banking & Payments We are looking for an experienced Lead/Senior Business Analyst to join our Banking & Payments practice and work on digital transformation programs for leading financial institutions. You will work across business strategy, customer journeys and technology, turning client goals into clear, deliverable requirements. This is a client-facing role. You will work closely with client product, technology and compliance teams to drive end-to-end requirements definition and delivery. Responsibilities Lead discovery and requirements elicitation across business and technology workstreams Produce and own core BA artifacts: BRD, FRD, user stories, use cases, process flows, acceptance criteria and RTM Translate business objectives into precise functional and non-functional requirements for design and engineering teams Lead UAT planning, test case review and sign-off with the client Use AI tools (e.g., Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot) to accelerate BA work: drafting requirements and user stories, summarising workshops, analyzing documents, generating test scenarios and checking traceability Critically review AI-generated outputs for accuracy, completeness and regulatory compliance before they reach the client Follow responsible AI practices: protect confidential and customer data and comply with client and company policies on AI usage Identify opportunities for AI-driven product features and capture their business requirements Promote AI-assisted ways of working across the BA team Act as SME in banking and payments: accounts, transfers, cards, payments, FX, onboarding and KYC Document integration requirements between front-end channels, core banking, card processing platforms, payment switches and third-party APIs Ensure requirements align with applicable regulations, scheme rules and security standards (e.g. central bank regulations, PCI DSS) Serve as the primary BA interface with client stakeholders, from product owners and architects to compliance officers and senior leadership Run workshops and walkthroughs with client stakeholders Manage and mentor a team of BAs; ensure quality and consistency of BA deliverables Maintain and groom the product backlog together with the Project Manager and Product Owner Facilitate sprint reviews and steering committee reporting Identify scope risks, dependencies and change requests; drive formal change control Contribute to solution proposals and RFP responses Share lessons learned and best practices within the practice Requirements 7+ years in business analysis, including at least 3 years in a Lead or Senior BA role Proven experience on digital transformation projects in banking, payments or fintech Experience documenting integrations with core banking, card or payment platforms Hands-on experience using AI tools in day-to-day analysis and documentation work Experience documenting REST/JSON API specifications; knowledge of ISO 20022 / ISO 8583 is a plus BPMN modeling (Visio, Lucidchart, draw.io or equivalent) Agile/Scrum delivery; proficiency in Jira, Confluence or similar tools Practical skills in working with LLM-based tools and an understanding of their limitations and data privacy risks Confident communicator with senior and C-level stakeholders; able to run workshops and resolve conflicting requirements Structured analytical mindset; able to manage several workstreams at once Strong leadership presence; able to guide and quality-review other BAs' work English: fluent, written and spoken; able to produce client-ready documentation and present to senior audiences Russian: fluent, written and spoken Nice to have Experience with compliance projects (PCI DSS, AML, data protection) Experience defining requirements for AI/ML-powered features (chatbots, personalization, fraud detection) Knowledge of open banking and instant payment infrastructure CBAP, PMI-PBA or equivalent BA certification Knowledge of the Arabic language