Lead Business Relationship Manager

Summary

A lead business relationship manager leads engagement with directors, corporate senior leaders, service managers and external stakeholders to ensure their complex needs are understood, prioritised and incorporated into directorate plans. They ensure that progress is communicated throughout the delivery process.

At this role level, you will:

be responsible for ensuring that strategic demands – such as the spending review and services strategy commitments – are met and communicated to the appropriate IT operations functions
make a positive impact on the business through reduction of costs arising from service issues, increased efficiency and improved communication (through better understanding of users’ needs and championing departmental commitment to continual improvement)

Background

Background Components

Description	Background
Has wide and detailed IT knowledge, together with detailed understanding of the principles of business and markets and sound experience of relevant business sectors. Knows how to make and sustain a business case through effective benefits management and takes responsibility for initiating and driving innovation on major technical and service delivery matters. Has strong planning, communication and presentation skills, and the capability to listen and influence, and is proficient in project quality management. Demonstrates up-to-date knowledge of the organisation’s policy framework, organisational relationships, business processes, reporting procedures, and existing and planned information systems and services.	Prior Knowledge and Skills

Description

Background

Has wide and detailed IT knowledge, together with detailed understanding of the principles of business and markets and sound experience of relevant business sectors. Knows how to make and sustain a business case through effective benefits management and takes responsibility for initiating and driving innovation on major technical and service delivery matters. Has strong planning, communication and presentation skills, and the capability to listen and influence, and is proficient in project quality management. Demonstrates up-to-date knowledge of the organisation’s policy framework, organisational relationships, business processes, reporting procedures, and existing and planned information systems and services.

Prior Knowledge and Skills

Work Activity Components

Title	Details
Content production	Makes informed decisions about the best way to present information to the audience(s), taking into consideration how information may be presented, identified, and searched for. Produces information artefacts that are accurate, current, relevant and easily understood by the intended
Implementation and controls	Ensures implementation of information, and records management policies and standard practice, ensuring that information is protected, available and accessible, and can be retrieved as required. Complies with all relevant information and data security policies and procedures.
Engagement	Gains authority in the organisation, including from the wider leadership community. Influences stakeholder groups as required to successfully gain their support and commitment.
Business needs	Has a clear and thorough understanding of the needs of the business and uses this to develop strategy and plans. Focuses on business risk and continuity issues which impact the strategy. Takes full advantage of wider issues, e.g. commercials, people, processes and systems, for any proposed IT strategy. Understands current IT estate and operations, as well as current enterprise architecture objectives and constraints.
Exploitation	Exploits new approaches, proposals and technologies to build a credible strategy, building on the existing strengths and potential of the current estate and marrying all relevant organisation objectives with achievable IT goals.
Monitoring	Regularly monitors and reviews progress on the strategy and plan, communicating, updating and evolving as required with the necessary senior stakeholder support.
Stakeholder engagement	Initiates procedures to improve relations and open communications with, and between,
Governance	Contributes to the definition of an organisation governance framework.
Stakeholder feedback	Oversees monitoring of relationships including lessons learned and appropriate feedback (for example, to and from business change teams).
Develops and builds effective relationships	Builds long-term, strategic relationships with senior stakeholders (internal and external).
Business issues, change and escalation	Facilitates the engagement of stakeholders and delivery of services and change projects, acting as a single point of contact for senior stakeholders, facilitating relationships between them. Negotiates to ensure that stakeholders understand and agree their requirements, and that appropriate agreements are defined.

Knowledge/Skills

Knowledge/Skills Components

Title	Depth	Details	Type
Conceptual Thinking		Acquiring understanding and insights regarding the underlying issues in complex problems or situations through the development of abstract representations, the identification of patterns and the analysis of hypotheses.	Behavioural Skills
Flexibility		Taking account of new information or changed circumstances and/or business requirements and modifying response to a problem or situation accordingly.	Behavioural Skills
Stress Handling		Retaining objectivity and proper understanding of a problem or situation when placed under conditions of stress.	Behavioural Skills
Improvisation		Dealing effectively with unexpected situations in a timely manner, taking advantage of opportunities and overcoming problems.	Behavioural Skills
Commercial Orientation		Understanding commercial considerations and ensuring alignment with them when making decisions or recommending actions.	Behavioural Skills
Customer Focus		Understanding the needs of the internal or external customer and keeping these in mind when taking actions or making decisions.	Behavioural Skills
Organisational Awareness		Understanding the hierarchy and culture of own, customer, supplier and partner organisations and being able to identify the decision makers and influencers.	Behavioural Skills
Cross-Functional and Inter-Disciplinary Awareness		Understanding the needs, objectives and constraints of those in other disciplines and functions.	Behavioural Skills
Interacting with People		Establishing relationships, contributing to an open culture and maintaining contacts with people from a variety of backgrounds and disciplines. Effective, approachable and sensitive communicator in different communities and cultures. Ability to adapt style and approach to meet the needs of different audiences.	Behavioural Skills
Influence, Persuasion and Personal Impact		Conveying a level of confidence and professionalism when engaging with stakeholders, influencing positively and persuading others to take a specific course of action when not in a position of authority.	Behavioural Skills
Teamwork		Working collaboratively with others to achieve a common goal.	Behavioural
Leadership		Clearly articulating goals and objectives and motivating and leading others towards their achievement.	Behavioural Skills
Critical Thinking		The ability to think clearly and rationally; review and evaluation of processes and outputs; the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking; reasoned thinking involving critique.	Behavioural Skills
Business Environment	Proficient in	The business environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners and competitors), in particular those aspects of the business that the specialism is to support (i.e. localised organisational awareness from a technical perspective).	Technical Knowledge and Skills
IT Environment	Proficient in	The IT environment relating to own sphere of work (own organisation and/or closely associated organisations, such as customers, suppliers, partners), in particular own organisation’s technical platforms and those that interface to them through the specialism, including those in closely related organisations.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Agile	Familiar with	A collection of methods, practises, tools and techniques, underpinned by the Agile Manifesto, that enable teams to deliver high value products and services in small, workable, increments. An Agile culture typically encompasses concepts such as Servant-Leaders; ceremonies, Stand-Ups, Sprints and Retrospectives; and the deployment of tools and techniques such as Backlogs and A/B Testing.	Technical Knowledge and Skills
Value Chain Concepts	Proficient in	Identification and representation of the primary and support activities required to deliver a product or service in order to analyse aspects such as inefficiencies and costs.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Presentation Techniques	Proficient in	Methods and techniques for delivering effective and accessible presentations, either face-to-face or online within various contexts and to a variety of audiences.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Business Proposals	Expert in	Methods and techniques for preparing and presenting business cases, requests for proposal (RFP) invitations to tender (ITT) and statements of requirements/work both verbally and in writing.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Risk Management	Proficient in	Methods and techniques for the assessment and management of business risk including safety-related risk.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Techniques for Effective Meetings	Proficient in	Methods and techniques for running effective meetings and for understanding and influencing the roles played by participants.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Coaching Techniques	Familiar with	Methods and techniques for coaching individuals or groups by a balanced combination of support and direction, including use of virtual learning environments plus add-ons to augment feedback specific to work items, workflow or career plans.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Project Planning and Control Techniques	Proficient in	Methods and techniques associated with planning and monitoring progress of projects.	Other Knowledge and Skills
Information Assurance	Proficient in	Information assurance methods, tools and techniques (including the Caldicott Principles) used to protect the integrity, availability, authenticity, non-repudiation and confidentiality of user data and manage the risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information.	Other Knowledge and Skills

Training Activities

Training Components

Title	Details
Facilitation	Methods and techniques for managing (or facilitating) a meeting or group session (both face-to-face and online) and then through a series of planned activities the creation, by consensus, of products (e.g. lists of business issues, requirements, technical options, etc.).
Coaching	Concepts, methods and techniques for providing coaching in subject specialisms to individuals or groups (e.g. GROW model).
Advanced Techniques for Business Process Improvement	More complex tools and techniques associated with the analysis, modelling and streamlining of business processes.
Data Protection and GDPR	Data protection legislation, regulatory framework and compliance, including GDPR (General Data Protection Act).
Change Management	Issues and strategies for the successful implementation of change within a business environment, for example Kotter’s 8 step process for leading change.
Mentoring	Methods and techniques for providing mentoring support to less experienced individuals.
Latest Cyber Security Threats for Senior Execs	Short, high-level, up-to-date and to-the-point briefing on the latest threats and vulnerabilities in cyber security.
Security Awareness	Tools and techniques to help users and employees understand the role they play in helping to combat information security breaches and for IT and security professionals to prevent and mitigate risk.
Health and Safety	Understanding statutory health and safety requirements relating to the working environment and/or the tools and techniques to promote, communicate, implement and maintain a health and safety culture.

PDAs

PDA Components

Title	Details
Job Shadowing and Special Assignments	Undertaking temporary periods or secondments in other roles, inside or outside IT, particularly those that offer a new perspective on own function or exposure to other environments and cultures.
Project Assignments	Participating in a project team, working group or task force established to deliver a solution to a specific problem or issue – especially valuable if the group is inter-disciplinary.
Mentoring	Acting as a mentor, advising those for whom there is no direct responsibility, on matters to do with their job role, career and professional development.
Gaining Knowledge of Broader IT Issues	Increasing and maintaining currency of knowledge of broader IT issues through reading, attending and participating in seminars or conferences, special studies, temporary assignments etc.
Gaining Strategic Knowledge of Employing Organisation	Developing a comprehensive understanding of the business environment in which the employing organisation operates and its position, policies and direction in relation to industry, country and global issues.
Gaining Knowledge of Standards and Legislation	Gaining and maintaining knowledge of relevant national and international standards and legislation.
Participation in Professional Body Affairs	Taking an active part in professional body affairs at branch, specialist group, committee or board level.
Management Development	Undertaking learning and best practice of the skills appropriate to managing all or part of an organisation, including business and financial management, benefits management, people management, management of change and strategic planning. This will require both on and off the job learning and may include participation in an appropriate development programme such as MBA or DMS (Diploma in Management Studies).

Qualifications

Qualification Components

Title	Awarding Body
Chartered IT Professional (CITP)	BCS – The Chartered Institute for IT
CBRM Certified Business Relationship Manager	BRM Institute Business Relationship Management Institute
FEDIP Advanced Practitioner	FEDIP
Change Management Practitioner	AXELOS

Organisation Skills

Framework » Organisation Category » Subcategory	Skill Name and Description	Level
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Stakeholder relationship management (IT operations) You can identify, analyse, manage and monitor relationships with and between stakeholders. You can clarify mutual needs and commitments through consultation and consideration of impacts. You can co-ordinate all promotional activities for one or more customers, to achieve satisfaction for the customer and an acceptable return for the supplier. You can assist the customer to ensure that maximum benefit is gained from the products and	4 – Expert You can determine strategic vision and direction. You can positively influence important senior stakeholders. You can provide an arbitration function.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – User focus You can understand users and identify who they are and what their needs are, based on evidence. You can translate user stories and propose design approaches or services to meet these needs. You can engage in meaningful interactions and relationships with users. You can show that you put users first and can manage competing priorities.	4 – Expert You can give direction on which tools or methods to use. You can demonstrate experience in meeting the needs of users across a variety of channels. You can bring insight and expertise in how user needs have changed over time to ensure they’re met by the business. You can apply strategic thinking to provide the best service for the end
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Asset and configuration management You can conduct life cycle management for assets including hardware, software, intellectual property, licences and warranties. You can manage usage, disposal, compliance, inventory, sustainability, cost optimisation and protection of the asset portfolio. You can help to improve investment decisions and capitalise on opportunities. You can comply with international standards for asset management. You can document information relating to assets including identification, classification and specification of all items, and information related to storage, access and versions. You can apply status accounting and auditing in line with relevant criteria.	1 – Awareness You can track, log and correct information to protect assets and components.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Business analysis (IT Operations) You can visualise and articulate complex problems and concepts. You can apply logical thinking and solve complex problems. You can make disciplined decisions based on available information. You can gather and analyse information using comprehensive tools and techniques. You can use data to formulate both short-term day-to- day and long-term strategic plans. You can identify and analyse options and assess feasibility and operational impact. You can ensure that the business solution aligns with the vision, mission, objectives, strategy, business and user needs. You can identify a	4 – Expert You can direct business analysis, including the collection of information and evidence and the identification of problems and opportunities. You can ensure that recommendations fit with strategic business objectives. You can communicate recommendations persuasively to important stakeholders. You can identify the simplest of a variety of approaches.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Continual service improvement You can identify and explore opportunities for service and business improvement. You can produce analysis and identify, prioritise and implement improvements and efficiencies, ensuring that the organisation derives maximum value from services. You can recognise the potential for automation of processes, determine costs and benefits of new approaches, and manage change or assist implementation where needed.	3 – Practitioner You can analyse current processes and identify and implement opportunities to optimise them. You can lead and develop a team of experts to deliver service improvements. You can help to evaluate and establish requirements for the implementation of changes by setting policy and standards.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Ownership and initiative You can take ownership of problems and proactively resolve technical problems, ensuring that technical solutions continue to meet business requirements. You can take full accountability for the actions taken and decisions made.	3 – Practitioner You can take accountability for issues that occur and be proactive in searching for potential problems. You can achieve excellent user outcomes.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Service focus You can maintain focus on the whole life of service delivery (designing, developing, delivering and operating). You can ensure that a set of IT products, suppliers and vendors come together to deliver an IT service.	3 – Practitioner You can see the bigger picture by taking groups of services and investigating how to get the best of underlying services.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Service management framework knowledge You can show an in-depth understanding of service management framework principles and processes. You can apply the technical knowledge in project or programme activities.	2 – Working You have a Level 3 service management framework qualification. You can demonstrate knowledge of the life cycle or capability elements of ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library).
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Service reporting You can use management information to consolidate agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) into product or service measures, to underpin the service management of a specific product or service.	3 – Practitioner You can use your data analytics skills to enhance business performance.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Strategic thinking You can take an overall perspective on business issues, events and activities, and discuss their wider implications and long-term impact. You can determine patterns, standards, policies, roadmaps and vision statements. You can effectively focus on outcomes rather than solutions and activities.	3 – Practitioner You can define strategies and policies, providing guidance to others on working in the strategic context. You can evaluate current strategies to ensure business requirements are being met and exceeded where possible.
DDaT » IT Operations Job Family	IT Ops – Technical understanding You can demonstrate knowledge of the specific technologies necessary to fulfil the responsibilities and tasks of the role. You can apply the required breadth and depth of technical knowledge. You can actively keep informed of industry developments to make cost- effective use of new and emerging tools and technologies.	3 – Practitioner You can show a thorough understanding of the technical concepts required for the role, and can explain how these fit into the wider technical landscape.

Framework » Organisation
Category » Subcategory

Skill Name and Description

Level