Systems Analyst

Canada Life Assurance Europe plc (‘CLE’) is a dynamic insurance company with over 700 people across our offices in Germany and Ireland. We have been operating in Germany since 2000 and have established a fast-growing presence in one of the world’s largest and most established markets. We specialise in providing innovative unit-linked pension, savings, and protection solutions and have become a trusted partner for life insurance products distributed through independent brokers. It is our priority to support our customers at every stage of life with the best products and service, tailored to their needs - and we’re doing it all in a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees. Role Overview Canada Life Europe (CLE) is seeking an experienced Systems Analyst (SAN) to bridge business needs and technology delivery. The role combines structured analysis, systems thinking and practical delivery expertise to shape solutions from early discovery and estimation through design, implementation and transition to service. The role holder is expected to work with a high degree of ownership, influence stakeholders, manage analysis across complex change, mentor less experienced analysts and contribute to the continuous improvement of the Systems Analysis practice. This role is part of the I.S. Systems Analysis Team which is predominantly based in Dublin, Ireland. The successful candidate will be expected to work on programmes/projects across Germany and Ireland. What you will help us to achieve • Elicit, analyse and prioritise business, system, data and non-functional requirements, defining outcomes, scope, assumptions, constraints, dependencies and success measures. • Facilitate workshops with business, technology, risk and third-party stakeholders, translating needs into clear, testable and traceable requirements and delivery artefacts. • Analyse current-state processes, systems, interfaces and data flows; assess end-to-end impacts and help define viable future-state solutions. • Ensure solution requirements address architecture, security, privacy, resilience, accessibility, auditability and regulatory obligations. • Work across discovery, refinement, estimation, delivery, testing, release readiness and production handover, resolving ambiguity and supporting decisions throughout. • Partner with engineering, QA, business SMEs and vendors to align acceptance criteria, implementation and test coverage with business outcomes and material risks. • Maintain accurate analysis artefacts, traceability and decision history in Jira and Confluence, and support production issue and root-cause analysis. • Mentor less experienced analysts and contribute to practice standards, knowledge sharing, process simplification and cross-team collaboration. • Use approved AI-assisted tools responsibly to improve analysis and documentation while retaining human judgement, confidentiality and validation. • Contribute to solution options analysis and recommendation, ensuring alignment with business strategy, architecture standards and target operating models. • Acts as a senior individual contributor within the Systems Analysis practice. What you will need to be successful in the role Essential Skills: • Third-level qualification in Business Information Systems, Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, Business or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience. • At least five years of relevant business or systems analysis experience, including ownership of complex change in a large enterprise environment. • Fluent written and spoken English. • Strong practical knowledge of analysis techniques and standards aligned to BABOK or equivalent recognised practice. • Demonstrated ability to turn complex and sometimes ambiguous needs into clear, testable and implementation-ready requirements. • Experience analysing system behaviour, processes, data, interfaces and end-to-end impacts across multiple applications and teams. • Experience working in Agile delivery teams, with a sound understanding of the full software development lifecycle and quality practices. • Excellent facilitation, stakeholder management, written communication and presentation skills, including the ability to challenge constructively and influence decisions. • Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail and a structured approach to problem solving, prioritisation and risk management. • Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities and take accountability for analysis outcomes. Desired Skills: • Experience in life insurance, pensions, investment products or another regulated financial services environment. • Experience with customer, broker, back-office, workflow automation, integration or data-led change. • Practical knowledge of APIs, event or batch integrations, SQL, data mapping and logical data modelling. • Experience with enterprise architecture, business capability modelling, service design or product operating models. • Knowledge of German or experience working across Irish and German stakeholder groups. • Recognised Business Analysis qualification such as IIBA, BCS or equivalent. Personal Strengths • Curious, outcome-focused and comfortable working through ambiguity. • Collaborative and able to build trust across business, technology and vendor teams. • Pragmatic, evidence-led and willing to challenge assumptions respectfully. • Committed to quality, continuous improvement, knowledge sharing and professional development. • Able to balance pace with the control, documentation and traceability expected in a regulated environment. Technologies & Tools: • Jira and Confluence for backlog, requirements, traceability and delivery documentation. • Modelling and diagramming tools such as Visio, Signavio, LeanIX or equivalent. • Microsoft 365 tools including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and approved Copilot capabilities. • Exposure to API tools, database query tools, prototyping tools or reporting platforms is advantageous. The company reserves the right to draw up a shortlist as part of the selection process. Where Agency assistance is required the Canada Life Recruitment Team will engage directly with suppliers. Unsolicited CVs / profiles supplied to Canada Life by Recruitment Agencies will not be accepted for this role. Even if you don’t see yourself reflected in every job requirement listed on the posting above, we encourage you to reach out and apply if you feel you are a good fit for the role. We are committed to creating a more equitable, inclusive and diverse company, and we strongly encourage applicants of all genders, ages, ethnicities, cultures, abilities, sexual orientation and life experiences to apply. Canada Life Group Services is proud to be an Equal Opportunities employer. We have created an environment of inclusion and growth to help people achieve their potential, to ensure they can bring their whole selves to work and to feel valued. We celebrate diversity of thought and perspective and want all of our employees to feel valued, respected and supported. We have built a culture that promotes equality and inclusion for all of our current and future employees and strive to ensure that our behaviours, processes and practices are aligned to this culture. If you require any accommodations during the recruitment process please contact lifecareers@irishlife.ie and we will be delighted to ensure you are fully supported to be your best. CLGS supports Equal Opportunity and is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.