Application Analyst - Onboarding

We have a new opportunity to join our Technology team as an Application Analyst. This role reports into the Workplace Application Manager and sits within our Digital Workplace team and will be responsible for ensuring the seamless introduction of new SaaS and COTS applications into the Penguin Random House technology estate.

The role is offered on a permanent basis with hybrid working and can be based at either our London or Colchester offices 2-3 days per week.

This Application Analyst position is best suited to someone who is technically literate, governance-aware, and process-minded, but not a deep specialist in any one domain. You will act as a bridge between business, technical, and governance functions, ensuring SaaS and COTS applications are onboarded smoothly, securely, and compliantly into the enterprise environment.

About The Team

The Technology team provides expertise and effective solutions to Penguin Random House. We integrate flexibility and agility which supports our consistent way of working. We set ourselves up for success by holding ourselves accountable and welcoming change. Each member of the Technology team brings skill and initiative to their role; we take personal ownership within a one team culture, working collaboratively to meet expectations from our stakeholders who trust us to deliver.

The Role

Key Responsibilities:

• Work with Finance, Infosec, Legal, and Architecture teams to confirm new applications meet all governance requirements and ensuring that all necessary approvals and documentation are in place to achieve compliance.
• Collaborate with external vendors and internal stakeholders to gather technical and functional requirements, including monitoring the setup and integration of SaaS/COTS tools in order to support efficient and effective deployment.
• Liaise with Service Delivery and Operational Support teams to transition newly onboarded applications into live service, helping define support models and ensuring readiness for ongoing maintenance.
• Engage with architects and engineers to validate solutions fit for newly proposed applications, confirming compatibility with existing infrastructure and technology strategy.
• Oversee any testing activities (e.g. functional, security, and performance) to verify that applications are stable and secure before wider rollout.
• Investigate and resolve onboarding issues by conducting root-cause analysis and escalating complex problems to relevant technical teams when needed.
• Maintain comprehensive records of onboarding activities, processes and lessons learned, providing clear documentation and handover materials for ongoing support teams.
• Gather feedback from stakeholders, stay informed of emerging SaaS/COTS trends, and proactively recommend improvements to onboarding practices in order to optimise delivery timescales and standards.
• Monitor and report on the status of application onboarding projects, highlighting any risks or issues to leadership and stakeholders in a timely manner.

What You’Ll Bring

Essential Criteria:

• Ideally we are looking for someone with a good understanding of SaaS and COTS, however, we are open to experience and potential.
• Experience of governance and compliance processes.
• Ability to communicate effectively with both internal and external stakeholders across all levels of the business, collaborating across teams (Finance, Legal, InfoSec and architectural functions).
• Basic project coordination skills with the ability to plan and track onboarding tasks using project management tools and frameworks.
• Foundational knowledge of technical infrastructure and service management; understanding how applications integrate within enterprise environments.
• Analytical and problem-solving mindset, able to identify the root-cause of issues and recommending effective solutions.
• Must be willing and capable to commit to the hybrid working set up.

Mindset & Behaviours

• Methodical and process driven in your approach, but not rigid. You’ll be able to balance compliance requirements with the need for efficient delivery.
• Proactive and curious, someone who keeps up to date with SaaS/COTS trends and suggests improvements.
• Customer-focused.
• Team-orientated.

Application Instructions

Please apply with your CV by 23:59 on Sunday 19th October 2025. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the advert may close at any time. We would encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

Please note we are looking for someone to join the team as soon as possible, but we are also happy to accommodate a reasonable notice period for the right candidate.

Salary

The salary for this opportunity is up to c.£41,000, depending on how your skills and experience align to the role and your office location, plus a bonus scheme and benefits.

Hybrid Working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from either our London or Colchester office 2-3 days per week (typically Tuesday & Thursday).

The recruitment process: You can read about our recruitment process at https://www.penguinrandomhousecareers.co.uk/how-we-hire/

As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we're part of the offer an interview scheme. This is where disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for the role can opt in to get to the next recruitment stage. There may be some situations where volume of applicants means we can't take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable to for us to support your request.

Please note, we are not able to accept agency CVs for this role. Any CVs sent speculatively will not be eligible for a fee.

 Company: The Random House Group Limited | Job ID: 283238