Data analyst job profile | Prospects.ac.uk

A career as a data analyst will suit you if you are highly analytical, have strong mathematical skills and are curious and inquisitive

Data analysts translate numbers and data into information that can be used to solve problems or track business. They use data analysis to produce accessible graphs, charts, tables and reports.

Data analysts are in high demand across all sectors, such as finance, consulting, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, government and education.

The ability to pay attention to detail, communicate well and be highly organised are essential skills for data analysts. They not only need to understand the data but be able to provide insight and analysis through clear visual, written and verbal communication.

Types of data analyst

You can work across a range of areas, including:

business intelligence
data assurance
data quality
finance
higher education
marketing
sales.

Responsibilities

As a data analyst, you'll need to:

develop records management processes and policies
identify areas to increase efficiency and automation of processes
set up and maintain automated data processes
identify, evaluate and implement external services and tools to support data validation and cleansing
produce and track key performance indicators
develop and support reporting processes
monitor and audit data quality
liaise with internal and external clients to fully understand data content
gather, understand and document detailed business requirements using appropriate tools and techniques
design and carry out surveys and analyse survey data
manipulate, analyse and interpret complex data sets relating to the employer's business
prepare reports for internal and external audiences using business analytics reporting tools
create data dashboards, graphs and visualisations
provide sector and competitor benchmarking
mine and analyse large datasets, draw valid inferences and present them successfully to management using a reporting tool.

Salary

Entry-level salaries range between £23,000 and £25,000. Graduate schemes in data analysis and business intelligence at larger companies tend to offer a higher starting salary of £25,000 to £30,000.
With a few years' experience, salaries can rise to between £30,000 and £35,000.
Experienced, high-level and consulting jobs can command £60,000 or more.

Benefits can include a company pension scheme, private medical insurance and discretionary bonus.

Income figures intended as a guide only.

Working hours

Working hours are usually 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. The role is a salaried position so overtime is not usually paid but may be expected during busy periods or big projects.

At higher levels, data analyst roles may be quite flexible, allowing remote working or commuting on a flexible schedule.

What to expect

Roles are normally office based, although consulting roles may involve travel.
Data analysts work for all types of employers, so dress code and office culture will vary depending on the company you work for.
You'll be working with complex systems, requiring a high level of concentration and attention to detail.
You'll need excellent communication skills in order to interpret client requirements and present data in a clear and compelling way.

Qualifications

A first degree is often, but not always, required. A degree in a relevant discipline may help, such as:

business information systems
computer science
economics
information management
mathematics
statistics.

You can become a data analyst with any degree subject if you can demonstrate the relevant skills.

Postgraduate degrees in data science are becoming more popular, but they aren't usually required. You may find a postgraduate qualification helpful if you want to learn analysis skills or are changing careers. There are postgraduate qualifications in subjects including MSc Data Science, MSc Business Analytics, MSc Data Science and Analytics, MSc Big Data. Search postgraduate courses in data.

You can also learn a lot of desirable data analysis skills through short courses such as Teesside University's Skills Bootcamp in Data Analytics and Visualisation and at specialist data schools, such as:

Skills

You'll need to have:

excellent numerical and analytical skills
knowledge of data analysis tools - you don't need to know all of them at entry level, but you should show advanced skills in Excel and the use of at least one relational database
familiarity with other relational databases (e.g. MS Access)
knowledge of data modelling, data cleansing, and data enrichment techniques
Hadoop open-source data analytics
Google Analytics, SEO, keyword analysis and web analytics aptitude, for marketing analyst roles
the capacity to develop and document procedures and workflows
the ability to carry out data quality control, validation and linkage
an understanding of data protection issues
for some roles, an awareness and knowledge of industry-specific databases and data sets (particularly in higher education)
experience of statistical methodologies and data analysis techniques
the ability to produce clear graphical representations and data visualisations.

Work experience

Entry-level roles are available at companies across all sectors. Larger companies often offer graduate schemes, particularly consulting firms, government, media and telecommunications.

You'll be at an advantage if you've gained experience in an internship or placement during your degree. Taking the initiative to learn data analysis skills and programmes in addition to your degree will help you develop your skills and help set you apart.

Find out more about the different kinds of work experience and internships that are available.

Employers

Data analysts can work in large companies, such as consultancies or financial services firms, or consumer retail firms, small and medium-sized businesses such as marketing agencies or the public sector.

Employers of data analysts include the following:

higher education institutions
retail companies
professional services firms
insurance companies
marketing firms
pharmaceutical companies
telecommunications companies
information technology firms
consultancy firms such as PwC, FDM, KPMG, Accenture
government, including Civil Service, MI5, GCHQ
the media.

Look for job vacancies at:

CW Jobs (tech job site)
StatsJobs
TechnoJobs

Specialist recruitment agencies include:

Professional development

Professional certifications aren't usually needed but may be offered as professional development. You can specialise in a particular programme or tool or become certified by BCS - The Chartered Institute for IT. Professional development is offered by The Operational Research Society.

You may have the opportunity for professional development in other areas such as project management.

Career prospects

With experience, you could progress into a management role in short space of time. Skilled analysts can also find roles in academic research or government advisory bodies.

There's also the opportunity to work on a self-employed basis, as a freelance consultant, being paid project to project and commanding considerable fees. You could become a specific domain campaign expert, specialising in a particular technical language. Opportunities also exist specialising in data mining, data infrastructure, data visualisation and decisions analysis.

Data analysis is a fast-growing field and skilled analysts are in high demand across all sectors. This demand for experienced analysts is only likely to grow in years to come, in the UK but also in international corporations as well. This is coupled with the fact that data specialists are required across multiple industries and domain types, including healthcare, manufacturing, education, media, retail and even real estate. Because of this, advancing in the role should be a fairly quick process.

Data analyst