BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE ANALYST JOB DESCRIPTION

The role of a Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst is so important in helping organisations make informed decisions by analysing data, identifying trends and providing insights. BI Analysts are in high demand as more and more businesses understand the value of their own data sets. Here, we'll explore your key responsibilities, skills and qualifications as a Business Intelligence Analyst.

Typical Key Responsibilities:

Your main focus will be on collecting, analysing and interpreting large amounts of data from various sources. This could be sales or marketing information, revenue, market analysis or customer engagement metrics. 

The data models you develop and maintain will support the business's reporting and analysis needs and a large part of your role will involve designing developing and implementing dashboards, reports and other visualisations to help the organisation make informed decisions.

Stakeholders around the business will be important for you to connect with so that you can understand their reporting and analysis needs and develop solutions to meet those needs.

Data quality and accuracy is crucial so working with data teams and business units on data initiatives aimed at increasing these will also form part of your role. There will be an element of evaluation of new data or systems aimed at improving the quality and speed of data analysis.

It goes without saying that analytical skills and the ability to work with large amounts of data are key in this role. Gaining an understanding of up and downstream processes will help, such as data warehousing as well as of course with reporting and BI tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or QlikView. You'll need knowledge of SQL and experience working with relational databases.

Excellent communication skills and the ability to effectively communicate technical information to non technical stakeholders are crucial.

Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to think creatively to find solutions to complex problems.

Most people gain a degree in Computer Science, Maths or Statistics but relevant experience may also be considered and hiring managers are becoming more open to CV's like this. Experience with Agile methodology and project management tools is a plus.

In conclusion, as a Business Intelligence Analyst, you play a vital role in helping organisations make informed decisions by collecting, analysing and interpreting data. In the UK, there's a high demand for Analysts due to the growing need for data-driven decision making. To be successful in this role, you need strong analytical skills, familiarity with BI tools, excellent communication skills and a drive to stay up to date with industry trends and developments.

This will ultimately depend on your personal goals, interests and skills. However, as a general guide, here's a typical career path:

Entry-Level Business Intelligence Analyst: You'll start your career as an entry-level Business Analyst, where you'll be responsible for collecting, cleaning and analysing data. You'll also be involved in designing and building reports, dashboards and other visualisations to help product owners make informed decisions.

Junior Business Intelligence Analyst: As you gain more experience and knowledge, you'll be promoted to a Junior Analyst. In this role, you'll work on more complex data analysis projects and collaborate with senior  Analysts to provide insights to the company.

Senior Business Intelligence Analyst: With several years of experience, you'll be promoted to a Senior Analyst. In this role, you'll lead data analysis projects, mentor junior analysts and work closely with stakeholders to understand their reporting and analysis needs.

Manager of Business Intelligence: With extensive experience and a proven track record of success, you may be promoted to Manager of Business Intelligence. In this role, you'll lead a team of Analysts and be responsible for ensuring the accuracy, completeness and timeliness of data analysis projects.

Director of Business Intelligence: At the highest level, you may become a Director of Business Intelligence, where you'll be responsible for the overall strategic direction of the team. At this level, senior level executives will need data-driven insights and you will need to collaborate closely with them to inform business decisions. 

What is described is a typical career path for this role. However, in reality, your experience over time may differ. To advance into a senior role, it's important to continuously build your skills, knowledge and network.

If you are interested in getting a job as a Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst you'll most likely need a mix of education, experience and skills. We've noted down a few steps that will help you to get started as a Business Intelligence professional. On the education front, consider obtaining a degree in Computer Science, Maths or Statistics as these will help you build a foundation in the knowledge base you'll need for the role. You can gain hands-on experience by participating in internships, working on personal projects, or contributing to open-source projects.

Focus on developing the key skills required for the role such as strong analytical skills, familiarity with BI tools, knowledge of SQL and excellent communication skills.

Attending industry events, conferences and meetups is a really great way to network with professionals in the field, you never know who they may know, or even if they are hiring themselves. On this note you can also connect with BI professionals on LinkedIn or other platforms such as Slack or Discord. It's sometimes hard to stand out, especially with limited experience, one way to increase your presence is to create a portfolio that showcases your skills, experience and projects you have worked on, they could even be ones you have done in your own time and it will help you stand out throughout the process. Work with a specialist recruiter, because you will gain insights you probably wouldn’t be exposed to by search and applying directly, like salary benchmarks and hiring manager information. Start applying for Business Intelligence analyst jobs and tailor your CV to match the requirements of the role.

If you have engaged with a specialist recruiter, they will know exactly how to help you prepare for interviews. A good start would be to research the company and the role. Again this is where using a recruiter is handy because they will have information around the team, culture, hiring manager and expectations for the role. Make sure you are prepared to answer technical questions and really showcase your skills. By following these steps, you can increase your chances of landing a job as a analyst and kickstart your career in the field of business intelligence and data analytics.