Organizations utilize data in every possible way to pave their way to success. And to extract meaningful information from the data, companies recruit business intelligence analysts. Now, you might not exactly know who a business intelligence analyst is; that’s what I will be explaining in this blog. Not only that, but I will also be extensively discussing intelligence analyst jobs, their salaries, the required degrees, and the necessary skills to possess.
Who is a Business Intelligence Analyst? What Skill They Must Have?
Business intelligence specialists or system analysts use their skills to examine businesses and their data to detect gaps, find areas of improvement, and make efficiency enhancements. Their job responsibilities include understanding a company’s technical needs, strategizing entrepreneurial architecture, and developing ideas to improve informed business decisions.
Intelligence Analyst Skills
- Analytical and strong problem-solving mindset.
- End-to-end understanding of organizational processes.
- Writing technical reports.
- Commendable interpersonal skills.
- Strong grasp of data management systems.
- Designing financial models.
What Does a Business Analyst Do?
The responsibility of business intelligence includes these core areas:
To work with the organization’s data: Business analysts collect, clean, and examine data from various sources like customer engagement, market information, sales, revenue, etc. They are also responsible for the setup of data models and program tools to monitor and visualize data.
To find patterns in data: Analyzing data to find potential areas of improvement and new business opportunities. Like, a business intelligence specialist examines market trends and understands how the company needs to tweak its product/ service to suit the latest trend.
To communicate & share findings: BI analysts must have strong communication skills to share their findings and insights with respective management. They also need to visualize data in charts or graphs to generate reports for presentation.
Related: How To Become a Marketing Analyst
Let’s Look at a Typical Business Intelligence Analyst Job Description
If you are new to this profession and want to have a basic idea of what education, skills, responsibilities, etc. does intelligence analyst jobs require, then take a look at the example below.
I have found this sample on Indeed.
Job Description
- To examine, gather, and offer solutions for business areas and to develop functional specifications.
- Gather, comprehend, and transmit the requirements for the project and transform them into functional specifications.
- Analyze and record business processes.
- To offer a link among the customers, the development team, and third parties (if any) about software functionality throughout the entire development cycle.
- To record client requirements as a Software Requirement Specification and to collect sign-offs by clients.
- Regularly communicate with the software engineering team to create a software solution as per client requirements.
- To manage calls with clients, collect requirements, and analyze project requirements.
- To interact with the client organization’s top management to get familiar with their processes.
- Responsible for solution delivery to the client, including training and implementation.
Required Skills
- At least 2 to 4 years of experience.
- Good communication and writing skills.
- Proficiency in MS Office, like Excel, Visio, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Excellent ability to work single-handedly and also in a team environment.
Business Intelligence Analyst Salary
By now, you have an idea of what is required of you as a BI analyst. You might be wondering next, what is the highest salary for an intelligence analyst? I will share some latest business intelligence analyst salary details for your better understanding.
In the United States (Annually)
- The lowest salary a BI analyst can get is $61,369
- The highest salary is $147,440
- That makes the average base salary $95,123
Now you can also ask what companies offer the highest salary packages to intelligence analysts? Some of the highest paying companies are:
1. Organon Pharmaceuticals, Jersey City, NJ
Pays $297,100 yearly
2. Citizens, financial services
Pays $270,000 yearly
3. Grindr, Los Angeles, CA
Pays $270,000 yearly
4. TSMC, Hsinchu, Taiwan (HQ)
Pays $262,500 yearly
5. Circana, Chicago, IL
Pays $227,500 yearly
Is Intelligence Analysis a Good Career?
A business intelligence analyst is not just a good career; it is also one of the most in-demand careers of our time. According to Precedence Research’s data, the international business intelligence market is expected to grow from $33.62 billion in 2025 to $63.17 billion by 2034, at a CAGR of 7.26%!
With the continuous introduction of new technologies like cloud computing and big data, the business intelligence global market is set to hit a record high. In 2019, IBM announced its IBM Cloud Multizone Region to establish applications across cloud infrastructure. This is just one example out of many tech companies’ solutions to drive the growth of business intelligence in 2026 and beyond.
If you are searching for a business intelligence analyst job, this is the best time. Across the globe and daily, companies are posting analyst job requirements on various international and regional job portals. LinkedIn alone has over 30,000 business intelligence analyst jobs listed. But if you search more generally, say ‘Data Analyst’ or ‘Business Intelligence,’ the listings will easily cross 100K.
Some Global Business Intelligence Analyst Job Platforms
Career Path of a Business Intelligence Analyst
Though the career hierarchy might not be similar for all cases, it is the most common path a person starting their career in BI takes.
- Junior Business Analyst (0-3 Years): In this initial stage, you are supervised by senior analysts. You are mostly cleaning data, creating reports, and working on basic data analysis.
- Business Intelligence Analyst (3-5 Years): You have more responsibilities, such as independent data analysis, report creation, and dashboard development. In this stage, you will also be working with business stakeholders.
- Senior/ Lead Business Analyst (5-10 Years): Being so high up in the ladder, you will look after a team of analysts, tackle complicated projects, and generate BI initiatives.
- Business Intelligence Manager/ Director (10+ Years): You will look after all business intelligence activities in the organization, manage teams, and develop strategic BI data-driven initiatives.
Related: Business Intelligence Tools of 2026: A Guide & Overview
Step-By-Step Guide to Becoming a Business Intelligence Analyst
If you think the path of becoming a BI analyst is the same for everyone, then no. Some students study in college to become a BI analyst, while others may change professional fields later in their careers to become one. Both of their journeys are similar but definitely not the same.
Here is a simplified guide for your reference.
Education
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics, statistics, information technology, etc.
Bootcamps or online courses, for example, Coursera’s IBM What is Data Science?.
Certifications like Microsoft Certified: Data Analyst Associate can be valuable.
Build Your Technical Toolkit
- Excellence in SQL
- Data visualization
- Programming like Python or R
- Cloud technologies, optional but valuable
Real-World Work Experience
Start with internship programs. Many companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and even startups offer business intelligence internships, either paid or unpaid (you gain knowledge!)
Seek entry-level roles like a data analyst.
You can also freelance on platforms like Fiverr.
You must also analyze publicly available datasets, like those from Kaggle, or offer your insights to open-source business intelligence projects.
Join a Community
- You can connect with BI groups on LinkedIn.
- You can also start or participate in Reddit’s business intelligence communities.
- You must also attend conferences and BI seminars to meet potential employers and learn about industry trends.
Wrapping Up
Business intelligence analysis is a very lucrative career that opens doors to numerous professions. Knowing business intelligence, you can either pursue this as your dream job or switch to careers like a data analyst or an intelligence consultant.
As I have already told you, there’s going to be massive growth in the global business intelligence market in the next 10 years. Also, with other technologies joining the bandwagon, you will never run out of career options in this particular field. Whether you are an intelligence wannabe or already an expert, remember that business intelligence thrives on curiosity, the hunger for learning new things, and experience of what comes next!
Related: What Can You Do With A Data Analytics Degree: Turn Data Into a Career
