Operations Analyst: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

An Operations Analyst improves business performance by mapping workflows, analyzing data, and automating repetitive tasks. Day-to-day work includes building dashboards in Excel or Tableau, writing SQL queries, and running process-improvement projects.

Core responsibilities center on identifying bottlenecks and designing scalable solutions. Analysts sit in operations, strategy, or supply-chain teams and collaborate with stakeholders to turn raw data into actionable recommendations. At Ahold Delhaize USA, analysts design optimal fulfillment networks for grocery e-commerce. At Amazon Web Services, they resolve sales compensation escalations and create data-driven escalation models. Boeing’s manufacturing operations analysts support high-volume production of munitions by refining assembly processes.

The median salary for an Operations Analyst is approximately $105,000. The most requested skills in current postings are Process Improvement (50%), Spreadsheet Modeling (40%), and Microsoft Excel (30%), followed by Data Analysis, Dashboard Building, and Project Management (each at 20%).