Senior Data Analyst: Facts, Skills, and Next Paths

Senior Data Analysts gather, clean, and combine data from multiple sources — databases, flat files, APIs — to identify business problems and opportunities. They build dashboards, reports, and automated analytical solutions that enable stakeholders to make data-driven decisions. Day-to-day work includes writing SQL queries, designing Tableau visualizations, and collaborating with engineers and data scientists to improve data pipelines.

Core responsibilities include managing the end-to-end data lifecycle: from requirements gathering and data integration to delivering actionable insights. For example, CGI hires Senior Data Analysts to support financial risk and regulatory reporting for large banks, while TransUnion relies on them to improve IP geolocation technology using big data and automation. The role typically reports to a Senior Manager of Data Science & Analytics and works closely with product, engineering, and business teams.

Median salary is approximately $120,000. The most frequently requested skills in current job postings are Data Analysis (70%), SQL (50%), and Tableau (30%), along with Analytics & Reporting, Big Data Technologies, Data Integration, Cloud Platforms, and Automation (each at 30%).