What is the role of a data analyst?
A data analyst will be organised, analytical and great with numbers and data. They will be providing a range of analysis and insights into the industry and will be integral to the growth of the business through innovative data and technology. Data analysts need to need to have the ability to utilise customer data, by finding ways to analyse, organise, integrate and visualise information to provide the best solutions available. You will play a pivotal part in producing client work, presentations for key stakeholders and you will participate in key decision making to support the new growing team. To be successful, you will need to be able to articulate sophisticated ideas and bridge the gap between the commercial insurance and the technology world.
Salary expectations:
Average Salary: £36,000
Low - £24k – high £60k
Responsibilities
Conduct tests to ensure consistency with defined goals
Develop data strategies
Analyse, interpret and visualise data to deliver insights and solutions
Explore the competitive market strategies through analysis of a related product, market or share trends
Assist the marketing team to determine ROI and monetary impact of acquisition efforts
Building relationships with business areas to improve the flow of reporting/explanations and rationale explaining performance to relevant stakeholders
Working with technology teams, management and/or data scientists to set goals
Mining data from primary and secondary sources
Cleaning and dissecting data to get rid of irrelevant information
Analysing and interpreting results using statistical tools and techniques
Pinpointing trends and patterns in data sets
Identifying new opportunities for process improvement
Providing data reports for management
Designing, creating and maintaining databases and data systems
Fixing code problems and data-related issues
Tech stacks
MS SQL, Microsoft Excel, Tableau, MS Power BI, Alteryx,
ETL techniques and experience in toolsets for managing requirements eg Azure DevOps, SharePoint
Databricks/Spark, ADF, Apache Airflow, SQL, document and NoSQL databases, Azure Functions, Web Apps
Types of data analyst
You can work across a range of areas, including:
Business intelligence
Data assurance
Data quality
Finance
Higher education
Marketing
Sales
These types are split into:
Descriptive Analysis
Diagnostic Analysis
Predictive Analysis
Prescriptive Analysis
Qualifications
A degree is often, but not always, required. In many cases, relevant experience in a similar role and understanding of the industry is more highly sought after. A degree in any of these relevant disciplines may help:
Business information systems
Computer science
Economics
Information management
Mathematics
Statistics
Professional Accreditations & Certifications
Professional accreditation e.g. Foundation in Business Analysis or ISEB Diploma in Business Analysis, Professional Scrum Master I (Fundamental) Assessment from scrum.org.
Campaign Manager, DV360, SA360, Social and Ad servers
Python/R.
You can become a data analyst with any degree subject if you can demonstrate the relevant skills.
Professional development opportunities
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.
Alternative careers
Business analyst
Data scientist
Operational researcher
Systems analyst
Web developer
UX researcher
Salaries for Related Job Titles
Analytics: £44K
Data Scientist: £52K
Data Analyst Intern: £39K
Data Mining: £51K