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:
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Average Salary: £36,000
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Low – £24k – high £60k
Responsibilities
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Conduct tests to ensure consistency with defined goals
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Develop data strategies
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Analyse, interpret and visualise data to deliver insights and solutions
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Explore the competitive market strategies through analysis of a related product, market or share trends
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Assist the marketing team to determine ROI and monetary impact of acquisition efforts
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Building relationships with business areas to improve the flow of reporting/explanations and rationale explaining performance to relevant stakeholders
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Working with technology teams, management and/or data scientists to set goals
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Mining data from primary and secondary sources
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Cleaning and dissecting data to get rid of irrelevant information
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Analysing and interpreting results using statistical tools and techniques
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Pinpointing trends and patterns in data sets
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Identifying new opportunities for process improvement
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Providing data reports for management
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Designing, creating and maintaining databases and data systems
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Fixing code problems and data-related issues
Tech stacks
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MS SQL, Microsoft Excel, Tableau, MS Power BI, Alteryx,
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ETL techniques and experience in toolsets for managing requirements eg Azure DevOps, SharePoint
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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:
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Business intelligence
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Data assurance
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Data quality
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Finance
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Higher education
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Marketing
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Sales
These types are split into:
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Descriptive Analysis
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Diagnostic Analysis
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Predictive Analysis
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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:
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Business information systems
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Computer science
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Economics
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Information management
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Mathematics
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Statistics
Professional Accreditations & Certifications
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Professional accreditation e.g. Foundation in Business Analysis or ISEB Diploma in Business Analysis, Professional Scrum Master I (Fundamental) Assessment from scrum.org.
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Campaign Manager, DV360, SA360, Social and Ad servers
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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
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Business analyst
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Data scientist
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Operational researcher
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Systems analyst
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Web developer
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UX researcher
Salaries for Related Job Titles
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Analytics: £44K
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Data Scientist: £52K
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Data Analyst Intern: £39K
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Data Mining: £51K