Data Analytics Manager: Career Outlook

Last Updated January 25, 2022

From email, mobile apps, social networks, e-commerce sites and web traffic, the sources and streams of data flowing into organizations are abundant, with new data sources and applications for this information emerging every day.  As organizations strive to strategically and efficiently gather, interpret and leverage all this data to gain that competitive edge in their industry, data analytics managers are an increasingly valuable commodity to make sense of this sea of data.

What is a Data Analytics Manager?

Industries across sectors have a wealth of data, though it is often disparate, scattered around multiple locations and in a myriad of formats. In order to glean useful insights, a team of data and analytics specialists—such as database administrators, statisticians, data scientists, data and business analysts—are needed to process, gather, clean and visualize this raw data, converting this mass of information into accurate and useful insights for organizational leaders.

Data analytics managers bring together and lead the unique roles of this team, blending project management, technical skills and industry knowledge to prepare and present the team’s findings in a digestible manner to stakeholders. These data insights can then drive business decisions—from a deeper knowledge of customer purchasing behavior, to a greater competitive understanding of the market, to internal applications of employee and talent management. 

Any organization striving to make data-driven decisions needs a data analytics manager.

Role and Responsibilities

Data analytics managers effectively blend an analyst’s mindset with project management abilities, scoping analytics projects and determining schedules, approaches and the appropriate project team structure to support the objectives of the business request or need. As nearly all the team’s projects will be rooted in business analytics, the deliverables will be accurate and actionable data delivered to organizational decision makers.

Data analytics managers must coordinate the tasks among team members, establishing methods for data collection, analysis and presentation. Day-to-day duties can include:

• Understanding and meeting client needs, whether internal stakeholders or external clients
• Managing data specialist teams to produce project deliverables
• Ensuring data accuracy and integrity
• Analyzing trends to gain insights
• Developing solutions for challenges
• Creating customized reports and presentations backed with data visualization and effective storytelling
• Presenting conclusions and recommendations to senior leadership and organizational stakeholders

Career Outlook and Salary

As the sources and applications of data continue to evolve and the possibilities for data-driven businesses are seemingly endless, data analytics managers have a bright job and salary outlook.* The broader occupational category of operations research analysts, which includes the data and business analytics analysts and managers, is projected to grow by 27% between 2016 and 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.¹

The potential for wage growth and highly competitive salaries is equally strong, particularly when factoring in experience, education level, the exact job title and job location. A study incorporating wage data from PayScale.com found the median salary for data analytics managers to be $93,046.* Employer-reported salary sources from Salary.com places the salary range for a business analytics manager at $113,147 to $122,066 for those holding an associate’s or bachelor’s degree and $112,126 to $119,885 for those holding a certificate.*

Geography can also influence salary, with hubs like San Jose, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., and Seattle generally having a higher concentration of data analytics manager positions and offering higher wages.

Education and Training

Although analytics professionals must have strong technical prowess to harness data into meaningful and actionable insights, they must also possess soft skills like leadership and communication in order to effectively convey expectations to their team and influence stakeholders to take action. Additionally, analytics professionals need business skills to contextualize insights in a meaningful way. Data analytics managers must bridge the technical and business side to execute projects and develop informative deliverables.

An undergraduate degree in a field such as statistics, computer science, business administration or information systems can provide the foundation to then move into a role such as database developer or data analyst before advancing to the senior role of data analytics manager. Pursuing advanced credentials, such as professional certificates or certifications can refine existing skill sets and show a potential employer or current manager a commitment to continued knowledge and skill development.  

MSU’s Master Certificate in Business Analytics can equip analytics professionals, managers and senior leaders with the statistical foundations of data management and business decision-making skills, providing an end-to-end understanding of business analytics that can help drive organizational performance and lead a high-performing analytics team.

*National long-term projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth. Information provided is not intended to represent a complete list of hiring companies or job titles, and degree program options do not guarantee career or salary outcomes. Students should conduct independent research on specific employment information.

¹Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Operations Research Analysts. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/math/operations-research-analysts.htm#tab-6 (visited July 01, 2019).