How to hire a bi architect

How to hire a bi architect, step by step

Here's a step-by-step bi architect hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a bi architect job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new bi architect
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a bi architect do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your bi architect job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a bi architect for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a bi architect to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a bi architect that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of bi architects and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of BI Architect	Description	Hourly rate
   BI Architect	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$42-73
   Developer	Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible... Show more	$36-62
   Applications Developer	An application developer is responsible for creating program applications for devices based on clients' specifications and business needs. Application developers must have excellent knowledge of computer systems, as well as a strong command of programming languages to develop customized programs... Show more	$32-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Power Bi
   • Analytics
   • Dashboards
   • ETL
   • Tableau
   • Data Warehouse
   • Visualization
   • Data Architecture
   • Ssis
   • Microsoft SQL Server
   • Azure
   • Data Warehousing
   • SSRS
   • Data Lake

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead framework design to enable parallel loading for multiple sources data to warehouse using teradata global temporary table.
   • Implement SharePoint portals to manage application development projects.
   • Implement QlikView desktop and publisher, manage user authentication, establish publisher tasks, streamline loading procedures and review log.
   • Develop SharePoint solutions with SSRS reports and web parts for external clients base on data render by SSAS cubes.
   • Design and development of SSAS cubes.
   • Develop SSAS data mining models for predictive analysis for sales and marketing.

   More bi architect duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your bi architect job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A bi architect can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, bi architects' average salary in iowa is 40% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level bi architects 42% less than senior-level bi architects.
   • Certifications. A bi architect with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a bi architect's salary.

   Average bi architect salary

   $116,482yearly

   $56.00 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level bi architect salary

   $88,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2026

   Average bi architect salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$150,436	$72
   2	New York	$127,617	$61
   3	Washington	$123,486	$59
   4	Massachusetts	$118,415	$57
   5	New Jersey	$117,586	$57
   6	Minnesota	$115,249	$55
   7	Arizona	$112,748	$54
   8	Florida	$110,369	$53
   9	Ohio	$108,986	$52
   10	Virginia	$108,219	$52
   11	Maryland	$108,016	$52
   12	Pennsylvania	$106,832	$51
   13	Texas	$105,296	$51
   14	Georgia	$104,662	$50
   15	North Carolina	$104,311	$50
   16	Illinois	$102,176	$49
   17	South Carolina	$100,947	$49
   18	District of Columbia	$100,272	$48
   19	Wisconsin	$99,127	$48
   20	Missouri	$98,657	$47

   Average bi architect salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Cepheid	$141,587	$68.07
   2	Bed Bath & Beyond	$139,721	$67.17
   3	Slalom	$136,858	$65.80	1,132
   4	Populus Group	$131,028	$62.99
   5	Elavon	$129,572	$62.29	1
   6	The Travelers Companies	$128,042	$61.56	32
   7	TCF Financial	$127,524	$61.31
   8	Ernst & Young	$126,705	$60.92	663
   9	YAI	$126,227	$60.69
   10	Hitachi U.S.A.	$125,666	$60.42	11
   11	Hibbett Sports	$124,080	$59.65
   12	Orlando Health	$122,967	$59.12	1
   13	Agilent Technologies	$122,819	$59.05	3
   14	Robert Half	$122,741	$59.01	41
   15	Fresh Consulting	$122,653	$58.97
   16	Sears Holdings	$121,272	$58.30
   17	Recruit	$119,969	$57.68	4
   18	Gallagher	$119,737	$57.57
   19	Patterson Companies	$119,295	$57.35
   20	Randstad North America, Inc.	$119,266	$57.34	6

4. Writing a bi architect job description

   A bi architect job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a bi architect job description:

   Bi architect job description example

   The Business Warehouse/Business Intelligence (BW/BI) Architect will be accountable for the overall Solution Architecture of these platforms within the context.
   
   The BW/BI Architect will be responsible for ensuring that the architecture of the solutions will be appropriate to the business requirements and will ensure that they are compliant with industry best practices.
   
   The BW/BI Architect must be able to identify opportunities to maximize the use of operational and analytical information delivery tools and processes in response to business dynamics and market opportunities with an emphasis on SAP related solutions.
   
   The role also requires excellent client management and team management skills, including virtual team management, cross-vendor management and matrix team management. The role also requires a strong set of leadership skills with a proactive and participative management style.
   
   The BW/BI Architect must also be able to manage and continuously improve support and enhancement processes and deliverables related to information delivery.
   Job Function
   
   Requirements Management
   
   Identify long term data and information needs and provide a recommendation for the delivery of information to the enterprise – whether they are operational, analytical or strategic solutions. Participate in requirements, design, development and testing where needed Define future end-state solutions in response to business dynamics, needs and opportunities Participate and contribute to development and management work plans. Improve and streamline processes regarding the display, delivery and use of information Create and manage a regular process to monitor and report on relevant statistics.
   
   Technical Architecture
   
   Accountable for the BW/BI Solution Architecture, stability and sustainability. Develop and maintain the overall technical architecture and standards for SAP Business Information Warehouse and Business Objects BI platform Develop and maintain a logical data model Responsible in providing SAP architectural guidance and provide technical assistance for the design, build, and test of content deployed through the SAP BI/BOBJ 4.1 SP7, SAP BW 7.4 Work from the functional/business requirements to architect BW objects like info objects, business content, info sources, data targets, transfer rules, update rules, etc. Implement solution design best practices, leveraging all available tools Assess and manage BW/BI performance optimization efforts. Contribute toward the company’ s drive to move towards more analytical self-service/ad hoc reporting capabilities. Prepare industry standard, appropriate documentation and ensure that new functionality is properly transitioned to reporting users.
   
   
   Support Management
   Partner with the different IT groups in resolving incidents if an escalation is required from the level 1 support team Create and manage a regular process to monitor and report on relevant statistics Identify opportunities to improve on services related to Information Delivery
   
   JOB REQUIREMENTS
   Education
   Bachelor' s degree in Business (or Management), Computer Science, Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent work experience is required
   
   Experience
   
   Required:
   At least 10 years of demonstrable experience in Information Delivery and Datawarehousing with a focus on Architecting SAP Solutions (SAP BW on HANA and BO reporting) based on industry standard best practice Significant and recent experience in the use and management of SAP Netweaver tools including HANA Live, Fiori, Business Warehouse 7.4, Business Objects 4.1 and other related tools (for example Infoburst, APOS, etc.) Significant and recent experience in the use of a data discovery/visualization tool (e.g. Qlik, Tableau, Lumira) Experience in the creation and defense of business cases for information delivery implementations, working in partnership with the business sponsors Excellent and demonstrable client communication and partnership skills Proven track record of developing and managing multiple information delivery projects and deliverables in parallel Executive-level written and verbal presentation skills, with superior meeting facilitation capabilities Ability to anticipate risks and issues, escalate to senior management and facilitate decision-making to balance business needs versus technical constraints Strong analytical skills Effective interpersonal skills with ability to participate in and lead virtual teams and partner with matrix teams Strong process orientation with significant attention to detail SAP functional knowledge in Sales, Marketing, Supply Chain, Finance and manufacturing a plus
   
   Plus:
   
   Recent experience in the use of mobile BI and embedded BI(e.g. inside a CRM solution) Significant and recent experience in utilizing master data management concepts Experience with Business Object Data Services. Exposure to SQL

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right bi architect for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your bi architect job on Zippia to find and recruit bi architect candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting bi architects requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview bi architect candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new bi architect

   Once you've decided on a perfect bi architect candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a bi architect?