How to hire a business intelligence lead

How to hire a business intelligence lead, step by step

Here's a step-by-step business intelligence lead hiring guide:

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

What does a business intelligence lead do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your business intelligence lead 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 business intelligence lead 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

   A business intelligence lead's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, business intelligence leads from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents business intelligence lead salaries for various positions.

   Type of Business Intelligence Lead	Description	Hourly rate
   Business Intelligence Lead		$42-72
   Lead Developer	A lead developer is responsible for creating software programs and applications, following the client and the business's software quality standards and design specifications. Lead developers assist a team of developers in implementing strategic procedures, managing system codes, debugging applications, running diagnostic tests, and troubleshooting defects to ensure its smooth performance... Show more	$39-77
   ETL Developer	An ETL developer is responsible for managing data storage systems to secure the organization's data and files for daily operations efficiency. ETL developers perform multiple system testing to ensure the system's accuracy, perform coding adjustments, and troubleshoot for any defects and inconsistencies... Show more	$34-56

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Power Bi
   • Analytics
   • Project Management
   • Dashboards
   • Visualization
   • Client Facing
   • Data Analysis
   • Leveraged
   • ETL
   • Java
   • Architecture
   • Data Warehouse
   • SAS
   • Ssis

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead data consolidation efforts to maintain over 100,000 CRM contact information.
   • Lead Spotfire implementation Salesforce solution for marketing team through the full lifecycle from pilot through production.
   • Create and manage a Wiki page on SharePoint for the whole team for internal process handling and tracking.
   • Manage and execute various BO reporting projects within organization.
   • Design and develop the technical/functional specification for ETL development and implement using SSIS.
   • Provide creative solutions in data modeling using COGNOS FM.

   More business intelligence lead duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the business intelligence lead job description is a good way to get more applicants. A business intelligence lead salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a business intelligence lead in South Dakota may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level business intelligence lead. Additionally, a business intelligence lead with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average business intelligence lead salary

   $116,445yearly

   $55.98 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level business intelligence lead salary

   $89,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average business intelligence lead salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$147,291	$71
   2	New Jersey	$126,421	$61
   3	Washington	$124,436	$60
   4	New York	$120,611	$58
   5	Massachusetts	$117,676	$57
   6	Virginia	$117,636	$57
   7	District of Columbia	$117,443	$56
   8	North Carolina	$115,544	$56
   9	Pennsylvania	$113,863	$55
   10	Minnesota	$112,790	$54
   11	Ohio	$110,103	$53
   12	Illinois	$109,648	$53
   13	Texas	$107,354	$52
   14	Arizona	$104,741	$50
   15	Wisconsin	$103,823	$50
   16	Colorado	$99,794	$48
   17	Georgia	$98,113	$47
   18	Florida	$96,699	$46
   19	Indiana	$96,402	$46
   20	Missouri	$95,500	$46

   Average business intelligence lead salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	PayPal	$147,045	$70.69	10
   2	Dotdash	$145,457	$69.93
   3	Google	$145,279	$69.85	36
   4	Everyday Health	$142,653	$68.58
   5	Dropbox	$142,256	$68.39	1
   6	Unity Technologies	$136,361	$65.56
   7	Pinterest	$135,191	$65.00
   8	Amazon	$133,357	$64.11	68
   9	MUFG EMEA	$133,115	$64.00
   10	American Tower	$132,692	$63.79
   11	Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC	$131,829	$63.38
   12	Napster	$131,698	$63.32
   13	Chartbeat	$131,648	$63.29
   14	Citi	$131,249	$63.10	6
   15	Barclays	$130,537	$62.76
   16	Liquidnet	$130,014	$62.51
   17	Nike	$129,063	$62.05	8
   18	MasterBrand Cabinets	$128,980	$62.01
   19	Accenture	$128,718	$61.88	54
   20	General Electric	$127,741	$61.41	7

4. Writing a business intelligence lead job description

   A business intelligence lead 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a business intelligence lead job description:

   Business intelligence lead job description example

   KORE1, a nationwide provider of staffing and recruiting solutions, has an immediate opening for a Head of Business Intelligence to manage, promote strategy and be the subject matter expert for actionable and insightful business analysis and reporting across the firm. This leader will interface among business, system owners, and users to develop best practices for multi-disciplinary dashboarding and reporting across the firm. This position will manage the reporting systems infrastructure and software in accordance with industry standards for software development and systems management. This individual will be expected to develop and implement a strategic vision for unifying reporting across systems and data sources. The leader will need in-depth knowledge of financial and investment data and investment, trading, and operational systems. * Implement and execute strategic vision for interactive visualization and reporting
   
   * Collaborate closely with subject matter experts and developers to ensure accurate analysis and interpretation of data
   
   * Assess inefficiencies and existing processes to identify improvement opportunities (proactive and reactive)
   * Explore and uncover data strategies to support and enable advanced data analytics
   * Manage and understand stakeholder expectations, priorities, and needs
   * Provide leadership, mentorship, and support to team members and peers by articulating ideas, collaborating with others, transferring knowledge and expertise regarding business and reporting processes
   * Serve as a liaison between key stakeholders to gather business requirements needed for system and process modifications, enhancements, and implementation
   
   ABOUT KORE1
   Specializing in professional and technical recruiting, KORE1 is committed to supporting top IT, Engineering, Creative, Scientific, Accounting and Finance professionals in their career paths. We build deep relationships with leading companies, connecting them to exceptional talent every day. With extensive industry expertise and unmatched opportunities, our goal is to provide a unique experience for our contractors and consultants as they prepare for their next role. We are passionate about matching the right people with the right companies.
   Kore1 provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Kore1 complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. Kore1 expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of Kore1's employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right business intelligence lead 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 business intelligence lead job on Zippia to find and recruit business intelligence lead candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit business intelligence leads, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   If your interviews with business intelligence lead applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • 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 business intelligence lead

   Once you've decided on a perfect business intelligence lead 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.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new business intelligence lead. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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 business intelligence lead?