How To Become An EDI Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an edi specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

An EDI specialist, or Electronic Data Interchange specialist, is responsible for the design, development, and implementation of all EDI-related processes in a company or organization. Their expertise lies in data exchange and they have to develop and improve ways on how to securely receive and transfer data to and from different trading partners.

Specifically, an EDI specialist is tasked with continuously checking the quality of EDI programs and applications, enhancing processes relating to electronic data interchange, and ensuring that processes are customized to flow within a company's business system.

An EDI specialist is expected to be a great communicator, analytical thinker, and problem-solver. They have to update their technical knowledge regularly and research current technology trends relating to their line of work.

To be qualified for the job, an EDI specialist is required to have at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology. They will also be preferred if they have at least two years of hands-on experience working with EDI technologies.

ScoreEDI SpecialistUS Average

Salary

6.3

Avg. Salary $80,654

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.7

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 13.64%

Black or African American 11.29%

Hispanic or Latino 15.65%

Unknown 5.28%

White 53.72%

Gender

female 54.00%

male 46.00%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

6.7

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.4

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an edi specialist

Explore edi specialist education requirements

Most common edi specialist degrees

Bachelor's

57.8 %

Associate

21.7 %

Master's

6.6 %

Start to develop specific edi specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
FTP	9.98%
Troubleshoot	6.33%
Logistics	5.05%
Purchase Orders	4.33%
HIPAA	4.33%

Complete relevant edi specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New edi specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an edi specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real edi specialist resumes.

Research edi specialist duties and responsibilities

Manage the requirement gathering, development, upgrades, QA testing and implementation of EDI and Internet application projects.
Track and manage EDI production to ensure reliable and effective EDI system translations and data interfaces to the ERP system.
Manage multiple imaging-relate projects across both radiology and cardiology service lines, both inpatient and outpatient, to completion.
Maintain JDA ERP software with RedPrairie to integrate EDI ANSI-X12 documents and XML solutions.

Apply for edi specialist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an edi specialist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

What is an edi specialist and how to become one

Edi specialist career paths