How To Become A Lead Business Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a lead business analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Rebecca Sarver,

Jana Carpenter

Business analysts work with businesses and corporations to streamline their processes and improve overall efficiency. The influence of a business analyst also helps businesses meet their goals and solve difficult problems.

Business analysts usually focus on specific problems when working with companies. They evaluate the current processes and results, research the subject, present new ideas and recommend possible actions. Business analysts may also train staff members, develop projects and work with senior management of a company. Their job requires critical thinking, complex problem-solving techniques, and an open mind.

Lead business analysts can work in a consulting company or on a project team. They oversee the activities of the team and review the findings and recommendations. They are also actively involved in the research and evaluation stage of the business' processes.

To become a lead business analyst, you need a bachelor's degree in accounting and finance. Additional certificates in fields like project management are an advantage. Employers prefer analysts with internship experience when hiring.

What general advice would you give to a lead business analyst?

Rebecca Sarver

Lecturer in Human Services Studies, Elmira College

Listen more than you talk. There is so much to be learned from clients, seasoned human service workers, and the community that you work within. By listening and observing versus always feeling compelled to speak, you will learn job skills, people skills, and your clients' needs.

ScoreLead Business AnalystUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $107,171

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.8

Growth rate 11%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 14.22%

Black or African American 7.39%

Hispanic or Latino 8.42%

Unknown 4.44%

White 65.38%

Gender

female 44.73%

male 55.27%

Age - 43

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 - 43

Stress level

6.8

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

2.2

Work life balance is very poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a lead business analyst

Explore lead business analyst education requirements

Most common lead business analyst degrees

Bachelor's

66.5 %

Master's

24.3 %

Associate

4.9 %

Start to develop specific lead business analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Project Management	7.62%
Scrum	5.59%
Business Analysis	5.39%
Business Process	5.25%
Business Stakeholders	4.51%

Complete relevant lead business analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New lead business analysts 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 a lead business analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real lead business analyst resumes.

Research lead business analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage integrated functionality & technology dependencies, usability, reliability, performance and support requirements of legacy CRM and web applications.
Create business process flows and analysis using Microsoft Visio.
Assist in devising new defect tracking process, including pilot of new defect tracking tool, JIRA.
Handle query resolution and bug tracking, used JIRA to communicate and resolve issues and discrepancies in the system.

Get lead business analyst experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a lead business analyst. The most common roles before becoming a lead business analyst include business analyst, senior business analyst team lead and project manager.

Prepare your lead business analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your lead business analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a lead business analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

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