Automatically apply for jobs with Zippi

Upload your resume to get started.

Principal analyst skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

8 min read

Quoted experts

Michael McLaughlin,

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical principal analyst skills. We ranked the top skills for principal analysts based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.1% of principal analyst resumes contained portfolio as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a principal analyst needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 principal analyst skills for your resume and career

1. Portfolio

Here's how principal analysts use portfolio:

Created the acquisition strategy for a beverage manufacturer looking to diversify their product portfolio.
Provided process coordination, planning and analysis of IT initiatives with the EPA, focusing on IT portfolio management.

2. ERP

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) is computer software used by major corporations and organizations for conducting their management and accounting tasks efficiently. ERP systems bind different business processes with each other allowing smoother flow of data between them resulting in swift project assessment and completion.

Here's how principal analysts use erp:

Supported the SAP ERP implementation as a Basis Administrator monitoring system activity, performing backups, and resolving system issues.
Managed a $10 million Oracle e-Business Suite ERP implementation with 40+ internal and contract staff.

3. Project Management

Here's how principal analysts use project management:

Presented findings in an executive briefing identifying the perceived impacts of re-organization to IT project management processes and personnel.
Implemented project management process to facilitate Federal requirements.

4. Data Analysis

Here's how principal analysts use data analysis:

Provide technical support to data analysis and R&M computer modeling efforts.
Used XML Schema/Data Analysis to define data requirements.

5. Process Improvement

Here's how principal analysts use process improvement:

Implement process improvements to eliminate obsolete procedures and automate manual processes to reduce LAUF.
Assisted in identifying escalated complaint trends for root cause analysis and process improvements.

6. Risk Assessments

The process of analyzing and identifying the acts or events that have the potential to negatively affect an individual, asset, or business is called risk assessment. Risk assessments are important because they form an integral part of an organization as well as occupational safety plans

Here's how principal analysts use risk assessments:

Perform information & physical security risk assessments, security scans and penetration tests on assets and processes.
Review and update, if necessary, risk assessments when significant changes occur to the systems/network.

Choose from 10+ customizable principal analyst resume templates

Build a professional principal analyst resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your principal analyst resume.

7. DOD

Definition of Done (DoD) is a set of deliverables that are needed to devise software. These deliverables are valuable to the system and can be exemplified by writing code, coding comments, unit testing, integration testing, design documents, release notes, and so on.

Here's how principal analysts use dod:

Supported sponsors at DOD and the National Infrastructure Protection Center, providing strategic recommendations on critical infrastructure protection issues.
Facilitated two-way knowledge transfer between technical staff and Customer to encourage alignment of DoD energy policy and principles.

8. Windows

Windows is a chain of operating systems that controls a computer and is developed by Microsoft. Every version of Windows consists of GUI (graphical user interface), with a desktop that allows the user to open their files.

Here's how principal analysts use windows:

Managed Windows Server Engineering Team global project implementations.
Led team on projects for Windows NT 4.0 network upgrades.

9. Financial Analysis

Here's how principal analysts use financial analysis:

Led financial analysis and modeling segment of 6-month redesign of customer communications processes and systems in Fortune 100 financial services conglomerate.
Perform in-depth financial analysis incorporating past performance, market conditions, and future projections.

10. Infrastructure

Infrastructure includes the organizational and physical structures needed to run an area or a society smoothly. It is a group of basic facilities required for any society or firm to run sustainably and efficiently. The infrastructural system is a high investing area and helps majorly in flourishing the economy and prosperity of a country. It is an underlying system needed for ensuring the safety and comfort of the public and to run a country smoothly. All the tasks needed to be performed for a flourishing economy and a happy and healthy public are included in infrastructure.

Here's how principal analysts use infrastructure:

Worked as a Project Manager managing the implementation of single sign-on technology into the corporate infrastructure.
Designed, implemented and supported the Unix/Linux infrastructure used in Drug Discovery.

11. Excellent Interpersonal

Here's how principal analysts use excellent interpersonal:

Display excellent interpersonal skills with a team-oriented focus.
Position required excellent interpersonal skills to work directly with customers, top management, and sales teams.

12. Visualization

Here's how principal analysts use visualization:

Assist CEO with visualization of all avenues of risk and opportunity for developed entertainment concepts based on business operations.
Detect and correct salary structure and HRIS inconsistencies to maintain data integrity using statistics and data visualization techniques.

13. QA

QA, or Quality Assurance is a procedure that entails all of the steps taken to avoid any errors in the manufacturing process or in the production of the goods that a company produces. It can also include ensuring the consistency of the services rendered. Quality assurance ensures that the quality of the service delivered to consumers meets or exceeds the promised expectations. This greatly aids in the prevention of any complications that might arise after the goods or services have been distributed. It makes sure that customers are satisfied.

Here's how principal analysts use qa:

Maintained defect-free deployment of software solutions through thorough planning, testing and QA efforts.
Major technical activities included requirement gathering, writing technical specification, coding and QA testing.

14. Securities

Here's how principal analysts use securities:

Market Surveillance representative at new securities allocations.
Reviewed trading of NYSE listed securities by member firms away from and on the Floor of the Exchange.

15. Linux

Linux is a Unix-like operating system. Just like Windows, Mac OS, and IOS, Linux is an operating system used by millions across the globe. Android itself is powered by the Linux operating system. Linux manages all the hardware resources that are associated with your computer. The software is famous because of the protection it grants from viruses, malware, and crashes. The Linux operating system is entirely free and is an open-source software meaning it can be altered by those equipped with the knowledge to code.

Here's how principal analysts use linux:

Involved in the Platform migration of Database from Solaris to Linux.
Contributed to design and build out of high-availability Linux infrastructure.

5 Principal Analyst resume examples

Build a professional principal analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 5+ resume templates to create your principal analyst resume.

Create my resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

What skills help Principal Analysts find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on principal analyst resumes?

Michael McLaughlin

Faculty, Brigham Young University - Idaho

The ability to solve unstructured problems.

What soft skills should all principal analysts possess?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Important soft skills: strong emotional intelligence: Anthropology students with fieldwork experience, for example, from study abroad, field school, or a course/semester capstone or thesis project, know the challenges of conducting a project or being part of a team with a project goal. Being attuned towards one's interlocutors or colleagues, that is, being aware of and acting appropriately, whether to obtain rich fieldwork data or facilitate teamwork, are valuable skills. Successful fieldwork, even of short duration, tests one's skills of interaction in unfamiliar situations; of reading a situation that may be uncomfortable and strange to one's experience; of navigating power dynamics, and learning while doing when one does not have all the skills needed. The anthropology student who has emerged from the other side of fieldwork has acquired these abilities. I would say that anthropological fieldwork demands strong baseline soft skills in emotional intelligence, or what I might call a heightened awareness that how people react, behave, and perform rests on many factors. One learns from anthropology by paying attention to these factors (by discerning them through observation and not via assumptions) and understanding them in context rather than jumping to conclusions.

What hard/technical skills are most important for principal analysts?

Hanna Kim Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Chair, Adelphi University

Hard skills: being more than monolingual! In a globally connected marketplace where young people worldwide are learning and mastering the English language, their multilingualism makes them attractive hires for multinational or international companies. Anthropology students know the non-negotiable importance of knowing a fieldwork language to understand peoples and their cultures. The same would hold for the workplace: knowing one or more languages affords an employee not just possibilities for work assignments: such an employee, i.e., an anthropology graduate who values the connection of language and culture, is ideally suited to work on projects that demand sensitivity to cultural, social, historical, and political nuances. This includes those who work in international humanitarian groups as well as those who work in global finance.

What principal analyst skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

A.J. Arreguin

Professor, Our Lady of the Lake University

The best thing for a student/graduate to do, if they're taking a gap year, would be to continue to enhance their skills in social media, marketing, and public relation writing by implementing practices to show progression in communicative methods when marketing a product/service/event or get a positive response/feedback to a well-organized campaign.

Students should volunteer with small/local businesses or create their brand (start a blog or become a niche social media influencer) to practice and build on their experience. Once the student/graduate does that, they should keep a weekly log with analytics to help them understand how to improve moving forward. This will be beneficial when applying for a communication/public relations job during an interview. The degree gets the student/graduate the talk, but the experience lands them the job.

What type of skills will young principal analysts need?

Lise Abrams Ph.D.

Professor of Linguistics and Cognitive Science; Coordinator of Cognitive Science, Pomona College

Given the ever-increasing diversity of the workforce, graduates will need to work effectively with heterogeneous groups of people and be able to conceptualize problems from multiple perspectives. Solving today's and future problems requires critical thinking and analysis skills, and graduates will also need to do their part in promoting the accurate dissemination of knowledge. Majors like experimental psychology and cognitive science give their graduates the tools to better understand human behavior through a scientific lens.

Do you want to know more?

List of principal analyst skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a principal analyst resume and required skills for a principal analyst to have include:

Portfolio
ERP
Project Management
Data Analysis
Process Improvement
Risk Assessments
DOD
Windows
Financial Analysis
Infrastructure
Excellent Interpersonal
Visualization
QA
Securities
Linux

Logistics
Regression
Business Development
HR
Business Process
SME
BI
SharePoint
SAS
Lean Six Sigma
CRM
Statistical Analysis
Data Collection
Subject Matter Expertise
Unix

ISO
Java
Emerging Technologies
Technical Support
PC
IC
Configuration Management
R
Management System
Macro
National Security
Data Warehouse
SQL Server
Virtualization

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse computer and mathematical jobs