A senior program analyst often works in the computer or IT field and seeks to define, develop, test, and maintain new software applications used by an organization or a business. They write compute code and software, test, and analyze software programs and applications, and act as mentors to software development personnel.
A senior program analyst also develops and recommends strategies to optimize the program operations and coordinate with other departments to collect and analyze data. As analysts, they also identify strengths and weaknesses of existing programs and recommend needed improvements to upper management.
Most senior program analysts have a bachelor's or a master's degree in engineering, IT, computer science, or a related field. These individuals are considered experts in their field and should possess a broad knowledge of all aspects of program development and implementation. These individuals should possess strong analytical, organizational, communication, and troubleshooting skills, as well as be able to work with other team members and upper management. As a senior program analyst you can make up to $90,000 per year, and the career field is expected to grow 9% in the next 10 years.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a Senior Program Analyst. For example, did you know that they make an average of $44.62 an hour? That's $92,809 a year!
Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 9% and produce 56,000 job opportunities across the U.S.
There are certain skills that many Senior Program Analysts have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Creativity, Analytical skills and Communication skills.
If you're interested in becoming a Senior Program Analyst, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 62.5% of Senior Program Analysts have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 19.2% of Senior Program Analysts have master's degrees. Even though most Senior Program Analysts have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become a Senior Program Analyst. When we researched the most common majors for a Senior Program Analyst, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor's Degree degrees or Master's Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Senior Program Analyst resumes include Associate Degree degrees or High School Diploma degrees.
You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become a Senior Program Analyst. In fact, many Senior Program Analyst jobs require experience in a role such as Program Analyst. Meanwhile, many Senior Program Analysts also have previous career experience in roles such as Project Manager or Consultant.