What does a senior project analyst do?
A senior project analyst specializes in developing the best practices to optimize project operations. Their responsibilities include performing research and analysis to support the planning and execution of projects, managing resources, establishing objectives and timelines, conducting support studies, and developing strategies to improve the workflow. Furthermore, as a senior project analyst, it is essential to lead the analytical efforts and serve as a mentor to junior analysts, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Senior project analyst responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real senior project analyst resumes:
- Develop infrastructure to enable clients to better understand and manage risks associate with their decision environment to capture opportunities.
- Inventory and file all project documentation; organize and administer project SharePoint collaborative site.
- Review and implement testing results with the manufacturers' for DOD acceptance standards.
- Develop employee self-service benefit enrollment and payroll processing.
- Analyze and document system requirements for the Java development teams.
- Develop business, functional, and system requirements for new SharePoint application.
- Revise reverse logistics procedures and develop metrics to more effectively control the returns/credit memo process.
- Provide written contract analysis and solutions for clients regarding their logistics operations to reduce shipping costs.
- Work with pharmacy staff to develop discharge medication application for nursing and pharmacy staff to provide patients with clearer medication instructions.
- Develop technical procedures as per ITIL v3 and incident management procedures.
- Create service level agreements for production components using ITIL methodology.
- Redesign retail store manager bonus program and operations scorecard reporting focusing on specific financial KPIs to increase sales and profitability.
Senior project analyst skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Senior Project Analysts are proficient in Project Management, Data Analysis, and Process Improvement. They’re also known for soft skills such as Interpersonal skills, Problem-solving skills, and Time-management skills.
We break down the percentage of Senior Project Analysts that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 19%
Provide daily project management with updates including budget and schedule performance, risk mitigation planning, problem identification and resolution.
- Data Analysis, 5%
Utilized SAP and Excel to perform complex data analysis of project work order charges, budget, and procurement.
- Process Improvement, 5%
Led cross-functional teams on business unit initiatives to aid in identification of process improvement opportunities, efficiency gains and cost savings.
- Financial Analysis, 5%
Monitored and tracked department monthly financial analysis explaining budget variances and addressing misapplied expenses.
- Risk Management, 4%
Analyzed current mainframe system, communicated the current and future requirements to implement Risk Management's decision-making models.
- SharePoint, 4%
Inventoried and filed all project documentation; organized and administered project SharePoint collaborative site.
"project management," "data analysis," and "process improvement" are among the most common skills that senior project analysts use at work. You can find even more senior project analyst responsibilities below, including:
Interpersonal skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a senior project analyst to have is interpersonal skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "management analysts work with managers and other employees of the organizations for which they provide consulting services." Senior project analysts often use interpersonal skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "provided a high level of customer service and client relations based on outstanding communication and interpersonal skills. "
Problem-solving skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling senior project analyst duties is problem-solving skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "management analysts must be able to think creatively to solve clients’ problems." According to a senior project analyst resume, here's how senior project analysts can utilize problem-solving skills in their job responsibilities: "provided innovative java based ui solutions for several crystal report projects. "
Time-management skills. This is an important skill for senior project analysts to perform their duties. For an example of how senior project analyst responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "management analysts often work under tight deadlines and must use their time efficiently to complete projects on schedule." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a senior project analyst: "ensured project deliverable deadlines were met and presented deliverable content to senior hr management during content reviews. ".
Analytical skills. senior project analyst responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "management analysts must be able to interpret information and use their findings to make proposals." This resume example shows what senior project analysts do with analytical skills on a typical day: "analyzed and documented system requirements for the java development teams. "
Communication skills. Another common skill required for senior project analyst responsibilities is "communication skills." This skill comes up in the duties of senior project analysts all the time, as "management analysts must be able to convey information clearly in both writing and speaking." An excerpt from a real senior project analyst resume shows how this skill is central to what a senior project analyst does: "created and managed communication plan to hr generalists and other audiences around department program and process updates. "
The three companies that hire the most senior project analysts are:
- Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., Inc.91 senior project analysts jobs
- Deloitte23 senior project analysts jobs
- Citi9 senior project analysts jobs
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Compare different senior project analysts
Senior project analyst vs. Analyst lead
The duties of an analyst lead depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis, coordinating with different departments to gather leads and data, reviewing findings, and producing reports and presentations for the stakeholders and other higher-ranking officials. Through the results, an analyst lead can provide advice, devise strategies for business optimization, spearhead the development of processes, identify strengths and weaknesses, and offer recommendations on areas in need of improvement. All of this is done while in adherence to the company's vision and mission.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between senior project analysts and analyst lead. For instance, senior project analyst responsibilities require skills such as "strong project management," "financial analysis," "risk management," and "logistics." Whereas a analyst lead is skilled in "analytics," "customer service," "excellent interpersonal," and "powerpoint." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Analyst leads earn the highest salaries when working in the finance industry, with an average yearly salary of $110,488. On the other hand, senior project analysts are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $84,829.On average, analyst leads reach similar levels of education than senior project analysts. Analyst leads are 1.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior project analyst vs. Business analyst/project manager
A business analyst/project manager is responsible for developing project management procedures, analyzing processes, and ensuring the accuracy and efficiency of project deliverables, following clients' specifications and requirements to meet their highest satisfaction. Business analysts/project managers manage project resources, delegate tasks to project staff, setting deadlines, and coordinating with the clients for regular updates and suggest strategic adjustments as needed. They also mitigate potential risks and manage changes during the project execution, maintaining the quality of the outputs, and balancing costs to meet the clients' budget goals.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, senior project analyst responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "strong project management," "financial analysis," "logistics," and "business processes." Meanwhile, a business analyst/project manager has duties that require skills in areas such as "business stakeholders," "business process," "application development," and "scrum." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, business analyst/project managers earn a higher salary than senior project analysts. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, business analyst/project managers earn the most pay in the finance industry with an average salary of $120,172. Whereas senior project analysts have higher pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $84,829.In general, business analyst/project managers achieve similar levels of education than senior project analysts. They're 4.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for senior project analysts in the next 3-5 years?
Erik Johnson Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Economics, Carthage College
Senior project analyst vs. Project leader
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, senior project analysts are more likely to have skills like "strong project management," "financial analysis," "risk management," and "logistics." But a project leader is more likely to have skills like "work ethic," "strong work ethic," "c++," and "c #."
Project leaders earn the best pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $118,370. Senior project analysts earn the highest pay from the finance industry, with an average salary of $84,829.When it comes to education, project leaders tend to earn similar degree levels compared to senior project analysts. In fact, they're 1.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Senior project analyst vs. Business systems senior analyst
Business systems senior analysts are responsible for resolving problems and requirements related to organizational information. They perform various duties that include determining operational objectives, designing computer programs, and improving business systems by designing modifications and studying current practices. Additionally, they are responsible for defining project requirements, maintaining user confidence and information confidentiality, and preparing technical reports. These professionals are also expected to maintain their knowledge by participating in professional associations or attending educational workshops. The skills and qualifications required for this position include previous work experience, software design and development, and problem-solving skills.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between senior project analysts and business systems senior analysts, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a senior project analyst might have more use for skills like "process improvement," "financial analysis," "risk management," and "logistics." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of business systems senior analysts require skills like "business process," "scrum," "business stakeholders," and "user stories. "
In general, business systems senior analysts earn the most working in the health care industry, with an average salary of $108,902. The highest-paying industry for a senior project analyst is the finance industry.In general, business systems senior analysts hold similar degree levels compared to senior project analysts. Business systems senior analysts are 4.8% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of senior project analyst
Updated January 8, 2025
