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What is a senior research analyst and how to become one
Senior research analysts use research about societal trends or responses to help their employers come up with a business plan. What they research depends on their workplace, since senior research analysts can work in many industries. For example, a senior research analyst for a nonprofit may research the impact of a specific policy on the public, while a senior research analyst for a company working in finance may research market trends.
No matter where they work, senior research analysts use a variety of methods to conduct their research, such as collecting survey responses, analyzing statistics using technological tools like SAS, or organizing data using SQL. After they gather information through research, senior research analysts must present it in a way that is understandable to the rest of their company, for example via a PowerPoint presentation or report. Often, they have to mentor junior colleagues as well.
Senior research analysts are valued for the insights they bring to their companies and earn an average salary of $77,990 a year. They need to have an extensive research background before earning a promotion to this position. Most senior research analysts work as research assistants or junior analysts for several years. They usually have a bachelor's or even a master's degree in a subject relevant to their field, such as business.
What general advice would you give to a senior research analyst?
William Sholl
Assistant Professor of Marketing, Defiance College
strong mentor relationship also have higher levels of job satisfaction. Additionally, a mentor gives you someone to go to when you require personal or professional advice.
The second piece of advice would be to understand that you are committing to life-long learning. Marketing is a field of almost constant change. Think about the evolution, maybe revolution is a better word, that has taken place in marketing in just the last few years driven by social media and mobile technologies. Moving forward, marketing professionals will need to stay abreast of the application of data and predictive analytics in the practice of marketing. Other fields, for example, accounting, change very slowly; the shift in marketing is relentless. To remain current in the profession, you will need to commit yourself to review the most recent research and best practices to understand shifting demographics, trends in consumer behavior, methods and models of communication, and a host of other yet to be determined topics.
Avg. Salary $75,056
Avg. Salary $59,228
Growth rate 19%
Growth rate 0.3%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.13%
Asian 14.12%
Black or African American 4.71%
Hispanic or Latino 11.19%
Unknown 4.88%
White 64.96%
Genderfemale 45.90%
male 54.10%
Age - 34American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%
Asian 7.00%
Black or African American 14.00%
Hispanic or Latino 19.00%
White 57.00%
Genderfemale 47.00%
male 53.00%
Age - 34Stress level is manageable
7.1 - high
Complexity level is challenging
7 - challenging
Work life balance is fair
6.4 - fair
Senior research analyst career paths
Key steps to become a senior research analyst
Explore senior research analyst education requirements
Start to develop specific senior research analyst skills
Skills Percentages Analytics 6.95% Data Analysis 6.22% Data Collection 5.17% PowerPoint 4.59% Research Projects 4.29% Complete relevant senior research analyst training and internships
Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior research 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 senior research analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior research analyst resumes.Research senior research analyst duties and responsibilities
- Manage research department employees and resources, operational budget preparation and oversight.
- Work with SAS to manipulate data and perform analysis by using macros, metadata, loops, counts and macro variables.
- Develop and automate front-end data querying and reporting tools for client presentations and reports in VBA and SQL.
- Conduct statistical analyses with SAS using grocery store scanner data of consumer package goods for test households throughout the U.S.
Get senior research analyst experience
Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior research analyst. The most common roles before becoming a senior research analyst include research analyst, research assistant team lead and research associate.Prepare your senior research analyst resume
When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior research 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 senior research analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.
Choose from 10+ customizable senior research analyst resume templates
Build a professional senior research analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior research analyst resume.
Apply for senior research analyst jobs
Now it's time to start searching for a senior research analyst 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
How did you land your first senior research analyst job
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Average senior research analyst salary
The average senior research analyst salary in the United States is $75,056 per year or $36 per hour. Senior research analyst salaries range between $57,000 and $98,000 per year.
What am I worth?
How do senior research analysts rate their job?
Senior research analyst reviews
To be rejected
It's all about getting data, follow up on project, ensuring that jobs are done properly, write reports after a project is done. You travel if the job or project you're handling is out station.
Nothing really, it's just that sometimes getting data can be very difficult
Compiling data of organization and implementing strategies to measure growth in business
Fundamental Economics
Updated January 8, 2025
