What is a Senior Systems Analyst?

Whether you're considering a career in the fast-paced world of technology or you want to take a more strategic and holistic role that streamlines business operations and analysis, becoming a senior system analyst may be a rewarding and fulfilling career option for you. The senior system analyst role offers you a fantastic mix of technical and business duties. You'll effectively use your technical knowledge and IT solutions to help businesses thrive in a competitive market.

As a senior system analyst, your duties may include networking with clients, developing solutions, testing existing and new software applications, troubleshooting issues, and providing all types of technical support to increase your company's output and profitability. Generally, you may work as an independent contractor, but you may also work extra hours to meet tight deadlines and achieve the project targets. Observing and analyzing the systems, you may work in an office-based environment, but you may need to travel to different office locations to meet certain requirements.

To start a career as a senior system analyst, you may need a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Experience in designing, implementing, and optimizing networks, along with a perfect mix of IT knowledge and business acumen, may help you set your resume above the list. You have the opportunity to earn a median annual salary of $81,000 along with bonuses and compensation packages. Not only that, but the role of senior system analyst may bring plentiful opportunities for career progression. Here you have the incredible option to move into either a more technically-focused position or put your efforts on the business side. Eventually, you might become a technical programming manager or an IT director of your company.





What Does a Senior Systems Analyst Do

There are certain skills that many senior systems 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 analytical skills, communication skills and creativity.

Learn more about what a Senior Systems Analyst does

How To Become a Senior Systems Analyst

If you're interested in becoming a senior systems analyst, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 67.4% of senior systems analysts have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 16.9% of senior systems analysts have master's degrees. Even though most senior systems analysts have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Senior Systems Analyst
Top Senior Systems Analyst Jobs Near You

Senior Systems Analyst Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of project manager you might progress to a role such as infrastructure project manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title infrastructure project manager.

Senior Systems Analyst

Average Salary for a Senior Systems Analyst

Senior Systems Analysts in America make an average salary of $82,717 per year or $40 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $107,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $63,000 per year.
Average Senior Systems Analyst Salary
$82,717 Yearly
$39.77 hourly
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Roles and Types of Senior Systems Analyst

The role of a senior systems analyst includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general senior systems analyst responsibilities:

  • Responsible for providing 24x7 application support across multiple visa applications. Responsible for applying code
  • Leads workgroups and/or functions as the technical expert. Applies knowledge of software development to meet various business needs,
  • Serve as lead it systems solution architect for engineering operations

There are several types of senior systems analyst, including:

Information Systems Analyst

Role:

Information Systems Analysts are meant to examine and develop the company's IT networks and systems' efficiency and security and advise on how one might improve upon it. This includes working with software and hardware.

More specifically, they are tasked with the planning, designing, and implementation of new solutions and systems and the testing of them once they are fully integrated.

Also, they report to management and work with them and other employees to test and modify the existing system, figure out the problem areas, and stick to a certain timeline and budget. Due to the nature of the job itself, an Analyst must continue to stay up to date with the industry's latest development and research.

A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Information Systems is necessary to begin working in this position. A candidate will also need to have some experience in a similar position and have good analytical, communication, and innovative skills.

  • Average Salary: $83,747
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Analyst Lead

Role:

Analyst leads are also known as lead business analysts. They perform the role of business analysts in a superior capacity. So, in addition to analyzing trends and making forecasts, they also manage teams and delegate responsibility as needed.

A day in a lead analyst's life may include developing methodologies, designing frameworks, and studying data. They may also review weekly reports prepared by other analysts and make recommendations.

Lead analysts may also be involved in the hiring and firing of junior analysts on their team. This responsibility may extend to training analysts to meet employer standards. As a lead analyst, you may attend client meetings, make direct recommendations, and supervise their implementation.

To become a lead analyst, you need a bachelor's degree in statistics, business administration, or related courses. You'll also need years of experience to qualify for the role. It's helpful for business analysts to have skills like communication, leadership, and decision making.

  • Average Salary: $95,264
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Technical System Analyst

Role:

Technical systems analysts are responsible for examining current systems, talking to users, as well as producing specifications for new or modified systems. They define an application problem by conferring with clients and evaluating procedures and processes. Technical systems analysts earn a median salary of $85,000 annually or $41 per hour.

Technical systems analysts control solutions by establishing specifications and coordinating production with programmers. They validate results by testing programs and accomplish information systems and organization mission by completing related results as needed. They also liaise with other IT staff such as programmers, to produce new systems. Technical systems analysts require solid analytical and communication skills.

Technical systems analysts typically hold a bachelor's degree in computer science, mathematics, engineering, or other related fields. Most employers choose candidates with experience in IT or database administration and in-depth knowledge of the incident response life-cycle. They are also required to possess a thorough understanding of the threat and attack landscape.

  • Average Salary: $82,275
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Senior Systems Analyst Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active senior systems analyst jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where senior systems analysts earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Senior Systems Analyst Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California4,303$98,620
2Texas3,382$77,078
3Florida2,749$68,701
4New York1,899$89,770
5Massachusetts1,864$82,465
6Illinois1,773$75,906
7Virginia1,665$82,600
8Georgia1,531$74,383
9Pennsylvania1,476$84,107
10North Carolina1,419$78,770
11Washington1,326$92,538
12Ohio1,211$77,381
13Arizona1,195$78,360
14New Jersey1,114$88,920
15Maryland979$84,154
16Michigan971$76,053
17Colorado942$73,421
18Minnesota928$77,403
19Missouri730$71,829
20Oregon729$83,465
21Wisconsin665$72,629
22Indiana665$72,901
23Tennessee659$69,074
24Connecticut585$83,419
25Alabama537$71,133
26South Carolina476$73,153
27Iowa444$72,447
28Kansas387$66,740
29Utah373$68,736
30Kentucky364$68,464
31New Mexico319$70,834
32Nebraska316$67,716
33Oklahoma316$68,056
34Arkansas310$66,597
35Nevada284$81,399
36Louisiana276$74,515
37New Hampshire247$78,388
38Idaho222$79,364
39Delaware221$86,934
40Mississippi215$70,412
41Rhode Island193$83,735
42Alaska186$78,691
43West Virginia175$75,575
44Maine152$74,245
45North Dakota151$78,936
46Montana147$72,644
47South Dakota142$68,964
48Hawaii130$83,820
49Vermont129$70,925
50Wyoming100$72,500

Senior Systems Analyst Education

Senior Systems Analyst Majors

Computer Science
25.3 %
Business
17.5 %
Computer Information Systems
8.4 %

Senior Systems Analyst Degrees

Bachelors

67.4 %

Masters

16.9 %

Associate

11.4 %

Top Colleges for Senior Systems Analysts

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

5. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

6. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

7. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

8. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

10. Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Worcester, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,530

Enrollment

4,571

Top Skills For a Senior Systems Analyst

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 6.0% of senior systems analysts listed project management on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Systems Analyst Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Senior Systems Analyst templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Senior Systems Analyst resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Senior Systems Analyst diversity

Senior Systems Analyst Gender Distribution

Male
Male
72%
Female
Female
28%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among senior systems analysts, 27.8% of them are women, while 72.2% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among senior systems analysts is White, which makes up 58.6% of all senior systems analysts.

  • The most common foreign language among senior systems analysts is Spanish at 36.8%.

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Best States For a Senior Systems Analyst

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a senior systems analyst. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, New York, and New Jersey. Senior systems analysts make the most in California with an average salary of $98,620. Whereas in Washington and New York, they would average $92,538 and $89,770, respectively. While senior systems analysts would only make an average of $88,920 in New Jersey, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Washington

Total Senior Systems Analyst Jobs: 1,326
Highest 10% Earn:
$122,000
Location Quotient:
1.23

$92,538

Avg. Salary

View 1,326 Senior Systems Analyst Jobs In WA

2. Delaware

Total Senior Systems Analyst Jobs: 221
Highest 10% Earn:
$111,000
Location Quotient:
1.2

$86,934

Avg. Salary

View 221 Senior Systems Analyst Jobs In DE

3. California

Total Senior Systems Analyst Jobs: 4,303
Highest 10% Earn:
$133,000
Location Quotient:
1

$98,620

Avg. Salary

View 4,303 Senior Systems Analyst Jobs In CA
Full List Of Best States For Senior Systems Analysts

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Top Senior Systems Analyst Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ senior systems analysts and discovered their number of senior systems analyst opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that Cognizant was the best, especially with an average salary of $77,984. UST Global follows up with an average salary of $78,539, and then comes IBM with an average of $84,542. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as a senior systems analyst. The employers include Wellington Management, Cnsi, and Cengage Learning

Most Common Employers For Senior Systems Analyst

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Starbucks$132,543$63.7296
2Wellington Management$126,955$61.04111
3Abbott$120,011$57.70108
4Belk$115,441$55.5089
5AT&T$112,135$53.91118
6Qualcomm$108,653$52.24120
7Synechron$100,100$48.13135
8Hexaware Technologies$97,608$46.93163
9HCL Global Systems$94,745$45.55126
10SAIC$94,638$45.5097
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Updated April 6, 2023