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The differences between subject matter experts and business analyst-consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a subject matter expert and a business analyst-consultant. Additionally, a subject matter expert has an average salary of $103,749, which is higher than the $90,127 average annual salary of a business analyst-consultant.
The top three skills for a subject matter expert include SME, project management and DOD. The most important skills for a business analyst-consultant are strong analytical, business process, and data analysis.
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $103,749 | $90,127 |
| Hourly rate | $49.88 | $43.33 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 58,235 | 166,560 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A subject matter expert is someone who has special knowledge and expertise about a specific process or service, providing advice to other team members or directly assisting customers with their inquiries and concerns. Subject matter experts coordinate on planning strategic procedures to improve the work processes and ensure customer satisfaction. They are also active in participating in learning programs and training sessions to share their knowledge and best practices for their specialization. Subject matter experts identify potential business opportunities to generate more revenues for the business and achieve its profitability goals.
A business analyst-consultant is responsible for overseeing the project management and ensuring that the operations meet the agreed-upon project deliverables. Business analyst-consultants closely coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, monitoring the resources and processes for the project completion, and aligning those to the clients' budget goals. A business analyst-consultant helps the development team on strategizing techniques for brand promotions with minimal costs with maximum quality and productivity. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially on identifying business opportunities to drive revenues and increase profitability.
Subject matter experts and business analyst-consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Average salary | $103,749 | $90,127 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $146,000 | Between $66,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | BNY Mellon |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Finance |
There are a few differences between a subject matter expert and a business analyst-consultant in terms of educational background:
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between subject matter experts' and business analyst-consultants' demographics:
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Analyst-Consultant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 53.1% Female, 46.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 12.1% White, 66.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.5% Asian, 14.5% White, 64.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |