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The differences between subject matter experts and business process analysts 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 process analyst. Additionally, a subject matter expert has an average salary of $103,749, which is higher than the $78,215 average annual salary of a business process analyst.
The top three skills for a subject matter expert include SME, project management and DOD. The most important skills for a business process analyst are process improvement, project management, and subject matter experts.
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Process Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $103,749 | $78,215 |
| Hourly rate | $49.88 | $37.60 |
| Growth rate | 11% | 11% |
| Number of jobs | 58,235 | 160,260 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| 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.
The business process analysts are responsible for producing, managing, and enhancing business processes to improve business performance using data. They gather, analyze, and transcribe information about internal processes to obtain a comprehensive picture of the company's internal workings. Their responsibilities include developing strategies, identifying the needs of the user, and communicating compound data in a comprehensible way. Also, they identify, implement, and assess business metrics that are essential to the end-users. Additionally, they may act as consultants to project teams providing them with recommendations for product or service improvement.
Subject matter experts and business process analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Process Analyst | |
| Average salary | $103,749 | $78,215 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $146,000 | Between $57,000 And $106,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Apple | |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a subject matter expert and a business process analyst in terms of educational background:
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Process Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between subject matter experts' and business process analysts' demographics:
| Subject Matter Expert | Business Process Analyst | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.8% Female, 36.2% | Male, 49.5% Female, 50.5% |
| 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, 7.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 8.6% Asian, 14.6% White, 64.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |