What Is a Business Intelligence Manager? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

Business intelligence managers are responsible for using data analysis and business development skills to influence and execute decisions that impact the business as a whole. Here’s what to know about a business intelligence manager’s needed skills, salary and how to become one.

What Is a Business Intelligence Manager?

Business intelligence managers use their data analysis skills to inform business decisions and lead teams of business intelligence analysts and BI developers. The main objective of a business intelligence manager is to guide their team and the business as a whole to make informed financial and growth decisions. 

What Do Business Intelligence Managers Do?

Business intelligence managers are responsible for leading teams of BI analysts and developers who pull insights from large quantities of data and maintain all business intelligence tools used by an organization.

Business Intelligence Manager Responsibilities

• Gather, clean and analyze data surrounding revenue, competitor sales, market trends and customer engagement. 
• Manage a team of BI analysts and developers.
• Hire and train new business intelligence analysts and developers.
• Share key findings from data findings with business leaders and stakeholders. 
• Establish and maintain business intelligence tools for their team.
• Monitor industry trends and identify new opportunities for their company. 
• Communicate findings and recommendations to company leaders and stakeholders. 

Business Intelligence Manager Within a Company

Business intelligence managers may report to a senior business intelligence manager or IT director, depending on the structure of the company. 

Importance of Business Intelligence Manager

Companies rely on business intelligence managers and their teams to make data-driven business decisions that impact hiring practices, financial budgets and more. 

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Business Intelligence Manager?

Qualifications to Be a Business Intelligence Manager

• Ability to clearly communicate data analysis findings to company executives and make recommendations.
• A solid understanding of data analysis and visualization and modeling tools.
• Deep knowledge of business acumen. 
• Understanding and ability to use various coding languages. 
• 5+ years of experience in data analysis and business intelligence. 

Business Intelligence Manager Prerequisites

• Business intelligence managers usually have a bachelor’s degree in business intelligence, data science, finance or a related field. 

Business Intelligence Manager Hard Skills

• Data analysis. 
• Data modeling and visualization.
• Market research. 
• Financial analysis and budget planning.
• People management and leadership skills. 

Business Intelligence Manager Soft Skills

• Communication and presentation skills. 
• Critical thinking and problem solving skills. 
• Negotiation skills. 
• Collaboration skills. 
• Interpersonal skills.

Tools and Programs Business Intelligence Manager Use

• Datapine
• SAS Business Intelligence
• Oracle Business Intelligence
• MicroStrategy
• Pentaho
• Qlik Sense
• Zoho Analytics
• Clear Analytics

How to Become a Business Intelligence Manager

Business Intelligence Manager Education and Experience

Business intelligence managers often hold a bachelor’s degree in data science, mathematics, business intelligence or a related field. Some BI managers may benefit from having a master’s degree in a specialized field for a particular industry. 

Business Intelligence Manager Certificates and Courses

• Business Intelligence Analyst Certificates and Courses
• Microsoft Certified: Power BI Data Analyst Associate
• Qlik Sense Business Analyst Certification
• SAP Certified Application Associate

Business Intelligence Manager Career Path

Business intelligence managers may begin their career as entry-level data analysts or data scientists and progress into business intelligence analyst or BI developer roles. Commonly held titles after business intelligence manager include senior business intelligence manager and IT project manager. 

Business Intelligence Manager Salary and Job Outlook

Management analysis, a related field to business intelligence, is projected to grow at 11 percent through 2031. 

The full compensation package for a business intelligence manager depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average business intelligence manager’s salary.