Business Intelligence Manager: Your 2024 Career Guide

Business intelligence (BI) managers manage teams of business analysts and programmers tasked with generating the insights required to make strategic business decisions. If you enjoy data-driven work and the responsibility of leading a team, then you might consider a career as a BI manager. 

In this article, you’ll learn more about what a BI manager is, does, and how much they earn. At the end, you’ll also learn what you need to do to become one and explore flexible, cost-effective courses that can help you gain job-relevant skills today.  

What is a business intelligence manager?

A business intelligence manager is a management professional who manages a team of programmers, business analysts, and data analysts. Altogether, the team collects and analyzes information to help business leaders make better, data-driven decisions. To lead teams to get these results, business intelligence managers must pair a deep understanding of business intelligence (BI) and data analysis with well-honed skills in management and communication. 

Depending on the organization in which they work, business intelligence managers and their teams may influence everything from marketing campaign strategy to resource management and an organization’s financial investments. Some common industries in which business intelligence professionals are employed include government agencies, financial investment, and management consulting. 

Read more: What Is Business Intelligence and Why Does It Matter?

Duties and responsibilities

A business intelligence manager's precise duties and responsibilities will vary from one organization to another. Nonetheless, there are some common tasks you’ll likely perform as a business intelligence manager in the work world. Some of the most common responsibilities include: 

• Overseeing a business intelligence teams, including analysts and programmers.

• Sourcing and gathering relevant data to achieve business objectives. 

• Analyzing business data, generating reports, and creating data visualizations using business intelligence tools like Power BI or Tableau. 

• Presenting research findings and insights to upper management and leadership. 

• Hiring and training new team members. 

Watch this video to learn more about BI concepts.

Business intelligence manager salary and job outlook 

Business intelligence managers earn a higher-than-average salary and have a positive job outlook in the coming years. 

According to Glassdoor, the average salary for business intelligence managers in the United States was $179,881 as of May 2024 [1]. That’s significantly higher than the median pay for all jobs in the nation, which the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) put at $65,470 as of May 2023 [2]. 

Similarly, the profession is projected to see strong demand in the coming years. According to the US BLS, for example, the number of job openings for management analysts – the job category under which business intelligence managers fall – is projected to grow by 10 percent between 2022 and 2032, which is faster than average [3]. 

How to become a business intelligence manager

Business intelligence managers need the right combination of education, work experience, and skills to land their jobs. Here’s what you can expect from the career journey. 

1. Obtain a degree.

Most employers require that applicants to business intelligence manager roles possess at least a bachelor’s degree. The numbers don’t lie. According to Zippia, a whopping 70.8 percent of business intelligence managers hold a bachelor’s degree, while 23 percent have a master’s. By comparison, only 3.4 percent have an associate degree, and only 0.3 have a high school diploma or equivalent [4]. 

The most common majors include business, computer science, accounting, and marketing. 

2. Gain work experience.

Business intelligence manager isn’t an entry-level position, so expect to spend some time doing related entry-level positions first. Generally, employers ask that applicants have anywhere from two to five years of experience in a related job, such as business intelligence analyst or developer. In some cases, employers might also like to see applicants who have prior managerial or supervisory experience. 

Some entry-level business intelligence roles you could consider include:

• Business intelligence analyst

• Junior BI analyst

• Data analyst

• Business analyst

• Business intelligence system analyst

3. Hone your skills.

Business intelligence managers need to possess a strong set of both technical and interpersonal skills. Some of the skills you’ll likely need to possess to land a job in the field include: 

• Knowledge of BI tools, such as Tableau and Microsoft Power BI

• Comfortability in conducting data analysis 

• Ability to build dashboards and generate reports 

• Strong grasp of industry trends

• Problem-solving skills

• Collaboration 

• Leadership skills

• Analytical skills

• Management and supervisory experience

4. Consider certification. 

A certificate or certification may help you stand out from the crowd when searching for a BI manager position. Consider obtaining a certification from a professional organization, such as the Certified Business Intelligence Professional Certification (CBIP) from Transforming Data with Intelligence (TDWI), or a professional certificate from an industry leader like Google’s Business Intelligence Professional Certificate. 

Read more: What Are Certificate Programs?

Get job-ready with Coursera

Taking online courses can be a great way to build job-ready skills, explore your passions, and discover career opportunities. Through Coursera, you can build a deeper understanding of analytics and lay a foundation for managing teams effectively. Start your journey today by enrolling in Google’s Business Intelligence Professional Certificate. In this two-month program, you’ll learn in-demand skills like data modeling, visualization, dashboarding, and reporting.