What does a Junior Business Analyst do?

In this blog, we will first learn who a junior business analyst is and what they do. After that, we will cover what a career as a junior business analyst looks like and how to become a Business Analyst.

Let us take a look at who a junior business analyst is and what their responsibilities are in an organization.

Learn what a Business Analyst does from this video by Intellipaat:

Who is a Junior Business Analyst?

Junior business analysts are involved in the functional areas of an organization, such as sales, marketing, and customer support, to compile and analyze the market and industry data. They assist senior business analysts and work together with project teams to ensure that the products comply with the customer requirements.

Of course, the primary duty of a junior business analyst is data analysis. They analyze the impact of projects on the outcome of businesses, gather systems information, and provide feedback to producers. Furthermore, they sometimes contribute to the development of test plans and test scripts. Let us explore their roles and responsibilities in more detail.

Junior Business Analyst Roles and Responsibilities

A junior business analyst is trained in gathering, validating, and documenting various system information and requirements. They are responsible for carrying out in-depth evaluation and verification of the system capabilities and act as the intermediary between end-users and software developers. This ensures that the product information is properly disseminated.

A junior business analyst has to participate in the life cycle of system development. They are also expected to carry out the instructions as directed by the lead analyst.

It is the responsibility of junior business analysts to maintain and verify the requirements specifications according to the established requirements baseline. They have to work closely with the organization management to identify customer requirements and come up with ways to meet them for the optimum benefit and satisfaction of the customers.

A junior business analyst carefully assesses and analyzes any and all business implications that may be involved. They are in charge of sourcing, documenting, and preparing reports to improve services in the organization.

These professionals also serve as intermediaries between the employer and third-party vendors working for the organization. They are expected to stay up to date with the latest trends and developments in the business world.

Junior Business Analyst Job Requirements

The following is a sample job description highlighting the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities usually performed by junior business analysts in organizations:

• Designing and creating specifications as requested by the sales and accounts management team
• Collaborating with managers and consultants to effectively document business processes
• Ensuring that the appropriate infrastructure elements, such as documents, policy documents, manuals, periodicals, etc., are up to date and readily available
• Creating and developing functional system requirements for improving performances, quality, external interfaces, and constraints
• Checking and analyzing derived requirements that meet the customers’ requests
• Outlining specifications of the requirements using standard templates for both used cases and detailed software
• Managing requirements and making sure that they are stored in automated systems
• Recording, manipulating, and making reports on the requirements that are in the rational tool suite
• Supervising requirements traceability and recording the status of the requirements through the course of the project
• Monitoring the changes in baseline requirements through effective application of change control processes and tools
• Contributing to the development of test plans and test scripts as well as performing test execution as required

Junior Business Analyst Jobs

The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that by 2024, the need for business analysts will increase by 14 percent. There is a huge demand for junior business analysts at the moment. Below are some of the countries that are actively hiring for the profile of junior business analysts:

Junior Business Analyst Salary

The below table lists the national average salaries of junior business analysts across different countries:

Of course, the average salary for junior business analysts is subject to change, depending on various factors such as location, experience, skills, qualifications, employer, etc.

Junior Business Analyst Skills

There are certain skills that many junior business analysts have to have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. The skills, knowledge, and abilities that junior business analysts need to possess are:

• Basic software knowledge and skills
• Basic knowledge of a programming language
• Understanding of databases and networks
• Knowledge of relevant tools such as BluePrint
• Stakeholder analysis
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Requirements engineering
• Process modeling
• Planning, organizing, and structuring work
• Excel, Word, and other Word processing software programs
• Good analytical and evaluative skills
• Written and oral communication abilities
• Multitasking
• Good interpersonal skills
• Creative thinking
• Industry knowledge

A candidate applying for a junior business analyst position should possess the following technical skills:

• Statistical analysis software such as R, SPSS, SAS, STATA, etc.
• SQL databases
• Database querying languages
• Programming skills such as Python and R
• Survey or query software
• BI and reporting software
• Data mining
• Data visualization
• Database design

The skills section on a resume is as important as the experience section, so it is always recommended to present an accurate portrayal of what you can do. While preparing a junior business analyst resume, highlighting and showcasing the above-mentioned skills will be a valuable addition.

How to Become a Junior Business Analyst?

To become a junior business analyst, one needs to have a bachelor’s degree in business administration, economics, or any other related field with at least three years of related work experience. Skills such as problem-solving, client management, teamwork, and multitasking are necessary for this job profile.

When starting your journey toward becoming a junior business analyst, one of the first things to consider is the required educational qualification. Most junior business analysts have a bachelor’s degree while others go on to acquire a master’s degree. Other degrees that are often seen on the resumes of junior business analysts include associate degrees or diplomas.

The next essential step is choosing the right major. The most common majors for a junior business analyst are in the quantitative field such as economics, computer science, data science, finance, statistics, information management, or a similar subject.

Many junior business analysts have at least a few years of experience in roles such as administrative assistant or working as an intern in the business analytics team.

Sometimes, professionals wish for a career transition to business analysis from another field. These candidates will benefit from an entry certificate business analysis (ECBA) certification. The ECBA requires no prior experience in the field yet helps to build a solid foundation in the domain and makes global certification easier.

Newcomers are advised to acquire pertinent skills as well as certifications in this field. Freshers, on the other hand, can sign up for a course that focuses on data analysis.

Junior Business Analyst Career Path

As junior business analysts move ahead in their careers, they may eventually start taking on more responsibilities or leadership roles. They could start out with a role such as business analyst, progress to the position of project manager, and, eventually, end up serving as senior product manager.

The above is only one example of how a junior business analyst’s career path may pan out. Different individuals may have different career paths in this field. A junior business analyst can play many different roles depending on the skills and responsibilities. The following are some of the related job profiles:

• Business Process Analyst
• System Analyst
• IT Business Analyst
• Usability or UX Analyst
• Data Analyst

Junior Business Analyst Future Prospects

​​Organizations rely on business analysts to guide them in the right direction and advise them on the best practices. We are already living in an era where machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and IoT are significantly impacting organizations by generating data patterns and optimizing performances. So, more than half of the working population already needs to upskill and a large percentage of organizations are expected to adopt data analysis very soon.

Consequently, the role of a junior business analyst is likely to undergo transformation with these changes, but the demand for this profile will definitely not die. These professionals are required in every industry, from e-commerce leaders to leading financial institutions.

Conclusion

The future is bright for junior business analysts, and now is the time to upskill in this domain and have your dream career. Take advantage of the career opportunities that exist today. Junior business analysts are in demand in public and private sectors, large multinational organizations, as well as smaller independent firms. There is scope to work in this profile irrespective of the sector one may be interested in.