Senior Research Analyst: Roles, Skills, and Career

After reaching out to Hamilton alumni at Brattle and reading about the company on its website, it became immediately clear to me that Brattle fostered a collegial, friendly, and supportive environment. I was excited about the opportunity to apply economic theory to casework, construct economic models, and work alongside experts in their field. As what is research analyst an economics major interested in pursuing law school, Brattle seemed like the perfect place to blend two of my passions by assisting experts preparing economic analyses for litigation.

Investment research analysts can earn more than $100,000 at major banks, but more representative salaries for other research analysts tend to fall between $50,000 and $70,000 per year. Financial analysts and research analysts are similar, but there are differences. Take your learning and productivity to the next level with our Premium Templates.

Research Analysts (RAs) at Brattle are critical members of project teams and work directly with experts in a collaborative and collegial atmosphere. As an RA, you will build your knowledge and skills through both hands-on and formal training and apply what you’ve learned in school to help clients solve complex problems. A major challenge of the job is to give clients actionable insights when the research objective can be fairly open-ended to begin with. Zmijewski says building relationships with clients, learning about their internal team dynamics, and studying objectives and needs can help ease this challenge. But where your experience ends, the market research analyst’s has only just begun.

They interpret client data and customer trends with the goal of helping companies understand what consumers are buying, at what price, and what they’re not buying. To become a Research Analyst, a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like economics, finance, or statistics is typically required. The explosion of data in the digital age has significantly increased the need for skilled professionals who can interpret this information. Businesses and organizations across sectors rely on data to make informed decisions, driving demand for Research Analysts.

1. A research analyst is someone who typically performs investigative analysis, which can involve finding financial information, examining, interpreting, and reporting on the data collected.
2. Financial ratios are used to interpret the data, which helps compare a company’s data to other companies within the same industry.
3. This means they need to think critically about how to make available information useful.
4. They rely on a fundamental understanding of business valuation and economic principles to create reports and make recommendations; they are the behind-the-scenes experts.
5. For instance, the healthcare industry requires analysts to interpret patient care, treatment outcomes, and operational efficiency data.
6. Business or management researchers may research and investigate new company structure, project management or employee development methods to improve a company’s less tangible progress.

Is Research Analysis right for me?

Through firm-sponsored trainings and working alongside other research analysts, I’ve become proficient in R, Excel, web scraping, and more. While I still utilize my qualitative skills every day, Brattle’s given me the opportunity to broaden and strengthen my quantitative skills. I was interested in working for a company where I could apply the expertise I gained in industrial economics and finance while attending CEMFI. I was drawn to Brattle because of their international environment and the wide range of projects from various industries and countries around the world.

For instance, the healthcare industry requires analysts to interpret patient care, treatment outcomes, and operational efficiency data. At the same time, the finance sector relies on analysts for market trends, investment opportunities, and risk management. Because analysts are essential to business growth, you’ll need an excellent job description to find the best candidates. Remember that a job seeker typically views many posts at the same time, so this is your chance to stand out. Keep the analyst job description brief, but include enough details to paint a full picture of the role and the work environment.

Are there any cost-effective tools for startups and individual Research Analysts?

Include a summary of your company’s vision and culture, and touch on the impact the analyst will have on business success. Some companies might have a research analyst role, assigned to a specific project (like management, business, economics or finance) to gather and analyze data meant to answer a certain question. Market research analysis tools would be an integral part of this employee’s work. Financial analysts collect and analyze data but always within the context of a prior deductive understanding of how markets should function. Their thinking is systemic and, particularly at more senior levels, subjective. Give a research analyst a series of inputs, and they can calculate the most efficient way to maximize output.

What Is a Market Research Analyst? Surveying This Data-Driven Career

1. Data scientists need to have in-depth knowledge of major programming languages, including Python, SQL, and NoSQL.
2. Also, market research analysts are employed in the investment industry to analyze the overall financial market trends for equity and bond markets.
3. If you are digging into this kind of research for yourself, then you probably already have some of the skills you’d need to do it for a company.
4. A Research Analyst’s primary job is to gather, analyze, and interpret data to provide actionable insights.
5. Sharda believes daily work with trend knowledge can be life-changing for market research analysts.

A research analyst is a professional who prepares investigative reports on securities or assets for in-house or client use. Other titles for this function include securities analyst, investment analyst, equity analyst, rating analyst, or simply “analyst.” Long term work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these careers. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work several years in the field to be qualified for the job. Coming into Brattle, my long-term goal was to attend law school and pursue work related to the criminal justice system. However, I wanted an experience out of college that would provide insight into both law, economics, and public policy while simultaneously strengthening my quantitative skillset.

Project Management and Collaboration Software

Salaries for Research Analysts can vary widely depending on the industry, location, and level of experience. On average, entry-level positions may start around $50,000 to $70,000 per year, with opportunities to earn more as you gain experience. Senior analysts and those in specialized fields can expect salaries upwards of $100,000. While some Research Analysts start with a bachelor’s degree in fields like economics, finance, statistics, or business, others may come from different backgrounds like social sciences or engineering. Beyond the degree, certifications such as the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or Certified Market Research Analyst (CMRA) can enhance your qualifications and open doors to more advanced positions. Staying informed about advancements in analysis tools and methodologies is also crucial to adapt to the evolving demands of the role.

From there, opportunities to transition into management or executive roles, such as Research Manager or Director of Research, become available. The career path is flexible, with plenty of room for growth and advancement. Certain fields, such as healthcare, finance, and technology, demand particularly strongly for Research Analysts.

Within a company, they might be found in a number of departments, with a number of different job titles. The best part about working at Brattle is the opportunity to participate on projects from a range of industries, and the use of the state-of-the-art methodologies in the analysis is a fantastic learning experience. I am also constantly surprised by how friendly and collaborative the environment at Brattle is. You will create robust economic and financial models, formulate compelling written deliverables, and conceptualize project work. You may coauthor a publication or be part of a presentation to clients or other audiences. Some RAs focus on developing expertise in a particular industry area, while others seek exposure to as many types of projects as possible.