Analytics Manager vs. Data Scientist: What Are the Differences?

Data is becoming increasingly important in today’s business world. As a result, there is a growing demand for professionals who can analyze and interpret data. Two common job titles in this field are analytics manager and data scientist. Though these positions share some similarities, there are several key differences between them.

In this article, we discuss the differences between an analytics manager and a data scientist, and we provide additional data-related professions you may be interested in pursuing.

What is an Analytics Manager?

Analytics Managers are responsible for overseeing a team of analysts and ensuring that they are effectively mining data to find trends and insights that can help improve a company’s performance. They work with data scientists, engineers and other stakeholders to develop data-driven solutions to business problems. Analytics Managers also create and implement reporting and dashboards to help track progress and KPIs. They collaborate with teams across the organization to ensure that data is being used effectively to drive decision-making.

What is a Data Scientist?

Data Scientists are responsible for extracting, cleaning and analyzing data to find trends and insights that can help businesses make better decisions. They use their technical skills to develop algorithms, write code and build mathematical models. Data Scientists also use their business acumen to understand the context of the data and how it can be applied to solve real-world problems. They communicate their findings to stakeholders through reports, presentations and visualizations. Data Scientists typically have a background in computer science, mathematics or statistics.

Analytics Manager vs. Data Scientist

Here are the main differences between an analytics manager and a data scientist.

Job Duties

A data scientist performs a wide variety of tasks, while an analytics manager focuses on the managerial aspects of data analysis. Data scientists create and test algorithms, design experiments and develop machine learning programs to extract information from large datasets. Analytics managers oversee the entire data analysis process, ensuring that projects are completed on time and meet requirements. They communicate with stakeholders and other departments about project results and help ensure that data scientists have the resources they need to complete their work.

Job Requirements

To become an analytics manager, you need at least a bachelor’s degree in business administration, computer science or another related field. You might also pursue a master’s degree in business intelligence or data science to gain more advanced skills in the field. Additionally, it can be helpful to have experience working with data and analytics software, such as Tableau or SAS. Some employers might also require analytics managers to have project management experience.

Data scientists typically need at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, mathematics or another related field. However, many data scientists have a master’s degree or even a PhD. Data scientists might also benefit from having experience with programming languages, such as Python or R, and data analysis tools, such as Hadoop or Spark.

Work Environment

Analytics managers typically work in an office setting, but they may also travel to meet with clients and attend conferences. They spend most of their time working on projects that require them to analyze data and present it to executives or other stakeholders.

Data scientists often work in a laboratory environment where they can use specialized equipment to collect data. This means that they usually work in offices only when they’re creating reports for internal stakeholders. Data scientists who work in laboratories may wear protective clothing such as gloves and goggles while performing experiments.

Skills

Both analytics managers and data scientists use analytical skills to examine data and draw conclusions from it. However, data scientists tend to have more of a focus on using their mathematical skills to solve complex problems, while analytics managers may use their analytical skills to develop strategies for improving business operations.

Both analytics managers and data scientists need to be able to effectively communicate their findings to those who do not have an extensive background in mathematics or statistics. Data scientists typically use their findings to develop new products or improve existing ones, so they need to be able to clearly explain their work to engineers and other product development professionals. Analytics managers may use their findings to make recommendations about how a company can operate more efficiently, so they need to be able to present their ideas to executives and other decision-makers in a way that is easy to understand.

Salary

The average salary for an analytics manager is $113,165 per year, while the average salary for a data scientist is $118,822 per year. Both of these salaries can vary depending on the size of the company, the location of the job and the level of experience the employee has.