UK

United Kingdom · Corporate strategy · Entry Level (0-2 years)

Market Intelligence Analyst

Here is the whole job, in plain words. What it is, what you decide, how you're judged, how people get here and where they go next. Then the part no course gives you: twelve AI tutors who learn your work.

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One email: what AI is changing in this job, and where to start free. With a link back here. Nothing else follows unless you confirm your address.

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  • Experience bandEntry Level (0-2 years)
  • Direct reportsNo direct reports
  • Reports toGlobal Market Intelligence Analyst (L2) or Senior Global Market Intelligence Analyst (L3)
  • UK framework levelUsually someone starting out, or keeping a process running

Also advertised as Junior Market Analyst · Research Assistant (Market Intelligence) · Business Intelligence Trainee

Built on 43,079 real UK job descriptions we analysed · grounded in qualifications employers recognise

Two short quizzes about you

1From this job to a course

The qualifications matched to this job

Highfield Level 3 Diploma for Team Leaders and Supervisors (RQF) Highfield Qualifications · Level 3 · covers 2 of 9 standards
City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate In Providing Financial Services City & Guilds Limited · Level 3 · covers 1 of 9 standards
AIM Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Employability and Development Skills AIM Qualifications · Level 2 · covers 1 of 9 standards
City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration City & Guilds Limited · Level 2 · covers 1 of 9 standards
City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate In Providing Financial Services City & Guilds Limited · Level 2 · covers 1 of 9 standards
Highfield Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration (RQF) Highfield Qualifications · Level 2 · covers 1 of 9 standards

Matched from the standards this job is measured against: a suggestion, not an official ruling.

The units you would start with

Data Analysis Highfield Level 3 Diploma for Team Leaders and Supervisors (RQF)
Collating and analysing statistical insurance data City & Guilds Level 3 Certificate In Providing Financial Services
Marketing Research AIM Qualifications Level 2 Diploma in Employability and Development Skills
Collate and report data City & Guilds Level 2 Diploma in Business Administration
Collating, preparing and monitoring information and data from a variety of sources City & Guilds Level 2 Certificate In Providing Financial Services

The future skills this job leans on

AI Fluency working with AI as a thinking partner
Data Fluency turning numbers into a decision
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Your Plan Illustration

Built for Market Intelligence Analyst

5 units that map to this job, from the qualifications that cover it.

  1. Data Analysis Highfield Qualifications · covers 2 of 9 standards Level 3
  2. Collating and analysing statistical insurance data City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 3
  3. Marketing Research AIM Qualifications · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 2
  4. Collate and report data City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 2
  5. Collating, preparing and monitoring information and data from a variety of sources City & Guilds Limited · covers 1 of 9 standards Level 2
These are the real units behind this job, in the order they rank for it. Nothing here is marked done, because this plan has not been started by anyone yet. Yours would fill in as you go.

2AI and this work

Will AI change your work as a Market Intelligence Analyst?

Nobody can say exactly how. Here is what this job is being asked for next, and where to start.

The new skills this role is being asked for

  • Prompt Engineering for Market Research
  • Basic Data Storytelling with Visualisation
Why each one is rising

The future skills this job leans on

We'll only ever tell you what we can actually back up. No hype, no scare tactics.

What happens when you start

Next, a free account. We build your Market Intelligence Analyst plan as you set up, starting with a Future Fluency module on using AI in your job. No card.

Your first Future Fluency module is free. After that, your AI tutor is £70 a month.

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3What this role really is

A Market Intelligence Analyst gathers and organises data on markets, competitors and customers to support strategic decisions.

4What you'd actually use

The tools this job runs on, and how well you'd need to know each one.

Excel (Power Query, XLOOKUP, Pivot Tables) Intermediate

Cleaning messy data, performing basic calculations, creating pivot tables for summaries, and using XLOOKUP to combine data from different sheets. You'll be living in Excel.

SQL (PostgreSQL) Intermediate

Writing basic queries to extract specific datasets from our internal databases, joining tables, and filtering results to get the information you need for analysis.

Bloomberg Terminal / Refinitiv Eikon Intermediate

Pulling specific company financials, industry reports, news articles, and analyst estimates. You'll be guided on how to navigate these powerful (and sometimes overwhelming) platforms.

Crayon / Kompyte / Similarweb Basic

Monitoring pre-configured dashboards for competitor updates, website traffic changes, and ad campaigns. You'll be responsible for spotting and flagging key alerts.

Tableau / Power BI Intermediate

Modifying existing dashboards, refreshing data sources, and creating simple visualisations from clean, prepared data to support reports.

Confluence / Notion Intermediate

Contributing to the team's knowledge base by documenting your research, updating existing pages, and ensuring information is easy to find.

5What you get to decide, and how that grows

Power in a job isn't your title. It's what you're allowed to decide. Here's how it grows as you move up.

The choiceComing in Where you are nowThe step above
Data Source Selection Follow manager's guidance or pre-approved list of sources. Escalate if primary source is unavailable. Select appropriate data sources for routine tasks. Consult manager for novel or high-cost sources. Recommend and justify new data sources or subscriptions. Design data collection strategy for projects.
Research Methodology Execute pre-defined steps. Escalate any deviations or unexpected findings. Choose appropriate standard methodologies for project segments. Propose adaptations for minor variations. Design and validate research methodologies for complex projects. Define best practices for the team.
Report Content & Narrative Populate templates with data and draft summaries based on clear instructions. All content reviewed. Independently draft full reports and initial narratives for standard deliverables. Seek feedback before finalisation. Own the full narrative and recommendations for key reports. Present findings directly to senior stakeholders.
External Communication (Vendors/Experts) Assist with scheduling calls or sending pre-approved emails. No independent external communication. Conduct routine calls with vendors or expert network contacts following a script. Escalate complex queries. Lead discussions with vendors and experts. Negotiate research scope and deliverables within budget.

6How you'll be judged

The scoreboard, and what is not on it. The hard targets, how often each is actually looked at, and the quiet signals that never reach a dashboard.

Data Accuracy
The percentage of data points you gather that are free from errors or discrepancies when checked by a senior analyst.
Target · <1% error rate in compiled data sets

You compile a competitor's Q3 earnings report, and a senior analyst finds no mistakes in the revenue or profit figures you've pulled.

Report Completion Rate
The percentage of assigned weekly or monthly market intelligence reports (e.g., competitor news digests) that you deliver on time.
Target · 100% of assigned reports delivered on schedule

Your weekly competitor news summary is always in the team's inbox by 9 AM every Monday morning.

Ad-hoc Request Turnaround
How quickly you can respond to and complete smaller, urgent data requests from your manager or senior analysts.
Target · >90% of ad-hoc requests completed within 48 hours (or agreed timeframe)

Your manager asks for a quick market size estimate for 'AI in logistics' on Tuesday morning; you deliver the initial data by Wednesday afternoon.

Data Coverage
The breadth and depth of information you gather for specific research tasks, ensuring no obvious gaps.
Target · Achieve 95% coverage of specified data points for each research brief

When researching a new market entrant, you identify all their key product offerings, recent funding rounds, and executive hires, as outlined in the research brief.

Learning & Application
How quickly you pick up new tools, methodologies, and internal processes, and then actually use them in your work.
  • You're asking smart questions, taking notes, and then applying what you've learned without needing to be reminded. You can explain a new data source or tool after a couple of weeks. You're not making the same mistake twice.
Proactive Information Sharing
Spotting something interesting or potentially important in the market and sharing it with the team, even if it wasn't specifically requested.
  • You flag an unexpected competitor move in a team chat. You bring up a relevant article during a team meeting. You suggest a new source for market data. You're not just waiting to be told what to do
  • you're looking for things that matter.
Organisational Skills
Keeping your work tidy, well-documented, and easy for others to pick up, which is crucial for a team that relies on shared knowledge.
  • Your files are named logically. Your research notes are clear and concise. Someone else can easily find the source data for your reports. You're not creating a mess for future-you (or future-us) to clean up.
Stakeholder Feedback (Internal)
The quality of feedback you receive from senior analysts or managers on your contributions and overall helpfulness.
  • Your manager says your data pulls were 'spot on' or 'really helpful'. Senior analysts trust you with more complex tasks. They come to you directly for certain data points because they know you'll get it right and quickly.

7Would you like it

Both sides. What people enjoy, and what grinds them down.

What people enjoy
Learning & Development

You'll be constantly exposed to new data sources, analytical techniques, and strategic thinking. Every day is a chance to pick up something new, whether it's a new Excel trick or a deeper understanding of a market segment.

You're excited to learn how to use a Bloomberg terminal or how to structure a complex SQL query, seeing it as a tangible skill you can add to your toolkit.

Contributing to Big Decisions

While you won't be making the final calls, your work directly feeds into the strategic recommendations that shape the company's future. You'll see your data points appear in executive presentations.

You feel a sense of pride when a chart you created, based on data you pulled, is used in a board meeting to explain a key market trend.

Problem Solving & Discovery

You'll be tasked with finding answers to specific questions, often starting with a pile of raw, unstructured information. It's like solving a puzzle every day, uncovering hidden insights.

You enjoy the process of sifting through dozens of articles and reports to find the one crucial piece of information that answers a senior analyst's question.

What frustrates people
  • The 'drive-by' request from an executive: 'How big is the market for X in Y by tomorrow?' when it's a week's work.
  • Spending hours cleaning data only to find it's still incomplete or contradictory.
  • Being asked to 'find the data' to support a decision that's already been made.
  • The sheer volume of information out there, making it hard to separate 'signal from noise'.
  • Your carefully researched insights being dismissed by a salesperson saying, 'That's not what I'm seeing on the street.'
What this role does not give you
  • Immediate strategic decision-making authority.
  • Full autonomy over project scope or methodology.
  • A guaranteed path to see every piece of your work deployed into production.
  • A quiet, predictable, 'head-down' environment; you'll be interacting and supporting a lot.

8Who you work with

This role is crucial for ensuring the Corporate Strategy team has a reliable foundation of market facts. Your work helps validate assumptions, identify early warning signs from competitors, and generally keeps us from flying blind. It's about building the bedrock of evidence that informs everything from product roadmap decisions to potential M&A targets. Get it right, and the whole business benefits from better-informed strategy.

Inside the business
  • Corporate Strategy Team (Senior Analysts & Managers)
  • Product Marketing
  • Sales Operations (for competitive battlecards)
  • Data & Analytics Team
Outside the business
  • Market Research Vendors (e.g., Gartner, Forrester)
  • Data Terminal Providers (e.g., Bloomberg, Refinitiv)

9What you need before you start

Not a wish list. The things you would be expected to already have.

  • Strong analytical aptitude: You enjoy working with numbers and finding patterns.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (intermediate level is a must).
  • A genuine interest in market dynamics, competitive strategy, and business intelligence.
  • Ability to work effectively in a team environment and take direction well.

10What to practise next

Where the job is going, and what to do about it starting this week.

Advanced SQL & Database Interaction

As our data ecosystem grows, being able to pull exactly the data you need, efficiently, becomes critical. You'll need to go beyond basic queries.

Subqueries & CTEs · Window Functions · Database Schema Understanding

  • This week: Review existing complex SQL queries used by senior analysts.
  • This month: Practice writing queries with JOINs and WHERE clauses on internal test data.
  • Month 2: Take an online course on intermediate SQL concepts.
  • Month 3: Propose an optimised query for a recurring data pull.

Quick win: Start asking senior analysts to explain their SQL queries when you see them. Don't be afraid to ask 'why'.

Python for Data Automation & Analysis

Python is becoming the go-to language for automating repetitive data tasks, performing more sophisticated analysis, and building custom scripts. You'll move beyond basic cleaning to more robust scripting.

Pandas DataFrames · Web Scraping (BeautifulSoup/Scrapy) · API Interactions

  • This week: Complete an introductory Python course focusing on data science libraries.
  • This month: Write a simple Python script to automate a small, repetitive Excel task.
  • Month 2: Explore how to use Python to pull data from a simple public API.
  • Month 3: Contribute to a team Python script, perhaps adding a new feature or improving documentation.

Quick win: Use Python to quickly rename a batch of files or reformat a text document. Small wins build confidence.

11Staying current once you are in

What people here do to keep up
  • Regularly read industry publications and market research reports to stay updated on trends.
  • Participate in online courses or workshops on advanced Excel, SQL, or data visualisation.
  • Attend industry webinars or virtual conferences on market intelligence or corporate strategy.
  • Join relevant professional networking groups (online or in-person) to learn from peers.

12The rising capability

The rising capability

Zavmo analysis

What's rising in its place

This is where the work is heading, and the higher pay with it. Get fluent here and the shift stops being a threat and starts being your edge.

Prompt Engineering for Market Research

Generative AI is transforming how quickly we can get initial drafts of reports or summarise vast amounts of text. Analysts who can 'talk' to these AIs effectively will be far more productive.

  • Clear Instruction Design
  • Context Provision
  • Output Validation
  • Iterative Prompting

Basic Data Storytelling with Visualisation

It's not enough to just pull data; you need to be able to make it understandable and compelling for others. Visualisation tools are becoming more powerful, and the expectation is that even junior analysts can contribute to clear, impactful charts.

  • Chart Selection
  • Visual Hierarchy
  • Annotation & Labelling
  • Audience Awareness

13What you’ll use

What you’ll use

Skills this role draws on

Technical

  • TAM/SAM/SOM Analysis (Foundational)
  • Competitive Benchmarking (Data Collection)
  • Primary Research Principles (Assistance)
  • Strategic Frameworks (Conceptual)

14The pathway

The pathway

How you actually get there, here

How you become one varies far more by country than what one does. This is the UK route. Most people take one of these ways in; the right one depends on where you're starting from.

  1. 1

    Graduate Scheme (Business/Analytics)

    0-1 year post-graduation

    Skills to master

    • Structured problem-solving, foundational data analysis, professional communication, project support.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Successfully completed rotations in analytical or research-focused departments.
    • Received positive feedback on data accuracy and report contributions.
    • Demonstrated initiative in learning new tools and processes.
  2. 2

    Junior Analyst / Research Assistant (Other Departments)

    1-2 years in a related role

    Skills to master

    • Data collection and cleaning, basic reporting, stakeholder support, attention to detail.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Managed routine data requests independently.
    • Contributed to departmental reports or presentations.
    • Expressed a clear interest in market and competitive intelligence specifically.
  3. 3

    Academic Researcher / Teaching Assistant (Post-Grad)

    1-2 years post-Master's degree

    Skills to master

    • Literature review, statistical analysis (basic), academic writing, presentation skills.

    You're ready to move on when

    • Published academic work or presented research findings.
    • Strong command of research methodologies and critical thinking.
    • Desire to apply research skills to commercial business problems.

15Where this role leads

The long view: This work can lead to senior analyst roles covering a specific market or competitor, or into strategist roles designing intelligence programmes that shape direction across departments.

The ten Future Fluencies

Zavmo analysis

The credential is what you can do today. These are what keep you valuable.

A qualification proves you can do the job as it's defined today. These ten are what decide whether you're still the obvious person for it in five years. They're the capabilities employers are now writing into senior roles faster than people are learning them. Zavmo weaves them through whatever you study, so you come out with both: the credential and the fluency.

The highlighted ones are the Fluencies your role leans on hardest, from how Market Intelligence Analyst is actually changing.

Where it leads

Roles this leads to

How you would learn this

One to one, on the work you already do

A tutor sets the task against your own job and marks the reasoning, at your pace. There is no cohort to fall behind.

A lesson from Data Analysis, worked against Market Intelligence Analyst.

Data Analysis Level 3

Applied to your work in Market Intelligence Analyst

This unit aims to equip learners with the skills to collate and analyse data from various sources using appropriate techniques. Learners will be able to interpret data analysis results and create structured reports, effectively communicating key insights and recommendations using visual aids.

How the thinking builds
  1. 1 Remember
  2. 2 Understand
  3. 3 Apply
  4. 4 Analyse
  5. 5 Evaluate
  6. 6 Create
An illustration of a Zavmo lesson, built from this role’s own route. The unit, its objective and every criterion above are the awarding body’s own words, not an example.

It is £70 a month, billed monthly. Your free first module is Future Fluency, and you can cancel any time.

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See Your Progress Grow Illustration
Market Intelligence Analyst
  • TAM/SAM/SOM Analysis (Foundational)
  • Competitive Benchmarking (Data Collection)
  • Primary Research Principles (Assistance)
  • Strategic Frameworks (Conceptual)
This is your Mind Palace on learn.zavmo.ai. Every skill above comes from this role's own record, not an example borrowed from another job. A node lights up when you evidence it, and what you build stays yours between jobs. That is the part a course cannot do.

16The detail, folded away

Everything else the record holds

The career branches in full, how AI is already showing up in the day-to-day, and the questions people ask about this job. Here when you want them, out of the way while you decide.

Where it leads next, rung by rung

Where it leads

The career path, and where it branches

Market Intelligence Analyst is a start, not a ceiling. Each step below asks for new skills and hands back more autonomy.

  1. Global Market Intelligence Analyst (L2)

    2-3 years in the entry-level role

    You'll move from executing tasks under supervision to independently owning standard deliverables and managing routine ad-hoc requests. You'll start to propose solutions, not just execute instructions.

    • Advanced Data Wrangling More complex SQL queries, basic Python scripting for automation.
    • Dashboard Design Independently building and maintaining standard dashboards.
    • Basic Win/Loss Analysis Assisting with structured interviews and data collection.
    • Effective Presentation Clearly communicating findings to internal clients.
Working with AI on the job

Working with AI

Where AI is starting to help

Let's be real, a big chunk of market intelligence work can be repetitive and time-consuming. Imagine if you could cut down on the manual data gathering, summarising, and first-draft writing. Well, with AI, you can. We're not talking about replacing your job, but giving you a powerful co-pilot to handle the tedious bits, freeing you up for the interesting, analytical work.

For a Market Intelligence Analyst, AI isn't some far-off future tech; it's a tool you can use today to dramatically speed up your workflow. Think of it as having an incredibly fast, tireless assistant who can read, summarise, and organise information at lightning speed. This means less time sifting through reports and more time actually thinking about what the data means.

Automated Competitor Monitoring

Use AI agents to automatically scrape, summarise, and categorise competitor news, press releases, earnings call transcripts, and regulatory filings. The AI flags significant events and provides you with a daily summary brief, so you don't have to manually trawl through dozens of websites. You'll just review the highlights.

Accelerated Thematic Analysis

Instead of manually reading through hundreds of customer reviews or survey responses, you can feed them into an AI model. It'll instantly identify key themes, sentiment drivers, and emerging product complaints or requests, giving you a quick overview of what customers are really saying.

First-Draft Generation

Need to write a competitor profile or a market overview report? Use a generative AI assistant (like ChatGPT or Claude) with specific prompts and source documents to create the initial draft. You'll then refine, validate, and add your own insights, but the blank page won't be staring back at you for hours.

Executive Summary Synthesizer

After you've done the detailed analysis, use AI to generate multiple versions of an executive summary. You can tailor it to different audiences (e.g., a short, punchy version for the CEO; a more detailed one for the Head of Product), saving you time on crafting bespoke summaries.

Common questions

Common questions

How do you become a Market Intelligence Analyst?

Common routes in include Graduate Scheme (Business/Analytics) (0-1 year post-graduation), Junior Analyst / Research Assistant (Other Departments) (1-2 years in a related role) and Academic Researcher / Teaching Assistant (Post-Grad) (1-2 years post-Master's degree). Times vary with prior experience.

Where can a Market Intelligence Analyst progress to?

This role can lead on to Global Market Intelligence Analyst (2-3 years in the entry-level role), depending on the skills you build.

What new skills matter most for a Market Intelligence Analyst?

Increasingly, Prompt Engineering for Market Research and Basic Data Storytelling with Visualisation. These are the skills our record of this role lists as growing.

Free tools

Want a read on where you stand?

Three free tools, no account needed. Each one ends with a role, a level and a way in.

Read the Zavmo manifesto to understand how you will be taught Meet your tutors

Or try another one

17Where to go from here

Other roles at Level 2

Same depth of qualification, different job. Useful if the work appeals but this particular role does not.

 More jobs in corporate strategy

Stay in the field you know and move sideways rather than up.
If you leave this industry

The analytical and research skills involved apply beyond one sector. They can lead to broader corporate strategy work, product management, investment research or management consulting. Market intelligence is a foundational skill for many business roles.

This role profile is © 2026 Growth Engineering Technologies Ltd. Built from UK occupational standards and regulated qualification data, and written for Zavmo.

You're not behind. You're right on time. The shift is only just beginning. Your role won't look the same in two years. Be the one who leads the change, not the one it happens to. Start my Market Intelligence Analyst plan, free What happens next: a free account, then we build your plan as you set up. No card. Build your plan, see your roadmap and meet the twelve tutors matched to you. All free. When you're ready to start learning, it's £70 a month, billed monthly. Cancel any time and billing stops.