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
From International Data Analyst (L2)
2-3 years at L2Skills to master
- Taking full ownership of projects, designing solutions from scratch, presenting to senior stakeholders, and providing informal guidance to new joiners. You'd need to move beyond just executing tasks to proactively identifying problems and proposing solutions.
You're ready to move on when
- Consistently delivering complex analytical projects independently.
- Receiving positive feedback from stakeholders about your insights and communication.
- Proactively identifying and solving data quality issues without prompting.
- Demonstrating strong technical proficiency in Python and SQL, often helping peers with their queries.
- 2
From Senior BI Developer / Data Engineer (other companies)
5-8 years of relevant experienceSkills to master
- Adapting to our specific tech stack and data ecosystem, understanding our business domains (especially international aspects), and shifting from purely BI/engineering to more advanced analytical modelling and storytelling.
You're ready to move on when
- Ability to quickly pick up new data tools and methodologies.
- Strong track record of building robust data pipelines and visualisations.
- Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
- Experience working in a fast-paced, international environment.
- 3
From Specialist Consultant (Data & Analytics)
4-7 years in consultingSkills to master
- Transitioning from project-based external work to internal, long-term ownership of data products and solutions. This means getting hands-on with implementation rather than just strategy, and building deep relationships with internal teams.
You're ready to move on when
- Strong client-facing communication and problem-solving skills.
- Experience delivering data-driven projects for various clients.
- A desire to get more deeply involved in the technical build and ongoing maintenance.
- Ability to adapt to an internal, product-focused culture.