39 What the World Needs & What You Can Get Paid For: People Analytics Jobs and Careers

In today’s data-driven world, the need for people analytics is clearer than ever, not just because it’s trendy, but because it works. Studies by Deloitte, Human Capital Institute, McKinsey & Company, and others show a clear connection between strong people analytics and organizational success. In functions like HR which historically utilized limited data, the demand for analytics skills has never been higher  – LinkedIn studies found a 3X increase in HR profiles mentioning analytics keywords and identified “HR Analytics Manager” as the second fastest growing job in the United States over a 5 year period compared to all other job titles in all fields (it even ranked above truck drivers!). Organizations are now fully aware that analytics provides a key to unlocking the power of data to understand the workforce, optimize talent management, and ultimately, drive business success. People Analytics is not just a nice-to-have any more, it’s essential and as a result new people analytics jobs are popping up every day. Even jobs that aren’t specific to people analytics are starting to list people analytics skills as a key job requirement. The below sections are intended to show you some of the applications and techniques that are needed today, some of the areas in the work world where people are willing to pay for people analytics and some of the job titles in which you may find people being paid for the people analytics skills needed today.

People Analytics in Practice: Applications and Techniques

Remember, this guide is not intended to be a textbook, a description of what to do in people analytics, nor is the goal to provide examples of everything that is being done in people analytics today or every possible job title and role that may pop up. However, it is hard to talk about careers in people analytics without referencing the many different types of ways you might apply your people analytics skills in your career. So, here is a subset of some of those many approaches you may be taking when you are putting your people skills into practice in your career journey:

• Organizational Network Analysis
• Predictive Attrition Modeling
• Survival Analysis
• Workforce Planning (inclusive of Strategic Workforce Planning, Operational Workforce Planning, Staffing, Workforce Optimization)
• Learning Analytics
• Human Capital Valuation
• Return on Investment calculations (for people related initiatives)
• Compensation Analyses (inclusive of pay equity analyses, comp and ben analyses, predictive modeling, executive compensation, benefits allocation, cost modeling, plan allocation, etc.)
• Talent Acquisition (recruiting efficiency, sourcing, candidate selection, hiring, onboarding, process optimization, etc.)
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Employee Development
• Employee Listening
• Performance Management
• Facilities and real estate planning
• Data Science
• Data Engineering
• Machine Learning & Deep Learning
• Business Intelligence
• Information System Management (especially but not limited to HR information systems)
• Software and Technology Design and Development
• and so much more…

People Analytics in Practice: Areas of Practice

People analytics isn’t something that is done in only one way, in only certain types of organizations, or only by individuals with specific types of job titles. There are a number of different career paths, job titles, and different areas of organizations where you will find individuals applying their people analytics skills. This is wonderful because it provides so many possible career opportunities. It can also be confusing and complicate things if you are just starting out in your people analytics career or are in the job search process since it makes it quite difficult to identify people analytics roles and to get clarity on what is expected in the different types of roles in the field. To try to help with that, here’s a generalized, non-exhaustive, and not mutually exclusive list of some of the career areas where you see people analytics applications and techniques happening often:

• Human Resources (HR)/People Operations: This is one of the more common areas within an organization you might find career paths focused on using data to understand people, work, and the workforce. It covers all areas of what might be traditionally called HR but also goes by many other names like People Operations, Talent Management and more. With respect to people analytics, it encompasses anything that touches the workforce (e.g., employees or potential employees) and data and might include tasks like reporting, analysis, data management, and dashboarding. Roles range widely in the degree of required technical expertise from very minimal to very advanced programming and data science.
• Business Partnership/Consulting: Applying people analytics findings to solve business problems and support strategic decision-making is the cornerstone of this area. Professionals in these roles act as consultants, collaborating with various business units.
• People Science or People Analytics Research: This area delves deeper in terms of the methodologies used when seeking to understand the “why” behind workforce data. It involves research, analysis, advanced methodologies and more scientific rigor in its approaches.
• Applied People Analytics Specialties: There are many roles in people analytics that narrow in on a certain specialty area. The specialty area will be different for each role based on the specific need and these individuals are hired when people analytics skills are needed to address specific workforce and/or business challenges. Common specialty areas in people analytics include workforce planning, talent management, designing and analyzing surveys or tests, and building data-driven talent development initiatives (e.g., the analytics aspects of performance management, recruiting, learning, inclusion, equity, diversity, compensation, and others).
• Technology Roles: Business Intelligence, data science, data management, user experience, product design, product management, information architecture, system implementation, and the management and operations of HR information systems is a huge industry. There has also been an exponential growth in the financial investments in people analytics technology platforms, new people analytics startups, and some very heavy activity regarding mergers and acquisitions in the people analytics technology space. People Analytics is a HOT place to be for technology professionals today. Every technology job type that exists today exists in the people analytics technology space, making it a great space for those who want to combine a love of technology design, development or delivery aspects with a love of people analytics.
• Management: Leadership, team management, operations, mergers, acquisitions, venture capital, facilities, and office management all find themselves facing questions about people at work that require data-informed decisions every day. Even roles without direct people management responsibilities like finance operations, security, real estate and those who are responsible for managing the work of others indirectly such as product owners or project managers find themselves routinely requiring people analytics skills to be successful. Any role where there is management of work to be done, there is usually an opportunity for people analytics to help inform those decisions and be part of the skills that enable success in the role.
• Research/Academia: The field of people analytics research and academic careers is still young, but rapidly growing. You can find plenty of studies and a longer history of research and traditions in the academic fields of management science or psychology that apply.  Or, more recently there has been a growing body of research and teaching that specifically focuses on the more modern terminology of “HR Analytics” or “People Analytics.” It’s an exciting area for both research and teaching because it is interdisciplinary and allows for many different approaches. You can find people working in this space across fields like statistics, data analysis, psychology, information management, and business.

People Analytics in Practice: Job Roles

Because of all the various techniques, applications, and fields in which someone may work in people analytics, there is an almost limitless combination of possible job titles and roles. It would be impossible to give you an all-inclusive list of every job in which you could use your people analytics skills. But I can try my best to point you toward some common roles you may see as a starting point for considering options available to you. Here is an non-exhaustive list of some titles you may find people analytics professionals working in:

• People Analyst
• HR Analyst
• Talent Analyst
• Workforce Analyst
• Business Intelligence Analyst (HR)
• Data Scientist
• People Insights Specialist
• Workforce Insights Analyst
• Strategic Workforce Planning Analyst
• HR Information Systems (HRIS) Analyst
• HR Data Architect
• Data Governance Analyst
• Data Quality Specialist
• Master Data Management Analyst
• Data Privacy Analyst
• People Data Security Analyst
• Talent Acquisition Analyst
• Learning & Development Analyst
• Compensation & Benefits Analyst
• Employee Relations Analyst
• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I) Analyst
• People Experience Analyst
• Workforce Retention Analyst
• Employee Engagement Analyst
• HR Technology Implementation Specialist
• People Analytics Manager
• Director of People Analytics
• Head of People Analytics
• People Insights Manager
• Vice President of People Analytics
• Chief People Officer (CPO)
• Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO)
• People/HR/Talent/Workforce Analytics Consultant
• People Success Analyst
• Organizational Development Analyst
• Human Capital Strategist
• Talent Optimization Specialist
• People Operations Specialist
• Reporting Analyst
• Researcher
• Director of Workforce Science
• People Analytics Research Scientist
• Chief Human Capital Officer
• Workforce Transformation Specialist
• People Analytics Project Manager
• People Analytics Product Manager
• People Analytics Platform Manager
• Employee Experience Manager
• Strategic People Partner
• HR Business Partner
• Project Manager
• and so much more…

Remember, you don’t have to limit yourself to explicitly “People Analytics” titles. People analytics is a skillset, and it is also a domain, not just a job title. Many people do some form of People Analytics work without it being explicitly listed as a job responsibility, anytime we use people data to make informed decisions, we are doing people analytics work. There are countless opportunities for people analytics to provide us with data-driven insights whether we are working for non-profits, public companies, government entities, volunteer organizations, or even just to support a group of individuals working together to bring about a shared goal. There is no requirement that you be in a particular type of career path to be a people analytics professional. Only that you seek to use people data to find insights that drive action.

You can leverage it and focus on it in so many unique and different ways. Unlike a rigid career path, a career in People Analytics can be like a ‘choose your own adventure’ exploration, one with plenty of opportunities for unexpected twists and turns and countless options to customize and head in the directions that excite you most. Many people analytics professionals find themselves jumping into very different types of jobs throughout their career with People Analytics skills serving as the common thread connecting them together and making the jumps between such different types of roles possible. I, for example, have held job titles of consultant, researcher, analyst, data scientist, strategic workforce planner, talent management leader, HR technology and operations leader, VP people strategy, professor, and various others. Each of these roles required me to grow and stretch different skills but because I was able to leverage my other existing people analytics strengths those transitions were possible. As you consider what path you might want to follow, remember that it can change over time and that it’s extremely unlikely you will stay in one job type or role for your entire career.