People analytics roles

People analytics specialists gather and make use of data to create people insights to guide decision making, often at the most strategic level.

What does a people analytics specialist do?

With their structured, methodical approach, people analytics specialists use analytical consulting methods to address challenges and shape solutions, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods to address organisational issues. People analytics specialists are problem solvers, who use data with other forms of evidence to enable effective decision making. As leaders in people intelligence, they use data and evidence to improve organisational decision-making on people issues across the organisation, combining their data with wider organisational data sets to influence and contribute towards strategic decision making.

Your typical activities

Here are some of the activities you can expect to be involved in as a people analytics specialist:

• Selecting and advising on what databases to use
• Identifying data held and its potential use
• Taking an analytical consulting approach to people issues
• Interpreting and exploring business problems using people data
• Creating people data sets and aligning these to wider organisational data sets
• Using and applying quantitative and qualitative research design to solve problems
• Carrying out data analysis, from basic to multivariant analysis
• Making sure data is reported in a transparent, accessible and useable way
• Advising HR business partners on the best course of action.

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Types of roles in people analytics

Here is a shortlist of the types of job titles you might find in people analytics:

• People Analyst
• Senior People Data Analyst
• HRIS Manager
• People Analytics Manager
• People Analytics Consultant
• Head of People Analytics