Thinking ahead and reading the numbers: the people who study markets, competitors and data to decide where a company goes next.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Chief Strategy Officer: The executive who decides where a company should go next: new markets, acquisitions and big bets. Typical pay $250k.
Corporate Futurist: Studies trends and imagines possible futures so companies and governments can prepare for what's coming. Typical pay $130k.
Revenue Management Director: Sets the constantly changing prices for hotel rooms, airline seats or concert tickets to earn the most money. Typical pay $125k.
Competitive Intelligence Manager: Legally gathers information about competitors so a company knows what they're planning. Typical pay $120k.
Business Intelligence Manager: Leads the team that builds dashboards and reports so a company can see what's happening in its business. Typical pay $135k.
Merger Integration Manager: After one company buys another, combines their teams, systems and cultures without breaking the business. Typical pay $140k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Business Analyst: Figures out what a business needs and translates it into requirements for new software or processes. Typical pay $95k.
Process Mining Analyst: Uses the digital footprints in company software to map how work really flows, like how an order moves to delivery, and find where it gets stuck. Typical pay $100k.
Win-Loss Analyst: Interviews customers who just bought, or chose a competitor, to learn exactly why a company wins or loses sales deals. Typical pay $92k.
Starter: fastest way in
Reporting Analyst: Produces regular reports and spreadsheets that managers use to track performance. Typical pay $54k.
Business Research Assistant: Gathers facts and data for analysts, consultants or professors. Typical pay $45k.
Mystery Shopper: Poses as a regular customer to secretly rate stores, restaurants and hotels on service. Typical pay $10k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.