How To Become A Data Management Associate: What It Is and Career Path

What is a data management associate and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Dylan Brewer

A data management associate is part of the project team that coordinates database development. This team determines the scope and limitations of the project. The data management associate develops and implements security measures to protect the organization's information from leaking, corruption, or modification. They review industry trends in database systems to get information that could help improve business processes and oversee the installation of new databases and test programs to make necessary changes. As a data management associate, you are responsible for devising standard protocols to guide acquiring and using databases and protect sensitive information.

A bachelor's degree in a related discipline is the primary qualification for a data management associate. Apart from this, at least a year of experience managing data and the ability to use database software and MS Office are vital. You must possess communication, interpersonal, and organization skills. You will earn about $31.38 an hour or approximately $65,263 yearly.

What general advice would you give to a Data Management Associate?

Dylan Brewer

Assistant Professor, Georgia Institute of Technology

Students with a bachelor's degree in economics from Georgia Tech often find employment opportunities in a variety of fields, including technology, consulting, banking, and policy/nonprofit organizations. In addition, lots of students go on to pursue graduate degrees. Here are some typical jobs that economics graduates from Georgia Tech might pursue:

Tech:
Data analyst roles at tech companies like Google, Amazon, Microsoft, etc.
Business analyst or product manager roles at tech firms
Economic analyst positions at tech companies, analyzing market trends and consumer behavior
Positions in financial technology companies, leveraging economic knowledge and data skills

Consulting:
Economic consultant roles at major consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, Deloitte, etc.
Management consulting positions, providing data-driven business strategy advice
Consulting roles focused on economic analysis, forecasting, and risk assessment

Banking/Finance:
Roles in investment banking, such as financial analyst or associate positions
Positions in commercial banking, such as credit analyst or loan officer
Opportunities in corporate finance, financial analysis, and risk management departments
Roles in asset management firms, hedge funds, and other investment companies

Policy/Nonprofit:
Economic policy analyst positions at think tanks, research organizations, or government agencies
Roles in economic development organizations, analyzing policies and initiatives
Opportunities at nonprofit organizations focused on economic issues, such as poverty alleviation or microfinance
Positions in international organizations like the World Bank or IMF, working on economic development projects

Graduate studies:
Economics PhD and masters programs focused on research
Legal (JD) programs and other social sciences PhD programs
Data science masters programs

The quantitative and analytical skills gained through an economics degree, combined with Georgia Tech's strong reputation in STEM fields, make economics graduates attractive candidates for roles that involve data analysis, forecasting, and strategic decision-making across various industries.

ScoreData Management AssociateUS Average

Salary

8.1

Avg. Salary $119,281

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.9

Growth Rate 31%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.22%

Asian 22.75%

Black or African American 5.06%

Hispanic or Latino 7.59%

Unknown 4.95%

White 59.43%

Gender

female 63.61%

male 36.39%

Age - 35

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 35

Stress Level

4.9

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.6

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a data management associate

Explore data management associate education requirements

Most common data management associate degrees

Bachelor's

63.3 %

Associate

14.7 %

Master's

13.9 %

Start to develop specific data management associate skills

Skills	Percentages
Data Management	23.87%
Data Quality	12.59%
Data Analysis	9.78%
PowerPoint	7.27%
Data Collection	4.86%

Complete relevant data management associate training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New data management associates learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a data management associate based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real data management associate resumes.

Research data management associate duties and responsibilities

Manage clinical trials by gathering data, monitoring adverse events, screening patients for eligibility and scheduling patients per protocol.
Prepare and completely review QA, OBQI, CQI studies.
Educate in SAS programming to enable better dataset delivery.
Maintain ETL conversion jobs, data models, schema changes and data feeds.

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