25 of the Highest Paying Data Jobs in 2026

The best Data jobs can pay up to $400,000 per year.

High Paying Data Jobs

• Bioinformatics Associate

  Salary range: $78,500 - $400,000

  The role of a bioinformatics associate is to perform detailed data analysis in a biology or life sciences research lab. An associate is a staff scientist or researcher, and they have significant responsibilities within the lab structure. They are responsible for conducting information support using primary research as well as developing models using a data algorithm or other analytical tools. A bioinformatics associate uses these to analyze the information and data sets collected in the lab. They may also develop a storage and archiving system so that other researchers can access data sets. Qualifications to become a bioinformatics associate typically include a master’s degree or Ph.D.

• Director Statistical Programming

  Salary range: $260,500 - $322,500

  The job of a director of statistical programming oversees the development and implementation of SAS programs to produce statistical analysis datasets. In this career, your responsibilities include managing the team that generates tables and graphs using the SAS programs for applications such as clinical studies. Other duties include participating in the planning and review of statistical analysis and studying reports, abstracts, and manuscripts as required. You collaborate with project leads to contribute to department operations and standards, such as CDISC for clinical research.

• Data Center Architect

  Salary range: $95,000 - $209,500

  As a data center architect, your job is to help design the physical environments necessary to sustain the virtual environments now used by many companies to host and manage their data. To fulfill the responsibilities and duties of this role, you may evaluate existing problems, determine solutions, and finally create a design that allows for the easiest possible expansion and replication of data center systems. In this context, data center refers to a centralized facility that hosts one or more mainframes or primary computer servers and should not be confused with jobs that only manage digital information. Data centers can be any size, but most data center architects focus on more extensive facilities.

• Data Center Engineer

  Salary range: $84,000 - $196,000

  A data center engineer’s duties are to design, implement, and monitor information technology systems at a data center. A data center engineer must be familiar with a variety of IT hardware, such as servers, cables, power systems, and cooling equipment, needed to maintain the physical safety of an IT facility, which includes fire safety. Their job is to set up the infrastructure needed to connect servers and hard drives together, and be familiar with the capacity of the technology. After setting up IT systems, they are responsible for system monitoring, maintenance, and troubleshooting.

• Director Data Management

  Salary range: $110,000 - $189,500

  As a director of data management, your responsibilities include all operational and strategic aspects of data management, especially regarding product development and decision-making. You monitor a team and handle data management to develop, implement, and complete projects while ensuring a high level of data quality based on regulatory standards. You also manage resources and the budget, lead the development of Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) roadmaps, and develop dashboards and metrics to show the status of data governance and quality. You are also expected to oversee the collection of information into the business data warehouse, build analytic solutions using various big data techniques and tools, and document these solutions and the technical data architecture. Other duties include providing guidance using best industry practices, working with many client databases, and interpreting flag codes.

• Curam Developer

  Salary range: $96,000 - $178,500

  An IBM Curam developer uses computer programming skills to customize applications and programs within a certain framework. They work on a project to implement or customize a Curam system that suits the needs of an employer or client. Their duties and responsibilities may also include testing an application, providing solutions to technical issues, and performing upgrades and system maintenance. Often, they develop applications and processes for specific programs, such as a government welfare or healthcare program. Qualifications often include a bachelor’s degree and certification.

• Sap Functional Analyst

  Salary range: $123,500 - $175,500

  An SAP functional analyst uses their knowledge of SAP software to make sure a business is running efficiently. Job duties include collecting data and finding solutions to help a business increase profits and operate cost-effectively. An SAP functional analyst may also use their skills to develop a new business process. Career qualifications typically include a bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field, and experience working with computer programming and software applications.

• Tableau Architect

  Salary range: $110,000 - $170,000

  The job of a Tableau architect is to design the set-up and security of applications, dashboards, and other tools made using Tableau software, which is a suite of a data visualization programs focused on business intelligence and IT. As a Tableau architect, your duties include consulting with other designers, end-users, and managers to determine the scope and need for different data visualization tools and then develop these tools and ensure their proper configuration. As the architect, your responsibilities are to create the technical architecture for the tools and define different features for the developer or programmer to execute.

• Clinical Statistical Programmer

  Salary range: $71,500 - $169,500

  The job duties of a clinical statistical programmer involve collecting data, performing statistical analysis, and analyzing data sets according to the needs of their employer or client. Your responsibilities in this career may involve using SAS programming to create and analyze data sets during clinical trials or other clinical experiments and studies. You may also be involved in performing data integration for reports following clinical research or statistical analysis for quality control (QC).

• Data Center Manager

  Salary range: $167,000 - $167,000

  A data center manager oversees computer systems and information for companies and organizations. As a data center manager, your responsibilities include backing up data, troubleshooting technical problems, communicating with staff and upper management, and supervising data center technicians. Qualifications vary for a career in data center management, but most employers require prior information technology experience and an associate degree or higher. Computer skills, customer service abilities, and experience with supervisory duties are also helpful in information management jobs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects employment for data center managers to increase in the coming decade.

• Senior Data Scientist

  Salary range: $118,500 - $166,500

  A senior data scientist does complex data analysis. Job duties include gathering data and writing reports that can help people make decisions. In some cases, they may offer machine learning which is a way to help computers process and understand data. A senior data scientist may also be asked to formulate an algorithm to solve work problems. You need statistics and programming knowledge to be successful in this career.

• Azure Architect

  Salary range: $127,000 - $165,500

  As an Azure architect, your job is to develop solutions, implement projects, and set up monitoring systems for companies using Microsoft Azure, a cloud-based computing service that focuses on creating, testing, deploying, and managing application and service software. Azure architects frequently implement automated solutions to monitor software development, provide systems support at all hours, execute cloud migration plans, and participate in client workshops to ensure the technical design of software meets their requirements. You may also help define solutions that meet your customer's needs, create proposals for the use of Azure, present said recommendations to C-Suite executives, and design infrastructure upgrade plans. You may work directly with Microsoft employees for technical support and the development of new features.

• Data Architect

  Salary range: $127,500 - $164,000

  A data architect handles the creation and management of data systems for a business, school, health care facility, government agency, or other organization. As a data architect, your job duties include the design of data models, the development of data storage systems, and overall data management. Your job requires experience with various software and computer programming languages, systems, and utilities, such as SQL, Oracle, and BusinessObjects, Hadoop, big data systems, data warehousing, and ETL (extract, transform, load). Additional qualifications for this career include excellent problem-solving skills.

• BI Architect

  Salary range: $123,000 - $164,000

  A business information (BI) architect helps design business and management architecture, which is a way to organize data and information to provide insights into efficiency, productivity, and business systems. Your duties as a BI architect are to design a system that analyzes the data gathered by other BI analysts. Managers and executives then use your framework to determine solutions or new strategies for conducting business. Qualifications for a career as a BI architect include a bachelor’s degree in computer science, statistics, or data science, experience in business analytics, and strong analytical skills.

• Oracle ADF Developer

  Salary range: $138,000 - $161,500

  An Oracle ADF developer works on development projects within the Oracle Application Development Framework (ADF). In this career, you develop customized software, server, and application solutions for a corporation or organization. Your responsibilities include working on the framework for application and software development and testing using Java programming. You may also communicate with clients or your employer to assess their needs and create a customized plan for development. Other duties include performing research to find design techniques and approaches that fit the needs of your enterprise solutions projects.

• Statistical Programmer

  Salary range: $125,000 - $160,000

  A statistical programmer creates statistical programming deliverables. You ensure excellent programming of analysis-ready data, tables, and figures. You may use Stata for general purpose statistical analysis or SPSS for interactive or batched statistical analysis. Your responsibilities include developing standard operating procedures and complying with guidelines. Other duties include remaining informed on developments in programming standards and meeting all regulatory requirements. You also create PROC statements that call upon named procedures for analysis. You develop programs for dataset integration, prepare resource plans, and assist with quality control of datasets.

• SAP HANA Developer

  Salary range: $122,000 - $160,000

  As an SAP HANA developer, you design and develop tools that can be used to conduct an analysis of information in a database. In this role, you may determine the best way to implement analytics software, maintain data models, collaborate with business teams to ensure your software meets alignment requirements, and produce innovative solutions as needed to keep things on track. SAP HANA developers often troubleshoot tuning problems, communicate model designs to peers and customers, and maintain detailed documentation for SAP HANA systems so other people can understand their functions. This is often a collaborative role, so the ability to program in concert with other developers is essential to success.

• Oracle Database Architect

  Salary range: $118,000 - $160,000

  As an Oracle database architect, your job is to help design and manage database systems for your business. To fulfill the responsibilities and duties of this data management role, you may assess the needs of the company, map out the electronic database, and help program it in a way that allows the database to manage big data properly. This job title refers exclusively to working with database software from Oracle Corporation, a multinational software company currently based in Redwood Shores, California. Part of this job involves maintaining your familiarity with Oracle software as they update it, so Oracle database architects often participate in continuing education.

• Data Warehouse Architect

  Salary range: $119,000 - $159,000

  Data warehouse architects design and maintain data management solutions. As a data warehouse architect, your job duties include analyzing your company’s data needs, developing database management solutions, and deploying data management software for storing and retrieving data from cloud or machine storage. In your daily work, you use software and databases such as Oracle, SQL, Java, J2EE, or Cognos. You need strong analytical and technical skills along with the ability to see the bigger picture regarding data needs to succeed in data warehouse architect jobs.

• Bioinformatics Engineer

  Salary range: $96,000 - $157,000

  A bioinformatics engineer uses various methods for the analysis of complex biological data such as gene sequence and protein absorption. In this career, your job duties include performing detailed data analysis, developing data queries, and presenting your results back to the research team. The qualifications needed for a career as a bioinformatics engineer include a bachelor’s degree in engineering, statistics, computer science, or mathematics. Some employers prefer a master’s degree as well. You also need strong analytical skills and a good understanding of the biosciences.

• Business Intelligence Director

  Salary range: $140,500 - $157,000

  The job duties of a business intelligence director involve the development of business intelligence (BI) gathering practices and the management of data and information. In this career, responsibilities often include the design and maintenance of a system to warehouse data and information. A business intelligence director may also facilitate the analysis of data and coordinate with decision makers in the company to ensure that information gathering and analysis support the overall development of business strategies. The qualifications you need to become a business intelligence director include a bachelor’s or master’s degree as well as experience and management skills.

• Machine Learning Engineer

  Salary range: $101,500 - $155,000

  A machine learning engineer maintains production systems and often works with other engineers. In this career, you work with software development methodology, use modern software development tools, and use agile practices. You also play a role in software design and architecture, so you may occasionally work with a programmer. An engineer may help to predict how a model should perform or seek out regression issues by using different test types and algorithms. To fulfill your duties and responsibilities, you work on a computer and use an array of skills and programs to carry out these tests.

• Oracle OBIEE Developer

  Salary range: $110,000 - $152,500

  As an Oracle Business Intelligence Enterprise Edition (OBIEE) developer, your duties and responsibilities are to design, develop, and implement business solutions for your clients who use OBIEE. If you work within a business, you may interact with both department heads and stakeholders who need your expertise to create new programs or integrate an application with existing systems. If your company provides solutions to an external client, you meet with them, assess the needs and goals of their organization, and develop the appropriate solutions. Collaborating with other teams to deliver results is an important aspect of this position.

• Data Conversion Analyst

  Salary range: $86,500 - $151,000

  A data conversion analyst is a job in the computer science industry with a focus on database management systems. Your responsibilities in this career revolve around working with clients to convert data between different formats. Sometimes this conversion is to make the data compatible with a different system. Other times, it may be to make the information more accessible and user-friendly. Regardless, your duties as a data conversion analyst are to determine the specifications needed to transfer data from one format to another, test the conversion process to ensure that data is corruption-free, and provide resolutions to any errors or issues that may occur. You may also create a process for converting data and then train another employee to complete the process en masse.

• Oracle Apex Developer

  Salary range: $111,500 - $150,000

  An Oracle APEX developer’s responsibilities are to design, implement, and maintain Oracle APEX applications. Oracle APEX, or Oracle Application Express, is a web application development tool for the Oracle database that allows developers to create attractive, responsive, and data-driven applications. As an Oracle APEX developer, your duties are to organize, protect, and maintain the security of the Oracle APEX platform. You’re responsible for programming and overseeing the application database, and you must follow system protocols and procedures. In this role, you also assist customers and clients with user applications.