Systems analyst job description
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed systems analysts about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Let’s get real. Job information online can often be overly optimistic — conveniently glossing over the raw bits. But when you’re making decisions about your future, you need all the facts.
That’s why we anonymously surveyed systems analysts about their job, with hopes of getting an honest insight into what it’s really like.
While we did our best to ensure respondents were Australians and verified their job titles with proof of employment, we can’t guarantee complete accuracy — or that your experiences in the field will reflect theirs. So, we suggest that you take these insights as a guide only and try to talk to people in the field before making an important decision.
Organising
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Intellectual
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Imaginative
Based on our career survey data, these are the words that workers would use to describe their jobs.
Tasks and responsibilities for a systems analyst
The duties and responsibilities of a systems analyst include:
- Liaising with business analysts and all relevant stakeholders to understand what the business needs are for technological systems
- Writing and assigning briefs to technical teams consisting of IT professionals, systems developers, and programmers to work on IT systems in line with business needs
- Analysing technical processes to make sure they're as efficient, cost-effective, and straightforward to use as possible
- Upgrading computer systems as required, installing new systems, software, and hardware
- Undertaking quality control checks on computer systems
- Playing a role in user training and troubleshooting
Reasons to choose this job
Based on our career survey data, these are the factors that workers said were most important to them when choosing this job.
High paying
Systems analysts enjoy higher than average starting salaries and overall average salaries in the six figures. Business systems analysts have high paying roles because of their strong technical skill sets. These skills are in high demand as businesses increasingly rely on technological systems for their operational work.
Enjoyable
The systems analyst role brings enjoyable challenges and job satisfaction. You’re involved in various business areas, tasked with developing processes and systems that best solve business problems. Every day brings variety and a chance to exercise different skills.
Learning opportunities
Technology is a dynamic, ever-changing area. To get the best solutions for your business needs, you may need to draw on cutting edge technologies. This constant innovation requires you to keep learning as you gain experience in the role.
Job satisfaction
Overall job satisfaction
This overall score combines the critical factors in job satisfaction. It includes fulfilment, stress levels, and opportunities for advancement, based on our career survey data.
Stress level
How stressful workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Fulfilment
How personally rewarding workers feel their job is, based on our career survey data.
Skill level
The skill level required to do this job is based on both our career survey data and official data from the Labour Market Information Portal.
Job market trends for a systems analyst
ICT business and systems analysts have very strong projected future job growth. In 2020, 34,100 ICT business and systems analysts were working in Australia. The industry is expected to grow to 43,500 by 2025.
Systems analysts work in various industries, including technical services, financial services, public administration and safety, information media and communications, and more. Systems analysts work in companies of all sizes. They have a strong job outlook because businesses value their technical skills and ability to improve systems and operations.
Median salary
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Projected job growth
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Median salary
We use the median salary over the average because it’s more realistic — unusually high or low salaries don’t skew the median. It shows the true middle point, which is what your typical worker in this job earns.
This figure is from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It’s the official median full-time adult salary for non-managers, before tax. (Includes salary sacrifice.)
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours (cat. no. 6306.0), Customised Report
Projected job growth
Job growth projections, using data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. These calculations were made before COVID-19 and may not accurately reflect the labour market. Use these numbers as a general guide only.
Pathway options
Job pathways are drawn from the Australian Apprenticeships Pathways site.
As you gain experience as a systems analyst, you may be able to move into higher-level roles, with potential career paths like:
Mid
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Systems analyst
Most common qualification: Diploma of Information Technology (ICT50120)
Senior
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Business analyst
Most common qualification: Diploma of Information Technology (ICT50120)
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IT project manager
Most common qualification: Advanced Diploma of Information Technology (ICT60220)
Skills you might already have
Based on our career survey data, the soft skills that workers said were most needed to do their job well.
People interested in systems analyst jobs are already likely to be technology-inclined and solutions-driven. Soft skills that you could already have (or can develop naturally from exploring your interests) include:
Problem-solving
Organisations have specific requirements for the business to operate smoothly. As a systems analyst, it’s your job to meet those technical requirements. How to do that is up to you. Every organisation and problem is unique and requires you to devise a new solution. Being a systems analyst allows you to try new ideas and processes to see what works with technical teams.
Organisation
A systems analyst typically delegates the technical work out to technical teams. This delegation means you have to stay on track of what everyone is doing and what needs to be done, identify project milestones, and adhere to deadlines.
Communication
As a systems analyst, you talk to stakeholders from various backgrounds. You instruct technical staff on how to proceed with their work and listen to business staff to understand business needs to build technical processes to meet those needs. You also interact with users to ensure they know how the technology works and get feedback on improvements. All this requires strong communication skills.
Hard skills
The job-specific skills that workers said were most important, supplemented with data from JobOutlook and online job advertisements.
When looking to become a computer systems analyst, your university-level training comes in handy to develop some of the necessary technical skills, such as:
Research and analysis
Systems analysts talk to a range of people to understand a business’s needs or problems. They also speak to technical staff and draw on their extensive expertise to meet those needs. Building research and analysis skills allows you to grow your knowledge base and interpret what people say to take practical actions.
Business management
Business management is all about understanding how organisations draw on people and technology to do their work. Business management skills are essential for systems analysts to optimise their workflow for these business needs.
Project management
Project management skills help you break tasks down into manageable tasks, assign these tasks to different team members, keep track of progress, and identify outstanding tasks. These skills are essential for systems analysts as they plan and keep track of what technical teams are doing to meet deadlines.
How to become a systems analyst
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Study
Although it’s possible to learn the skills you need to be a systems analyst informally, most organisations expect you to have university-level education like a Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Computer Science, or Bachelor of Business Administration.
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Gain work experience
As you study, you may have the opportunity to get hands-on experience working in computer systems through research projects or internships.
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Find a relevant job
You can get an entry-level systems analyst job as a university graduate. Cast your job search wide because systems analysts are sought after in many industries.
Explore related qualifications
Diploma of Information Technology
Lay the groundwork for a successful career in IT. This vocational qualification can be an entry pathway into the Bachelor of Information Technology, perfect for you if you don’t meet the entry requirements for a degree (including interstate and international students, VCAL students, those who didn’t get the required ATAR score, and over 25s). It’s also an excellent way to gain skills and experience for an entry-level position in the industry before launching into a degree.
6 providers offer this course






Bachelor of Information Technology
Immerse yourself in all things IT. In this degree, study the fundamentals of various areas and specialise in an area of interest. Learn about information systems, server administration, cloud computing, SQL and database management, computer programming, data science, cybersecurity, and more. This qualification builds your confidence with computers and coding and gives you an overview of how IT can be invaluable to businesses. A Bachelor of Information Technology takes three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent).
1 providers offer this course

Bachelor of Business Management
In this qualification, you learn what it takes to run a business, manage complex projects, and work with people, technology, and other resources to get the best out of a business. The course units cover economics, business analysis, human resources management, marketing, leadership, corporate strategy, and more. You may also choose subjects relevant to business technology like databases, information systems, and data analysis. This degree also takes three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent).
4 providers offer this course




Bachelor of Computer Science
A bachelor degree in computer science tends to be more theoretical than a degree in IT. In this qualification, you learn the fundamentals of how computers work. The focus is on topics like programming in various contexts (e.g. parallel programming, database programming, making big programs, software development, software engineering, and more), artificial intelligence, software design and engineering, algorithms, and computer programming as problem-solving. This degree takes three years of full-time study (or part-time equivalent).
Related subjects
If you’re interested in building technological solutions in a team to meet business needs, you may also be interested in these related fields:
Reviews
Reviews are from Australian workers with this job title or a very closely related one.
Is this your job title?
Share your thoughts and help people decide if this job is right for them.
Reviews are from Australian workers with this job title or a very closely related one.
Is this your job title?
Share your thoughts and help people decide if this job is right for them.
- All
- Positive
- Negative
Chloe
Nov 03 2021The job's not great, but the people are.
What are the best parts of the job?
Not much, the people I work with are good though.
What's the most challenging part?
When things get behind schedule, it can be quite stressful.
Scott
Nov 13 2021Variety and interest.
What are the best parts of the job?
I get to face different challenges every day, so there's always something interesting to work on.
What's the most challenging part?
Tight schedule and fast moving environment
Conor
Nov 23 2021Intense, but room for innovation.
What are the best parts of the job?
There is plenty of time for innovation, which is my favourite part.
What's the most challenging part?
Developing new products and getting everyone aligned is no small feat.
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Job cluster: The Technologist
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
The seven job clusters are sets of closely related jobs that share skills, making it easy to apply skills learned in one career to another.
The idea of the seven job clusters first appeared in a 2016 research report by the Foundation for Young Australians, titled “The New Work Mindset”. Researchers analysed thousands of online job advertisements and found that jobs are more similar than commonly thought — and the skills you gain in one position are easy to bring to another. In fact, they can help you get 13 other closely related jobs.
This model is a great way to think about 21st-century careers, where the average person changes career five times. We’ve used this framework (along with the much-loved Holland Codes model) to build a career quiz.
Why not take it and find out which job cluster feels like home?
Systems analysts and other technical roles are suited to the career personality of The Technologist.
Technologists are interested in gadgets, computers, games, and anything technical. You may have been interested in building things from a young age or taking things apart to see how they work. You enjoy making code, keeping up-to-date with the latest software and hardware, and solving problems by trying different approaches.
Take the Career Quiz to discover what jobs are a great fit for you.
Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do you need to be a systems analyst?
No specific qualification is required to be a systems analyst. You might even be able to build a lot of the skills you need without university-level study. Nonetheless, most employers expect you to have a university-level qualification such as a Bachelor of Information Technology, Bachelor of Computer Science, or Bachelor of Business Administration.
Is system analyst a stressful job?
Working as a systems analyst involves talking to lots of people, understanding their different needs, knowledge-base, and skills, and developing solutions that make sense to them. It can be a complex, ever-changing role that requires you to have an in-depth knowledge of all the parts of the business. These challenges can be stressful from time to time, but they also make for a satisfying role where no two days are the same.
How do I become a successful systems analyst?
You can become a successful systems analyst by building your technical skills through getting formal qualifications. You can also prepare for the role by developing your soft skills. Try explaining technical information to someone who barely knows how to turn on a computer to build communication skills. Or volunteer to run a big event or project in your community to build on your organisational skills. Code up a new game to work on your problem-solving skills. All this experience helps you become a successful systems analyst.