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I am working as an Intermediate Data Analyst at my current company and applied for a "Senior Data Analyst" position at a different company.

All interviews and correspondence were under the heading "Senior data analyst" (Re: Senior Data Analyst Application - xxxx) but I just got an offer as "Data Analyst" and I am very confused.

Frankly it's a big difference and do I need to know anything before I send an email to HR to ask why? Is this normal? What is the difference between "Data Analyst" and "Senior Data Analyst" for your perspective?

Update: The salary and other discussions are the same and just the title is different.

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    It doesn't matter what the difference is "from our perspective". Titles are only comparable within a company.
    – jcm
    Nov 17, 2021 at 11:37
  • There's no standard definition of junior, regular, or senior; it will depend on the company, which may have formal expectations for each role, or may just give titles out to people it feels deserve a reward. It may or may not be a difference; you should discuss what the role involves and if it meets your expectations (will you manage people, will you be in charge of projects, etc) rather than worrying about titles.
    – Stuart F
    Nov 18, 2021 at 10:52
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    Don't just look at the salary being offered, ask about the RANGE of the salary against the titles for the company. Many companies have overlap in salary for adjacent titles. The range for the grade of a data analyst might be 70k-90k and the senior might be 85k -120k . If they offer you 90k, it would seem like the salary is "the same" when in reality you've been capped at the level they're bringing you in. Don't just think about what you're accepting for today, consider what you're getting yourself into for tomorrow.
    – Joel Etherton
    Nov 18, 2021 at 14:11

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I wouldn't worry. The primary motivator in moving job is often a salary update and it sounds like you've been offered exactly what you expected. Many companies are quite relaxed about job titles - it's entirely possible you've found one of them.

If you're worried about the change in title, by all means ask about it. If you would only move job for a change in title, ask them now. If you'll accept the job regardless, ask your new boss after you start.

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Seconding this. I've been a statistician all of my adult life, and the titles have been 'statistician staff specialist', 'research assistant', 'warranty analyst', 'business analyst', 'data scientist', 'analyst'.

Keep an eye on the pay.

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Since only the title is different, it seems this is not a show-stopper for you.

Contacting HR before your first day could potentially fix this error (if it indeed is an error) - but it could also run the risk of making you seem too focused on a minor detail. How big this risk is depends on location, company size and culture in general.

A safer low-risk course could be to start the position well and then raise the question casually.

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