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Careers›Roles›Data Management Specialist
Mid-Level

Data Management Specialist

An organization's data is only useful if it's organized and trusted, and you make it so: managing how it's collected, stored, and shared. The quiet order beneath everyone's data work.

Career Level
Junior
Mid
Senior
Director
VP
Executive
Work Personality
C
I
E
R
S
A
Conventionalorganizing, detail-oriented
Investigativeanalytical, curious
Based on Holland Code framework
Industries that often hire Data Management Specialists
Professional Services · 38%Financial Services · 15%Technology & Information · 13%Administrative Services · 6%Wholesale & Distribution · 5%Healthcare · 3%
Job markets for Data Management Specialists
Employment concentration · ~126 areas
Based on employment in related occupations
Mapped SOC categories:
Technology
BLS Occupational Employment Statistics
Jump to:What it's likeCareer pathsBy the numbers
What it's like

What it's like to be a Data Management Specialist

The work mixes setting standards, enforcing data quality, and fielding requests from across the organization. You sit between data's producers and users, and much of the job is keeping it clean, consistent, and findable. Documentation and governance fill the rest.

What surprises people is how much is herding people, not handling data: chasing inputs, fixing inconsistencies, enforcing rules others ignore. Priorities shift constantly, the work can feel thankless, and scope varies widely by organization. You're noticed mainly when data goes wrong.

Organized, detail-driven, and diplomatically persistent: that's who does well. If you want deep analysis or creative work, the coordinating role may not satisfy. But if bringing order to chaos, and being the reason data can be trusted, appeals, the work tends to be quietly valuable.

What people in this role value
AchievementHigh
Working ConditionsAbove avg
IndependenceAbove avg
RecognitionModerate
SupportModerate
RelationshipsLower
O*NET Work Values survey
✦ Editorial — written by Truest from industry research and career patterns
Career Paths

Where this role sits in the broader career landscape — and where it can take you.

Earning potential across this track
$239K$179K$119K$60K$0KLower paying387 metro areas, sorted by salary level
All experience levels1
This level's estimated range
INDUSTRIES PAYING ABOVE AVERAGE
Technology & Information$112K+9%
Professional Services$101K-2%
Energy & Utilities$88K-15%
Wholesale & Distribution$85K-17%
Government$80K-22%
Compared to Technology average across all industries
1 BLS OEWS May 2024 covers all Data Management Specialists (SOC 15-1243.01), not just this title · BEA RPP 2023
* Top salaries exceed this figure. BLS caps reported wages at ~$240K to protect individual privacy in high-earning roles.
Related rolesExplore Technology →
Data Management SpecialistBig Data EngineerData Quality AnalystData SpecialistData Management ManagerData Storage SpecialistData Warehouse EngineerData Management EngineerResearch Data SpecialistData Integrity SpecialistData Migration SpecialistETL Tester (Extract-Transform-Load Tester)ETL Developer (Extract-Transform-Load Developer)
Exploring the Data Management Specialist career path? Truest helps you figure out if it's the right fit — and plan your path forward.
Explore career tools
✦ Editorial — career progression and interview guidance based on industry patterns
The Broader Landscape

Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.

$82K–$210K
Salary Range
10th – 90th percentile
65K
U.S. Employment
+8.7%
10yr Growth
4K
Annual Openings

How this category is changing

$80K$77K$74K$71K$68K201920202021202220232024$68K$80K
BLS OEWS May 2024 · BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034

Skills & Requirements

Reading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingProgrammingComplex Problem SolvingActive ListeningSystems AnalysisSpeakingJudgment and Decision MakingWritingSystems Evaluation
O*NET OnLine · Bureau of Labor Statistics
Mapped SOC Codes
15-1243.01

Explore related roles

Roles with similar work and overlapping career paths

directorClinical Data Management Director (CDM Director)$113KmidBig Data Engineer$136KmidData Quality Analyst$103KseniorSenior Data Quality Analyst$103KmidData Specialist$117KseniorSenior Data Specialist$117K
View all Technology roles →

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Federal data: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (May 2024) · BLS Employment Projections · O*NET OnLine
Truest editorial: Fit check, role profile, things that vary, advancement analysis, lateral moves, interview questions.