Report Developer | Torchora

🎯 Role Definition

The Report Developer is a critical role within the data and analytics ecosystem, acting as the primary bridge between raw organizational data and actionable business insights. This individual is a technical expert responsible for designing, creating, and maintaining a suite of reports, dashboards, and data visualizations. They work closely with business stakeholders to understand their challenges and information needs, then leverage their skills in SQL, data modeling, and BI tools to build solutions that drive informed decision-making across the enterprise. A successful Report Developer combines technical prowess with a deep understanding of business context to deliver clear, accurate, and impactful data stories.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Data Analyst
Junior SQL Developer
Business Analyst with a technical focus

Advancement To:

Senior Report Developer / BI Developer
Business Intelligence (BI) Analyst
Data Engineer
Analytics Manager

Lateral Moves:

Data Analyst
Database Administrator (DBA)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Design, develop, test, and deploy enterprise-level reports, interactive dashboards, and compelling data visualizations using BI platforms like Power BI, Tableau, or SSRS.
Translate complex business requirements from various departments into detailed technical specifications and functional report designs that meet stakeholder needs.
Write, debug, and meticulously optimize complex SQL queries, stored procedures, functions, and views to extract and manipulate data from diverse source systems.
Develop and maintain scalable and efficient data models within BI tools, ensuring they are well-structured to support a wide range of analytical requirements.
Perform thorough data validation, quality assurance, and user acceptance testing to guarantee the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of all reporting outputs.
Troubleshoot, diagnose, and resolve issues with existing reports, including performance bottlenecks, data discrepancies, and user access problems in a timely manner.
Manage the full lifecycle of reporting projects, from initial scoping and requirements gathering through to deployment, documentation, and post-launch support.
Create and maintain comprehensive documentation for all reporting assets, including data sources, business logic, ETL processes, and end-user guides.
Collaborate closely with Data Engineers and Database Administrators to understand underlying data structures and ensure optimal, efficient data sourcing for reporting.
Proactively identify and implement opportunities to automate and streamline reporting processes, thereby reducing manual effort and improving efficiency.
Conduct rigorous performance tuning of reports and dashboards to ensure a fast, responsive, and reliable user experience, especially when dealing with large datasets.
Provide effective training and ongoing support to business users, empowering them to self-serve and interpret the data presented in reports and dashboards.
Implement and manage robust security models within the BI platform to ensure that users only have access to data appropriate for their role.
Actively participate in data governance initiatives, helping to establish and enforce data standards, definitions, and quality rules across the organization.
Develop and manage scheduled report subscriptions and data refresh schedules to ensure the timely and consistent delivery of critical information to stakeholders.
Create intuitive mock-ups and interactive prototypes of new reports and dashboards to facilitate user feedback sessions and iterative design improvements.
Analyze and interpret data to uncover key trends, patterns, and insights that can support strategic and tactical business decision-making.
Maintain version control for all report code, queries, and related assets, adhering to established team development practices and methodologies.
Serve as a subject matter expert on the company's key data assets and reporting tools, providing guidance and best practices to other team members and business users.
Ensure all reporting solutions strictly adhere to company branding guidelines and user experience (UX) standards for a consistent, professional, and clear presentation.

Secondary Functions

Support business units with ad-hoc data requests and perform exploratory data analysis to answer pressing, unscripted business questions.
Contribute to the evolution of the organization's broader data strategy and technology roadmap by providing insights on reporting tools and capabilities.
Collaborate with various business units and IT teams to translate evolving data needs into clear and actionable engineering and development requirements.
Participate in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospective ceremonies as part of an agile data or business intelligence team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Advanced SQL: Deep proficiency in writing complex queries, joins, subqueries, and stored procedures in T-SQL or PL/SQL for effective data extraction and manipulation.
BI Platform Expertise: Hands-on mastery of one or more major BI and visualization tools such as Power BI, Tableau, SSRS, Qlik, or Looker.
Data Warehousing Concepts: Strong, practical understanding of data warehouse architecture, ETL processes, and dimensional modeling principles (e.g., Kimball methodology).
Database Systems: Experience working with and querying relational database management systems (RDBMS) like SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, or MySQL.
Advanced Excel: High-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including Power Query, Power Pivot, DAX functions, and complex formulas for data analysis.
Analytical Languages: Familiarity with a scripting language used for data analysis (such as Python with Pandas or R) is a significant advantage.
Data Modeling: The ability to design and implement effective data models within BI tools (e.g., creating relationships and measures in Power BI).

Soft Skills

Analytical & Problem-Solving: An exceptional ability to analyze complex problems, dissect intricate data, and methodically troubleshoot issues with a keen eye for detail.
Communication & Translation: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a proven talent for explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders in a clear and concise manner.
Stakeholder Management: The ability to effectively engage with business users at all levels to gather requirements, manage expectations, and build strong working relationships.
Inquisitive Mindset: A natural curiosity and proactive approach to understanding the "why" behind the data, always seeking to uncover deeper insights and business value.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field.

Preferred Education:

Master's Degree in a quantitative or technical discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Computer Science
Information Systems / Management Information Systems (MIS)
Statistics
Business Administration (with a technical or analytical concentration)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2-5 years of direct experience in a reporting, data analysis, or business intelligence role.

Preferred:

3+ years of experience in a role dedicated to the design and development of reports and dashboards using modern BI platforms.