Manager, Data Analytics

When you join Sallie Mae, you become a champion for all students. We’re on a mission to power confidence as students begin their unique journey. To help them plan their higher education, successfully finish, and prepare for life after school. To help them Start smart. Learn big. Students need guidance navigating this important time in their life. They need someone who acknowledges that their education path is unique.

They need a partner willing to evolve and not only meet but surpass their expectations. We’re changing. Because students need a better way. We’re looking for people who are excited to drive this transformation. To break barriers and think of new ways to adapt, help, and create better experiences for students—and for each other. This is where diverse backgrounds, beliefs, and perspectives matter.

It’s where you’re empowered to bring your authentic self to work. Feeling your best allows you to do your best. Our benefits take care of the whole you—from physical and mental to financial and professional. You’ll get opportunities to further your education and career, support for you and your family (including your pets!), paid time off to volunteer for the things that matter to you, and more.

We’re obsessed with impact and making a real difference. For us, that means putting relationships first, asking “why not?” when tackling challenges, and continuously learning new skills. Come do more than join something, change something. For students, for future generations, for the future of education.

As the Manager of Data Analytics, you will be responsible for developing insights that accelerate business growth, optimize performance, and improve customer experiences across the full funnel. You will lead analytical initiatives that deepen understanding of the customer journey—from prequalification through conversion—and identify opportunities to improve funnel efficiency, engagement, and decision-making across the organization.

• Develop and implement analytical frameworks to uncover insights, improve business performance, and optimize conversion funnels across customer touchpoints.
• Analyze complex data sets to identify patterns, trends and friction points within the prequalification process, application funnel, and broader customer journey that will drive business growth.
• Develop models and forecasts to support business planning and decision-making.
• Conduct deep-dive analyses to understand customer behavior drivers, drop-off points, channel performance, and segmentation opportunities.
• Present findings and recommendations to senior leadership to influence strategic decision-making.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to understand business objectives and provide insights to inform business strategies.
• Ensure data integrity and accuracy by monitoring data sources and implementing quality control processes.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies to drive innovation and continuous improvement.

The above information is intended to describe the general nature and level of work performed by employees assigned to this job; it is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees in this role.

• Strong experience with SAS, SQL, Python, R, or other programming languages commonly used in analytics.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and manage projects and deliver high-quality analytics outputs.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to present complex data in a clear and concise manner to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively across departments and functions.
• Familiarity with data visualization tools such as Tableau, Power BI, or similar.
• Experience in e-commerce or retail analytics is preferred.

• Bachelor s or Master s degree in mathematics, statistics, economics, computer science, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience in analytics, with at least 2 years of experience managing cross-functional projects.