Hire a Data Analyst.
A remote data analyst from Obelisk Talent is a full-time, pre-vetted professional from the Middle East who answers business questions with SQL and explains the answer in plain language. The trial task gives sample orders, customers and events data and one question: why did repeat purchases drop in Q3? The data has a planted problem, duplicates or missing values, and catching it is part of the grade. The candidate sends SQL, one or two charts and a one-page summary written for a non-technical founder. Data analyst placements cost $1,500–5,000 CAD a month.
Turn messy product and marketing data into dashboards, experiments, and decisions the team actually trusts.
Pre-vetted, full-time dedicated, with HR & payroll handled. $1,500–5,000 CAD/month depending on seniority.
Updated
Overview
What a Data Analyst actually does.
Data analysts we place pair SQL fluency with business intuition — the kind of analyst who asks why a metric moved before building a chart of it. We vet for the ability to tell a story with a single well-chosen view, not a wall of graphs.
Responsibilities
- Model data in the warehouse (dbt, SQL)
- Build and maintain dashboards (Looker, Metabase, Mode)
- Partner with product and marketing on experiments
- Quality-check pipelines and flag upstream issues
- Present weekly insight notes, not just charts
Core Skills
What they bring on day one.
WHAT A SHORTLIST LOOKS LIKE
What a Data Analyst placement looks like.
Seniority bands and typical stacks for a data analyst placement.
Mid-Level, 3 years
Mid-Level tier, $2,500–$3,500 CAD/month
SQL, dbt, Looker, Python
Senior, 6 years
Senior tier, $3,500–$5,000 CAD/month
Data modelling, Experimentation, Mode, Stats
Illustrative bands, not real candidates. A co-founder presents your actual shortlist after the discovery call.
PRICING
Tiers for a Data Analyst.
Junior to Senior, one flat CAD rate per month per hire.
What this role costs
- Data Analyst through Obelisk Talent (Junior to Senior)
- $1,500–5,000 CAD / month
- Flat retainer, all-in: HR, payroll & management included. No placement fee.
What each tier includes, and the full comparison with a local Canadian hire: see the pricing page →
How We Vet This Role
What a Data Analyst has to show us.
Data candidates get a real business question and data with a flaw planted in it. The analyst who checks the data before charting it is the one we put forward.
- CV review for analysis that changed a decision, not a count of dashboards built.
- Trial task, three hours at most, submitted within 48 hours: orders, customers and events CSVs and the question “why did repeat purchases drop in Q3?”
- The data contains a planted problem, duplicate rows or missing values. Spotting and handling it is graded.
- Deliverables: the SQL, one or two charts in any tool, and a one-page summary with a clear answer and a recommendation.
- We discuss the summary in a 20-minute walkthrough, then check references.
RELATED ROLES
Hiring more than one?
Roles that pair with a data analyst, under the same contract.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Hiring a Data Analyst: common questions.
If yours isn't here, every first call is with a co-founder. Bring it then.
What does the data analyst trial task involve?
Three sample CSV files (orders, customers and events) and one question: why did repeat purchases drop in Q3? The candidate writes the SQL, makes one or two charts and sends a one-page summary for a non-technical founder, with an answer and a recommendation. It takes 3 hours at most, with 48 hours to submit.
Why do you plant a problem in the trial data?
Because every company's data has one. An analyst who charts duplicated orders will report that repeat purchases fell when they didn't. Candidates who check row counts, keys and missing values before they analyse catch it, and that habit is worth more to a small team than any dashboard tool.
Which tools do your data analysts use?
SQL is the requirement. For the charts and the working, candidates can use a spreadsheet, Python with pandas or any charting tool, so the task measures the analysis rather than familiarity with one product. If you run Looker, Metabase, Power BI or dbt, put it in the brief and CV review screens for it.
Ready to brief a Data Analyst?
15-minute call, written brief same day, a shortlist of 1–2 pre-vetted candidates typically within a week. If the first data analyst is not the right fit, the 30-day replacement guarantee covers the second one.
Talk to a Co-Founder