With its rugged landscapes and small mountain towns, Montana may not seem like a hotspot for high-paying tech jobs. However, the state does offer excellent salaries in the tech industry, especially in cities like Bozeman, Missoula, and Billings.
As a tech professional native to Montana, I can attest that the state provides a unique blend of financial security and lifestyle perks. The tech sector here continues to grow as more professionals and companies are drawn to Big Sky Country.
If you‘re considering a move to Montana for tech work, these 7 roles provide the highest earning potential:
1. Artificial Intelligence (AI) Engineer – $116,818 per Year
AI engineering involves designing the decision-making capabilities of machines. As an AI engineer in Montana, you could earn over $115,000 per year on average.
Your daily work would revolve around developing self-learning algorithms that can parse data, identify patterns, and choose actions that best fit defined objectives. This role is critical for advancing automation and analyzing large datasets across industries.
Major skills needed include expertise in machine learning, predictive modeling, data analysis, Python, and other AI programming languages. You‘ll also need a strong computer science or data science background.
Top Montana employers hiring AI talent right now include Oracle, Pattern Computer, and Kalispell Regional Healthcare.
2. Machine Learning Engineer – $121,512 per Year
Closely related to AI, machine learning engineering focuses more on building the data pipelines and infrastructure to train AI systems. The average salary for these specialists in Montana exceeds $120,000/year.
As a machine learning engineer, you would architect and implement the capture, organization, and routing of data to enable advanced analytics. This includes deploying sensors, building data lakes and warehouses, transforming data, and serving/scaling data for machine learning model training.
Required skills include data engineering, cloud platform expertise, ETL processing, SQL/NoSQL databases, Hadoop, Spark, and Kubernetes. A strong computer science or data engineering background is necessary.
Major employers include Deloitte, Zoot Enterprises, and Jamf Software.
3. Tech Sales Engineer – $123,189 per Year
For those who enjoy bridging the gap between technological capabilities and business needs, a tech sales engineering role can be quite lucrative. These client-facing, solutions-oriented professionals earn over $120,000 on average per year in Montana.
Your responsibilities would include giving demos showcasing your company‘s software, systems, or other technology products. You‘d work closely with sales teams while serving as the Subject Matter Expert on the technical aspects and implementation of your offerings.
Critical skills include presentation abilities, customer service skills, product mastery, quickly learning new technologies, travel willingness, and interpreting client challenges. Sales engineering also requires keeping up with thecompetitive landscape.
Top Montana companies hiring tech sales engineers include Oracle, Deloitte, IBM, and Wex Health Inc.
4. Python Developer – $94,065 per Year
With Python being a popular, versatile programming language used across the tech stack, dedicated Python developers make just over $94,000 per year in Montana on average.
Daily work consists of coding back-end services, APIs, databases, web apps, automation scripts, and more using Python. You would analyze requirements, write and debug code, improve performance, monitor systems, and expand functionality.
To be successful, you‘ll need mastery of Python and related web frameworks like Django or Flask, experience with Linux server environments and cloud platforms like AWS, and a solid understanding of front-end web languages like JavaScript, HTML and CSS. Strong debugging and collaboration abilities are also key.
Major Montana employers include Job Service Montana, Applied Materials and Ontario Systems.
5. Digital Project Manager – $93,515 per Year
For those passionate about technology but less interested in hands-on coding, digital project management brings together strategic thinking with technical oversight. Salaries average just under $94,000 in Montana.
In this role, you‘d spearhead complex technology initiatives from planning to post-launch. This includes building project scopes and schedules, coordinating with development teams, monitoring workloads and budgets, assessing progress and roadblocks, controlling changes, and keeping stakeholders aligned.
Critical skills include organizational abilities, risk management, technical literacy, leadership competencies, financial planning, contractor oversight, and tools like Agile and Jira. Strong communication skills are also vital.
Top employers include Deloitte Digital, Pattern Computer, and University of Montana.
6. Data Analyst – $58,901 per Year
Although an entry-level role compared to other tech positions, data analysts still earn decent salaries starting around $59,000 per year in Montana. Senior-level analysts can make upwards of $100,000.
Responsibilities include collecting, validating, and organizing data from various source systems. You‘ll interpret patterns using statistical and modeling techniques, then synthesize your findings into actionable insights for business leaders. Producing charts, graphs and other visualizations is often involved.
Required competencies include SQL querying, Excel modeling, understanding difference statistical analysis methods, and presentation skills. Experience with BI tools like Tableau is also valued.
Major hiring companies include Deloitte, Washington Corporations, and Aon Insurance.
7. Business Intelligence Analyst – $83,390 per Year
Blending an understanding of technology with finance and operations, business intelligence analysts enable data-driven business strategy. Average salaries exceed $83,000/year in Montana.
In this role, you would extract and optimize organizational data, maintain data warehouses, build BI dashboards and visualizations, uncover market trends and benchmarks, measure KPIs, and highlight opportunities for innovation or improved efficiency.
Key skills include data mining techniques, database management and ETL processes, data modeling/analysis using BI tools like Tableau, Power BI or Qlik, critical thinking, and business acumen.
Top Montana employers include Deloitte Digital, Galvanize, Zoot Enterprises and the Montana State Government.
While Montana has a high cost of living relative to other rural states, lucrative tech salaries provide excellent buying power. With world-class nature and recreation just outside your door, landing a high-paying job here can set you up with an unbeatable work-life balance.
Bozeman tends to offer the greatest tech opportunities, along with the most active social and cultural scene. But cities like Missoula, Billings and Kalispell also have growing tech economies ripe for the job-seeking picking.
I hope this overview gives you a better sense of Montana‘s highest earning tech roles, along with the qualifications and focus areas of each. Big Sky Country is calling top talent who want the best of all worlds!
