VBA Developers – also called Excel developers – work with Visual Basic for Applications, Microsoft’s macro programming language to create automation processes that speed up complex tasks, saving companies, and employees a tremendous amount of time. What do they do?
VBA Developer – The Role
We’re all familiar with Excel – Today, it is used by end customers but also companies around the world in a range of industries including finance, engineering, and the like. The program is extremely powerful and offers numerous functions to efficiently analyze and evaluate large amounts of data.
Regular employees rarely take full advantage of all the possibilities Excel offers, but an Excel developer lives and breathes the Excel application on a day to day basis.
There are other job titles that refer to the same position than the VBA developer:
- VBA programmer
- VBA Consultant
- Excel Developer
- Visual Basic Developer
- Visual Basic Macro Developer
A VBA Developer works with the Excel application and adapts it to the specific needs of a challenge or requirements to automate repetitive tasks and accelerate the workflow of a business. This is done using the Visual Basic for Applications and Macros – hence the term VBA developer.
Looking for an expert in Excel and VBA?
Responsibilities and tasks
As mentioned above, VBA Developers work with Visual Basic for Applications in conjunction with Excel. VBA allows developers to enhance the features of Excel resulting in a richer set of features that are adapted to the needs of specific tasks within an organization.
A VBA developer is able to target automation that efficiently supports existing processes and optimizes workflows between Office programs such as Access and Excel, thus allowing employees to maximize their document management productivity and perform detailed analysis across applications.
What are the tasks of a VBA Developer?
- Analyzing the needs of internal departments and assisting staff with development
- Reviewing code to ensure best practices are in place
- Analyze complex data to develop automated reporting with VBA and Excel
- Create macros to work with a huge amount of data and for Excel reports
- Develop VBA programs to perform tasks automatically
- Optimization of processes using Excel
- Establishment of cross-program workflows
- Development of Microsoft Access databases
- Working on IT processes and using Visual Basic in MS Applications
- Dealing with advanced Excel capabilities – formulas, tables, and graphs
- Developing test plans and software documentation to support code modifications and additions
- Debugging existing software
VBA Developer skills
VBA Developers have the know-how of the script language VBA, are proficient in Excel formulas and Pivot Tables, and knowledge of procedural programming. They have basic knowledge in computer science, data encapsulation, and interface inheritance.
Excel developers are also able to use the Component Object Model for interprocess communication. Soft skills include accuracy, a sense of responsibility, and an independent method of working.
What must an Excel programmer be able to do?
- Excel VBA programming experience
- Proficiency with Visual Basic for Application (VBA)
- Comprehensive knowledge of MS Excel application – Pivot Tables, Formulas
- Experience in developing MS Access databases
- Understanding of OOP language
- Keen analytical, logic, and troubleshooting skills
- Experience with data analytics, BI reporting
- Good sense of responsibility and quality communication skills
- Ideally, knowledge in project management, SQL, and interface inheritance
Find VBA programming jobs
Excel Developers Background
VBA Developers are usually university graduates with a degree in Business, Computer Science, Information systems or trained IT specialists who have completed a vocational training course and have further training in VBA programming.
Also having equivalent work experience in the field would help a developer land a job.
There are also courses of study at distance universities and certificates for VBA programmers. Some of these are as follows:
- Edureka – VBA Course
- Udemy – Unlock Excel VBA and Excel Marcos
- Udemy – Master Microsft Excel VBA Programming
VBA Developer Salary & Freelancer rates
As a VBA developer, you can expect an average salary of $63,500 in the US. Add on a few years of experience and you can expect over $84,000 per year as a senior developer. Entry-level jobs typically result in packages of $43,000 per year.
| Junior | $43,000 |
| Average | $63,500 |
| Senior | $84,000 |
How much do Freelance VBA Developers charge?
VBA Developers on freelancermap charge on average:
Rates range between $40 and $96/hour for most freelancers.
The daily rate for VBA Developers (8 working hours) would be around:
On average, freelance VBA Developers charge $81/hour (freelancermap’s price and rate index in September 2022).
Freelance rates in VBA Development range between $61 and $96 for the majority of freelancers.
Considering a freelance rate of $81/hour, a freelancer would charge $648/day for an 8-hour working day.
