Chief information officer vs information systems director

The differences between chief information officers and information systems directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a chief information officer, becoming an information systems director takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a chief information officer has an average salary of $146,907, which is higher than the $130,822 average annual salary of an information systems director.

The top three skills for a chief information officer include CIO, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for an information systems director are customer service, project management, and network infrastructure.

Chief information officer vs information systems director overview

	Chief Information Officer	Information Systems Director
Yearly salary	$146,907	$130,822
Hourly rate	$70.63	$62.90
Growth rate	6%	16%
Number of jobs	124,678	128,575
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	52	47
Years of experience	-	8

What does a chief information officer do?

A chief information officer, also known as CIO, is responsible for the technological development within the company or organization. Primarily overseeing all information technology-related operations, a chief information officer takes the lead in setting the department's budget, developing strategies that will improve computer systems, and implementing policies to attain significant growth in profit and client base. Furthermore, a chief information officer is in charge of managing the workforce behind computer systems, ensuring their efficiency in accomplishing tasks and projects.

What does an information systems director do?

An Information Systems Director spearheads and oversees a business establishment's information systems, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. They set goals and guidelines, establish protocols and timelines, liaise with external business partners such as vendors and suppliers, manage staff, and develop strategies to optimize operations. As an Information Systems Director, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach performance and service goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

Chief information officer vs information systems director salary

Chief information officers and information systems directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Chief Information Officer	Information Systems Director
Average salary	$146,907	$130,822
Salary range	Between $98,000 And $219,000	Between $86,000 And $198,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Mayer Brown	Outbrain
Best paying industry	Agriculture	Manufacturing

Differences between chief information officer and information systems director education

There are a few differences between a chief information officer and an information systems director in terms of educational background:

	Chief Information Officer	Information Systems Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Carnegie Mellon University

Chief information officer vs information systems director demographics

Here are the differences between chief information officers' and information systems directors' demographics:

	Chief Information Officer	Information Systems Director
Average age	52	47
Gender ratio	Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6%	Male, 81.3% Female, 18.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 10.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	12%	11%

Differences between chief information officer and information systems director duties and responsibilities

Chief information officer example responsibilities.

Lead formulation and execution of technology strategy essential to achieving investor ROI objectives.
Manage all Microsoft SQL databases, SQL 2005 and SQL 2008R2.
Manage the process and deliverables for the FY2016 FISMA audit.
Manage the team of Java developers to customize Java links for data integration.
Manage design, development and implementation of a corporate web sites and intranet sites.
Attain PCI compliance by minimizing the scope to ease the cost and burden of compliance; saving an estimate 187k.

Information systems director example responsibilities.

Lead a technology expansion to deliver an internal portal using Microsoft .NET and SharePoint platforms.
Manage SDLC of custom application and relate web and data services, consultants and support contracts.
Establish team of security /compliance experts to effectively manage PCI and SOX compliance and formal change control processes.
Manage multiple large scale projects including infrastructure installations of wire and wireless networks and replace PBX system creating efficiencies and savings.
Lead the implementation of several SharePoint initiatives.
Implement custom build ERP system which manage inventory, laboratory testing and patient demographics.

Chief information officer vs information systems director skills

Common chief information officer skills

CIO, 7%
Project Management, 6%
Network Infrastructure, 5%
Architecture, 4%
Portfolio, 4%
Customer Service, 4%

Common information systems director skills

Customer Service, 8%
Project Management, 8%
Network Infrastructure, 7%
Windows Server, 4%
SQL Server, 4%
Data Warehouse, 4%

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Chief Information Officer
Chief Information Officer vs Information Systems Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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