How To Become A Chief Technologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a chief technologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

A chief technologist, also known as a chief technology officer, directs and oversees the engineering or technology department to use and develop technological resources to enhance products or services. Their core responsibilities may vary depending on the organization. Still, the list usually includes assessing technological performance, development of system infrastructure, and communication with stakeholders and customers.

They conduct research and cost analysis to satisfy the organization's technological needs per the business goals and budget. They play an important role in supporting company initiatives by searching and implementing new technologies and business strategies to reach their target market. They also convey technological plans to the company's executive officers and investors.

Pursuing a career as a chief technologist requires a bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or other related fields. However, some employers prefer candidates with a master's degree and prior experience in a similar position. Strong leadership, communication, and organization skills are necessary qualities to fulfill the duties of this job. Comprehensive knowledge of technological trends and cloud-based platforms is also a must. On average, a chief technologist earns about $62.78 an hour, which is equivalent to an annual income of $130,588.

ScoreChief TechnologistUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,294

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.6

Growth rate 16%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.21%

Asian 12.68%

Black or African American 6.64%

Hispanic or Latino 9.96%

Unknown 5.20%

White 65.32%

Gender

female 22.31%

male 77.69%

Age - 47

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 47

Stress level

8.6

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.7

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.1

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a chief technologist

Explore chief technologist education requirements

Most common chief technologist degrees

Bachelor's

51.4 %

Associate

22.5 %

Master's

15.1 %

Start to develop specific chief technologist skills

Skills	Percentages
Patients	13.90%
Patient Care	8.21%
Infrastructure	7.62%
Architecture	7.44%
Cloud	5.35%

Complete relevant chief technologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New chief technologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a chief technologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real chief technologist resumes.

Gain additional chief technologist certifications

Chief technologist certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific chief technologist certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for chief technologists include IT Information Library Foundations Certification (ITIL) and Certified Radiological Technologist.

More About Certifications

Research chief technologist duties and responsibilities

Lead the SaaS base product and technical vision for company.
Establish criteria and general operating procedures have been develop covering the nature and scope of the QA activities to be accomplish
Lead multi-year technology initiatives with several companies, universities and national labs.
Analyze requirements from DoD and the intelligence community and integrate into a single, common requirements sets achieving individual goals.

Get chief technologist experience

Generally, it takes 6-8 years to become a chief technologist. The most common roles before becoming a chief technologist include radiologic technician, staff technologist team lead and technician.

Prepare your chief technologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your chief technologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a chief technologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable chief technologist resume templates

Build a professional chief technologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your chief technologist resume.