What does a chief technologist do?
Chief technologists or chief technical officers deal with the technological needs of a company's research and development. They study the long and short-term effects of investments to help other organizations reach their individual technological goals. These technologists are required to have advanced knowledge in IT and analytical skills to excel in this position. They represent their company in academic, industrial, and government groups to publicize their organization and to collect valuable data for their research.
Chief technologist responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real chief technologist resumes:
- 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.
- Bridge public and private sector initiatives for threat information sharing of national critical infrastructure and DOD acquisition plans and policy.
- Guide ATG personnel's professional development.
- Assist sales process through demos and responses to RFP's.
- Work with subject matter experts for propose solutions prior to RFP submissions.
- Establish processes and procedures for tracking progress of projects within the ATG.
- Work with electronic manufacturer in Dallas to design a player running embed Linux.
- Clean up problems with the backup configurations of the databases on Linux and AIX.
- Spearhead leading edge initiatives to increase market share in RF and wireless ad-hoc technologies.
- Assist in selection of vendor and oversight of installation of the hospitals first PACS network.
- Set protocols along with the renewal process for MRI ACR accrediting within a fast pace environment.
- Serve as a resource on legislation including HIPAA, HITECH, PPACA, and privacy and security regulations.
Chief technologist skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Chief Technologists are proficient in Patients, Patient Care, and Infrastructure. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Chief Technologists that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Patients, 14%
Assisted with patient scheduling, registering patients, initiated insurance authorization for patient procedures.
- Patient Care, 8%
Learned all aspects of operation and was promoted to PCT providing quality patient care and administering dialysis treatments.
- Infrastructure, 8%
Bridged public and private sector initiatives for threat information sharing of national critical infrastructure and DOD acquisition plans and policy.
- Architecture, 7%
Led hardware development, overall architecture design, specification development, and OEM selection/qualification for HP's DreamColor color-critical display products.
- Cloud, 5%
Evaluated and recommended strategic partners for technology transformation and cloud adoption initiative.
- Radiology, 5%
Managed/supervised department of 12 radiology personnel
"patients," "patient care," and "infrastructure" are among the most common skills that chief technologists use at work. You can find even more chief technologist responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a chief technologist to have is analytical skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "it managers must analyze problems and consider and select the best ways to solve them." Chief technologists often use analytical skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "updated nuclear procedure codes and workload applications to provide cost analysis and improve revenue by 20% to the radiology department. "
Business skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling chief technologist duties is business skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "it managers must develop and implement strategic plans to reach the goals of their organizations." According to a chief technologist resume, here's how chief technologists can utilize business skills in their job responsibilities: "lead business strategy, product development and sales efforts. "
Organizational skills. chief technologists are also known for organizational skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to chief technologist responsibilities, because "some it managers must coordinate the work of several different it departments to make the organization run efficiently." A chief technologist resume example shows how organizational skills is used in the workplace: "implement windows maintenance tools to ensure systems availability in supporting organizational objectives. "
Communication skills. chief technologist responsibilities often require "communication skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "it managers must explain their work to top executives and give clear instructions to their subordinates." This resume example shows what chief technologists do with communication skills on a typical day: "designed and implemented a product management process to improve communication between teams and provide discipline to the product development process. "
Leadership skills. Another common skill required for chief technologist responsibilities is "leadership skills." This skill comes up in the duties of chief technologists all the time, as "it managers must lead and motivate it teams or departments so that workers are efficient and effective." An excerpt from a real chief technologist resume shows how this skill is central to what a chief technologist does: "key advisor to united states pacific command, providing council to senior leadership to improve special technical operations. "
The three companies that hire the most chief technologists are:
- EPAM Systems10 chief technologists jobs
- Alliance HealthCare Services
8 chief technologists jobs
- RWJBarnabas Health6 chief technologists jobs
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Compare different chief technologists
Chief technologist vs. Data manager
A data manager is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of the company's technology systems and network infrastructures. Data managers ensure the safety and security of the databases to avoid unauthorized access that may pose risks for business operations. They assist the technology team in developing data management protocols and smooth navigation of the network systems. A data manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as having a strong command on system codes and programming languages, to immediately identify inconsistencies, and perform troubleshooting to fix these discrepancies.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a chief technologist are more likely to require skills like "patient care," "infrastructure," "architecture," and "cloud." On the other hand, a job as a data manager requires skills like "data analysis," "visualization," "data quality," and "data collection." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
The education levels that data managers earn slightly differ from chief technologists. In particular, data managers are 1.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a chief technologist. Additionally, they're 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chief technologist vs. Implementation manager
An implementation manager specializes in introducing new systems, networks, and processes to the entire company workforce. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around overseeing the implementation team to ensure that everything is running smoothly, devising action and work plans, coordinating with different departments, monitoring requisitions and information materials, and verifying their accuracy. An implementation manager may also address issues and concerns, providing technical support when necessary. Furthermore, it is essential to lead and encourage the team, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that chief technologist responsibilities requires skills like "patients," "patient care," "infrastructure," and "architecture." But an implementation manager might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "project management," "account management," "client relationships," and "client expectations."
In general, implementation managers achieve similar levels of education than chief technologists. They're 0.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chief technologist vs. Information manager
An information manager is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of the company's network systems, preventing unauthorized access and malicious attempts at stealing information and confidential data. Information managers identify the organization's business needs to develop and design technology solutions with the help of system analysts and computer engineers. They schedule the configuration and upgrades of network infrastructure to avoid system downtimes and ensure efficient navigations and transitions. An information manager must have excellent critical-thinking and technical skills, especially in resolving network issues and monitoring technology projects.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a chief technologist is likely to be skilled in "patient care," "infrastructure," "architecture," and "cloud," while a typical information manager is skilled in "project management," "sql," "powerpoint," and "data analysis."
Information managers typically earn similar educational levels compared to chief technologists. Specifically, they're 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Chief technologist vs. Systems manager
A systems manager is responsible for monitoring the operations of the information technology department, evaluating staff performance, developing strategic procedures to maximize productivity, and identifying business opportunities that would generate more revenues and profitability for the company. Systems managers inspect company networks to ensure the efficiency of the technology systems, conducting regular diagnostic tests, and installing upgrades to boost optimization. A systems manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command in programming languages and system codes to maintain the security of the company's database.
Types of chief technologist
Updated January 8, 2025
