Post job

Information systems director vs information technology manager

The differences between information systems directors and information technology managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both an information systems director and an information technology manager. Additionally, an information systems director has an average salary of $130,822, which is higher than the $119,589 average annual salary of an information technology manager.

The top three skills for an information systems director include customer service, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for an information technology manager are customer service, project management, and database.

Information systems director vs information technology manager overview

Information Systems DirectorInformation Technology Manager
Yearly salary$130,822$119,589
Hourly rate$62.90$57.49
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs128,575108,179
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4747
Years of experience88

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.

What does an information technology manager do?

An information technology manager is responsible for supervising tasks for the company's network and information systems operations. Information technology managers require excellent knowledge of the information systems industry, a strong command of programming languages, and software and hardware application processes. An information technology manager reviews the performance of the IT department staff, ensuring that networks and systems maintain the highest quality and efficiency, and adjusting the specific system updates as needed. Information technology managers monitor the security of the system's database and identify business opportunities to utilize all business systems to improve the company's services.

Information systems director vs information technology manager salary

Information systems directors and information technology managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Information Systems DirectorInformation Technology Manager
Average salary$130,822$119,589
Salary rangeBetween $86,000 And $198,000Between $84,000 And $169,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CARichmond, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew Hampshire
Best paying companyOutbrainMeta
Best paying industryManufacturing-

Differences between information systems director and information technology manager education

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

Information Systems DirectorInformation Technology Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Information systems director vs information technology manager demographics

Here are the differences between information systems directors' and information technology managers' demographics:

Information Systems DirectorInformation Technology Manager
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 81.3% Female, 18.7%Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between information systems director and information technology manager duties and responsibilities

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.
  • Show more

Information technology manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage all systems onboarding & offboarding of all employees, manage all account access on all company systems & equipment setup.
  • Manage NFS mounts from NAS devices and setup auto-mounts for the server farm.
  • Manage applications support for Lawson, Meditech, ChartMaxx and McKesson PACs system.
  • Negotiate and manage the company through several Telecom agreements for voice, data and wireless.
  • Manage production turnovers by conducting performance tests, and reviewing SQL coding standards and methods.
  • Manage 3rd party vendors supporting legacy 3Com, Avaya, Nortel, and Cisco platforms.
  • Show more

Information systems director vs information technology manager skills

Common information systems director skills
  • Customer Service, 8%
  • Project Management, 8%
  • Network Infrastructure, 7%
  • Windows Server, 4%
  • SQL Server, 4%
  • Data Warehouse, 4%
Common information technology manager skills
  • Customer Service, 12%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • Database, 4%
  • Network Infrastructure, 4%
  • SAN, 3%
  • SQL Server, 3%

Browse executive management jobs