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.
Information systems director responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real information systems director resumes:
- 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.
- Implement streaming audio of floor debates, and install infrastructure for VOIP.
- Migrate land base lines to VOIP technology to centralize and minimize spend.
- Change the route accounting system from a UNIX system to a remote host solution.
- Direct the prioritization of all internal systems projects and introduce internal standards for SDLC activities.
- Perform the pilot, cost analysis, and implementation of the laptop PC in the field.
- Implement first and second generation PC hardware and software, such as word processing and spreadsheets, with immediate productivity gains.
- Design and implement firewall security system with VPN connectivity to satellite offices.
- Design, implement, and test budgeting, manufacturing accounting and payroll applications.
- Integrate legacy systems with website and web-base applications for internet and intranet applications.
Information systems director skills and personality traits
We calculated that 8% of Information Systems Directors are proficient in Customer Service, Project Management, and Network Infrastructure. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Business skills, and Organizational skills.
We break down the percentage of Information Systems Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 8%
Established corporate Customer Services group, emphasizing increased service levels across Infrastructure, Business Applications and Desktop Support groups.
- Project Management, 8%
Project Management of several initiatives including construction of new Corporate Headquarters, relocation and consolidation of three buildings into new Headquarters.
- Network Infrastructure, 7%
Managed entire network infrastructure, web development, hardware, software, electronic communications, specialized applications, and information systems.
- Windows Server, 4%
Directed project to design and implement the migration from Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 R2 Active Directory environment.
- SQL Server, 4%
Configured and maintained hosting of high availability websites and SQL Server Databases.
- Data Warehouse, 4%
Supported the integration of clinical data from hospital systems with a clinical data warehouse managed by the Bio-Informatics department.
"customer service," "project management," and "network infrastructure" are among the most common skills that information systems directors use at work. You can find even more information systems director responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. The most essential soft skill for an information systems director to carry out their responsibilities is analytical skills. This skill is important for the role because "it managers must analyze problems and consider and select the best ways to solve them." Additionally, an information systems director resume shows how their duties depend on analytical skills: "worked with vendors and suppliers to implement an effective enterprise resource planning (erp) infrastructure ensuring data integrity and confidentiality. "
Business skills. Another essential skill to perform information systems director duties is business skills. Information systems directors responsibilities require that "it managers must develop and implement strategic plans to reach the goals of their organizations." Information systems directors also use business skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "owned the process of liaising between the business and finance team as well as system owners for erp and operations system. "
Organizational skills. This is an important skill for information systems directors to perform their duties. For an example of how information systems director responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "some it managers must coordinate the work of several different it departments to make the organization run efficiently." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an information systems director: "initiated first multi-organizational vpn, designed and implemented vmware business continuity solution, and standardized electronic filing across us offices. ".
Communication skills. A big part of what information systems directors do relies on "communication skills." You can see how essential it is to information systems director responsibilities because "it managers must explain their work to top executives and give clear instructions to their subordinates." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical information systems director tasks: "insure communications through tc/ip and dsl; maintain routers, servers, hubs, and computer systems at optimal performance levels. "
Leadership skills. Another crucial skill for an information systems director to carry out their responsibilities is "leadership skills." A big part of what information systems directors relies on this skill, since "it managers must lead and motivate it teams or departments so that workers are efficient and effective." How this skill relates to information systems director duties can be seen in an example from an information systems director resume snippet: "advocated leadership and effective direction for the development and implementation of short- and long-range corporate mis plans. "
The three companies that hire the most information systems directors are:
- MaxLinear5 information systems directors jobs
- Epsilon3 information systems directors jobs
- LifePoint Health2 information systems directors jobs
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Compare different information systems directors
Information systems director vs. Director of technology and services
A director of technology and services is responsible for monitoring the operations in the technical side of an organization and managing the efficiency of network systems to ensure the stability and efficiency of business functions. Directors of technology and services oversee the safety and security of networks across the organization to prevent unauthorized access and leakage of data statistics. They also perform regular quality checks on the systems, improving users' interface, and upgrading network infrastructure to achieve the highest customer satisfaction.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, information systems director responsibilities require skills like "customer service," "windows server," "data warehouse," and "financial systems." Meanwhile a typical director of technology and services has skills in areas such as "technical service," "healthcare," "cloud," and "technical support." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Directors of technology and services earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $124,051. On the other hand, information systems directors are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $125,492.directors of technology and services tend to reach similar levels of education than information systems directors. In fact, directors of technology and services are 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.7% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Information systems director vs. Director of pharmacist
A director of pharmacist oversees the daily operations of a pharmacy or similar establishment, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently according to industry standards and policies. As a director, they have the authority to direct procedures, establish protocols and guidelines, set budgets and timelines, supervise staffing operations, and develop strategies to enhance pharmacy services. They also coordinate managers, delegate responsibilities, review progress reports, solving issues and concerns when any arise. Moreover, they lead and empower staff in a joint effort to reach goals.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real information systems director resumes. While information systems director responsibilities can utilize skills like "project management," "network infrastructure," "windows server," and "sql server," directors of pharmacist use skills like "patients," "patient care," "hospital pharmacy," and "oversight."
Directors of pharmacist may earn a lower salary than information systems directors, but directors of pharmacist earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $87,464. On the other hand, information systems directors receive higher pay in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $125,492.In general, directors of pharmacist achieve similar levels of education than information systems directors. They're 4.4% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Information systems director vs. Information technology supervisor, information technology
An information technology supervisor of information technology is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's IT operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. It is their duty to spearhead projects, set goals and objectives, coordinate staff, manage budgets and timelines, perform installations and upgrades, and develop strategies to optimize operations. They must remain knowledgeable of the latest technologies, liaise with external parties, and produce progress reports. Furthermore, as a supervisor, it is essential to monitor the performance of the IT teams, all while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, an information systems director is likely to be skilled in "data warehouse," "financial systems," "strategic plan," and "application development," while a typical information technology supervisor, information technology is skilled in "database," "technical support," "troubleshoot," and "azure."
Information technology supervisors, information technology earn the highest salary when working in the energy industry, where they receive an average salary of $116,415. Comparatively, information systems directors have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $125,492.When it comes to education, information technology supervisors, information technology tend to earn lower degree levels compared to information systems directors. In fact, they're 5.3% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.8% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Information systems director 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.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between information systems directors and systems managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an information systems director might have more use for skills like "data warehouse," "financial systems," "strategic plan," and "hipaa." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of systems managers require skills like "patients," "data entry," "client facing," and "troubleshoot. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for systems managers, with average annual pay of $116,351. Comparatively, the highest information systems director annual salary comes from the manufacturing industry.In general, systems managers hold similar degree levels compared to information systems directors. Systems managers are 3.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of information systems director
Updated January 8, 2025
