What is an Information Technology Director?

Information technology (I.T.) directors supervise and oversee computer-related operations within a given company, firm, or corporation. These professionals handle the installation of a company's computer setup, hardware, software, and network connections. I.T. directors also concern themselves with the system's security and any updates to safety or the network programs. They will sit in on budget meetings to determine the cost-effectiveness of new hardware improvements that may be necessary for overall efficiency.

The minimum education requirements for an I.T. director are a bachelor's degree in computer information systems, information technology, or computer science. A professional background in computing technology and some level of business acumen or managerial experience are usually required as well. Becoming an I.T. director also needs several years of experience in a non-senior computing position, such as programming, technical support, or project management.

I.T. directors' salaries fall within a large range, between approximately $68,000 and $170,000 per year. This figure can vary significantly depending upon academic qualification, having previous experience, and possession of the aforementioned skills.

What Does an Information Technology Director Do

There are certain skills that many information technology directors have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed analytical skills, business skills and communication skills.

Learn more about what an Information Technology Director does

How To Become an Information Technology Director

If you're interested in becoming an information technology director, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 67.1% of information technology directors have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 15.0% of information technology directors have master's degrees. Even though most information technology directors have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Information Technology Director

Information Technology Director Job Description

An information technology director or an IT director is responsible for the oversight and management of a company's technical operations, including the staff members who work on them. Their duties include determining IT needs of different departments, proposing upgrades and fixes, and managing the IT employees.

Learn more about Information Technology Director Job Description
Top Information Technology Director Jobs Near You

Information Technology Director Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of chief information officer you might progress to a role such as chief information officer eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title chief information officer.

Information Technology Director

Average Salary for an Information Technology Director

Information Technology Directors in America make an average salary of $138,906 per year or $67 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $197,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $97,000 per year.
Average Information Technology Director Salary
$138,906 Yearly
$66.78 hourly
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Roles and Types of Information Technology Director

The role of an information technology director includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general information technology director responsibilities:

  • Review project plans to plan and coordinate project activity. Manage backup, security
  • Lead it strategic and operational planning to achieve business goals,
  • Responsible for the overall availability, performance optimization, security,

There are several types of information technology director, including:

Information Technology Project Manager

Role:

The job of an information technology project manager isn't an entry-level position. You're going to want a few years of experience under your belt before tackling the career. In fact, you may even need some experience leading people.

As an information technology project manager, it's your job to manage the staff and lead them in the right direction so they can accomplish goals and produce results. Sometimes that means you'll have to be the "bad guy" by having a tough talk.

Being an information technology project manager can have it's stressful moments from time-to-time, but for the most part, it's a great job. Plus, you'll be able to take pride in the fact that all of your hard work paid off so that you could manage your own team, rather than the other way around.

  • Average Salary: $106,981
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Information Technology Manager

Role:

An information technology manager oversees the computing needs across a company. They coordinate the functions of all computer systems of the organization they work for and see to it that all hardware, software, networks, and related applications work correctly and efficiently.

They are responsible for hiring and training new employees, managing the IT budget, supervising the day-to-day operations, and troubleshooting the information systems. They evaluate factors that put the IT system at risk and make sure equipment and procedures are up to speed with the latest technologies.

IT managers land the position typically with a degree at hand in IT systems management or business administration and earn something around $152,860 a year.

  • Average Salary: $119,589
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Chief Information Officer

Role:

A chief information officer (CIO) is responsible for managing, implementing, and using information and computer technologies. They oversee the technological infrastructure of a company to ensure optimal performance and plan the implementation of new systems and guides IT professionals and other staff in the company. The CIO evaluates the costs and risks of information technology to advise management and recommend actions. They also ensure the compliance of the company's IT operations to local laws. Plus, they design technological systems to improve customer experience and satisfaction.

Employers require a minimum of a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field, with previous work experience in a similar role. Applicants must also know about IT systems and infrastructure. Apart from this, you must possess analytical, leadership, organization, project and risk management, and problem-solving skills. You must also have a strategic and business mindset. Chief information officers earn $150,012 per annum. Their salary varies from $79,000 to $286,000.

  • Average Salary: $146,907
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Information Technology Director Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active information technology director jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where information technology directors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Information Technology Director Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California5,126$160,640
2Texas2,350$133,698
3Florida1,693$114,371
4Virginia1,687$136,198
5New York1,630$137,822
6Illinois1,444$130,604
7Massachusetts1,253$138,398
8Pennsylvania1,214$131,367
9Washington1,210$148,564
10North Carolina1,117$136,705
11Georgia1,052$125,748
12South Carolina1,016$118,746
13Ohio1,005$129,744
14New Jersey989$139,100
15Maryland970$117,748
16Arizona911$138,478
17Alabama859$105,284
18Colorado763$110,613
19Minnesota723$120,952
20Louisiana684$108,523
21Oklahoma647$114,982
22Michigan612$135,273
23Oregon586$124,426
24Wisconsin577$116,834
25Indiana534$120,723
26Missouri526$108,733
27Tennessee518$127,922
28Utah485$127,395
29Connecticut482$138,423
30Mississippi423$133,212
31West Virginia418$140,423
32Iowa405$104,700
33Kentucky331$120,349
34South Dakota304$103,479
35Hawaii301$120,854
36Arkansas276$120,434
37Nevada261$150,709
38Kansas261$103,127
39Nebraska257$115,863
40New Hampshire219$148,188
41New Mexico207$143,484
42Rhode Island197$142,685
43Idaho185$118,656
44North Dakota171$133,415
45Delaware165$138,501
46Montana147$136,292
47Maine135$148,407
48Alaska133$133,268
49Vermont118$147,342
50Wyoming92$104,190

Information Technology Director Education

Information Technology Director Majors

Business
21.2 %
Computer Science
21.0 %
Computer Information Systems
9.0 %

Information Technology Director Degrees

Bachelors

67.1 %

Masters

15.0 %

Associate

13.6 %

Top Colleges for Information Technology Directors

1. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,465

Enrollment

6,483

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$53,948

Enrollment

17,238

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

7. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

8. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-State Tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

9. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

Top Skills For an Information Technology Director

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 9.8% of information technology directors listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as analytical skills and business skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Information Technology Director Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Information Technology Director templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Information Technology Director resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Information Technology Director diversity

Information Technology Director Gender Distribution

Male
Male
88%
Female
Female
12%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among information technology directors, 11.9% of them are women, while 88.1% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among information technology directors is White, which makes up 65.4% of all information technology directors.

  • The most common foreign language among information technology directors is Spanish at 40.2%.

Online Courses For Information Technology Director That You May Like

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2. Information Systems Auditing, Controls and Assurance

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The course is awarded The Best Free Online Courses of All Time, and Best Online Courses of the Year (2021 Edition) by Class Central (http://www.classcentral.com). --- Information systems (IS) are important assets to business organizations and are ubiquitous in our daily lives. With the latest IS technologies emerging, such as Big Data, FinTech, Virtual Banks, there are more concerns from the public on how organizations maintain systems’ integrity, such as data privacy, information security, the...

3. Information Technology Essentials

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Best States For an Information Technology Director

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an information technology director. The best states for people in this position are California, Nevada, Washington, and Maine. Information technology directors make the most in California with an average salary of $160,640. Whereas in Nevada and Washington, they would average $150,709 and $148,564, respectively. While information technology directors would only make an average of $148,407 in Maine, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. West Virginia

Total Information Technology Director Jobs: 418
Highest 10% Earn:
$198,000
Location Quotient:
2.06

$140,423

Avg. Salary

View 418 Information Technology Director Jobs In WV

2. California

Total Information Technology Director Jobs: 5,126
Highest 10% Earn:
$228,000
Location Quotient:
1.32

$160,640

Avg. Salary

View 5,126 Information Technology Director Jobs In CA

3. Vermont

Total Information Technology Director Jobs: 118
Highest 10% Earn:
$205,000
Location Quotient:
1.15

$147,342

Avg. Salary

View 118 Information Technology Director Jobs In VT
Full List Of Best States For Information Technology Directors

How Do Information Technology Directors Rate Their Jobs?

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Top Information Technology Director Employers

We've made finding a great employer to work for easy by doing the hard work for you. We looked into employers that employ information technology directors and discovered their number of information technology director opportunities and average salary. Through our research, we concluded that KPMG was the best, especially with an average salary of $126,396. Dell follows up with an average salary of $157,985, and then comes Robert Half with an average of $133,269. In addition, we know most people would rather work from home. So instead of having to change careers, we identified the best employers for remote work as an information technology director. The employers include Broadridge, USAA, and Cigna

Most Common Employers For Information Technology Director

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Gap Inc.$181,343$87.1817
2Oracle$165,764$79.6931
3Johnson & Johnson$160,492$77.1622
4Dell$157,985$75.9549
5AT&T$153,473$73.7918
6Pfizer$150,188$72.2117
7Motorola Solutions$148,055$71.1829
8Quest Diagnostics$144,861$69.6418
9The Hartford$139,268$66.9619
10Hewlett Packard Enterprise$135,314$65.0520
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Becoming an Information Technology Director FAQs

How Long Does It Take To Become An Information Technology Manager?

It takes about seven to eleven years, at minimum, to become an information technology manager. The position typically requires a bachelor's degree, generally four years, and usually three or more years of experience in the related field.

How Many Years Of Experience Do You Need To Become An It Manager?

You need about ten years of experience working as an IT support technician to become an IT manager. Most of these positions require a bachelor's degree at a minimum, and some expect a master's degree as well.

What Are An It Manager's Roles And Responsibilities?

IT managers are responsible for coordinating, planning, and leading computer-related activities in an organization. They help determine the IT needs of an organization and are responsible for implementing computer systems to fulfill the organization's information systems requirements.

What Is The Head Of Information Technology Called?

The head of information technology (IT) is usually called Information Technology Director.

What Skills Are Needed To Be An It Manager?

IT managers need to have both strong technical skills and business strategy skills. Most IT managers have hands-on experience with coding and using the same tools that the IT team uses. Even if the position calls for less technical work, the IT manager still needs to maintain their technical skills to help guide the team.

Have more questions? See all answers to common executive management questions.

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Updated April 6, 2023