How to hire an information technology systems director

How to hire an information technology systems director, step by step

Here's a step-by-step information technology systems director hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an information technology systems director job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new information technology systems director
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an information technology systems director do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring an information technology systems director, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect information technology systems director also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents information technology systems director salaries for various positions.

   Type of Information Technology Systems Director	Description	Hourly rate
   Information Technology Systems Director	Computer and information systems managers, often called information technology (IT) managers or IT project managers, plan, coordinate, and direct computer-related activities in an organization. They help determine the information technology goals of an organization and are responsible for implementing computer systems to meet those goals.	$49-100
   Director, Technical Operations	A director of technical operations is in charge of spearheading the efforts in optimizing business operations. Their responsibilities revolve around performing research and analysis to determine the best operational practices, setting goals and objectives, allocating budgets, coordinating different departments, and evaluating the performance of technicians and engineers... Show more	$47-96
   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... Show more	$36-73

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Project Management
   • Architecture
   • Network Infrastructure
   • Cloud
   • HR
   • Customer Service
   • Emerging Technologies
   • Disaster Recovery
   • Business Processes
   • ERP
   • VMware
   • Direct Reports
   • Vendor Relationships
   • ITIL

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead internal, global team discussions along with external consultants around global ERP selection process with NetSuite.
   • Design flexible architecture to migrate and manage systems while online, improving company performance overall.
   • Establish ERP system, monitor ERP, manufacturing, and quality control processes, and perform supply chain sourcing audits.
   • Initiate beta activities that validate adoption of key ITIL framework components.
   • Implement HIPAA security and confidentiality measures to insure compliance prior to original requirement date.
   • Work with executives to gain consensus regarding PCI compliance plan for organization including departmental policies.

   More information technology systems director duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the information technology systems director job description is a good way to get more applicants. An information technology systems director salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for an information technology systems director in Illinois may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level information technology systems director. Additionally, an information technology systems director with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average information technology systems director salary

   $147,331yearly

   $70.83 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level information technology systems director salary

   $103,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 22, 2025

   Average information technology systems director salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$187,000	$90
   2	Washington	$163,065	$78
   3	Massachusetts	$162,516	$78
   4	Texas	$162,006	$78
   5	Connecticut	$161,549	$78
   6	Hawaii	$147,155	$71
   7	New York	$141,361	$68
   8	New Jersey	$139,783	$67
   9	District of Columbia	$138,561	$67
   10	North Carolina	$135,011	$65
   11	Virginia	$130,441	$63
   12	Florida	$125,572	$60
   13	Colorado	$125,041	$60
   14	Tennessee	$123,641	$59
   15	Montana	$122,992	$59
   16	Ohio	$120,558	$58
   17	Georgia	$120,170	$58
   18	Alabama	$119,620	$58
   19	Indiana	$116,488	$56
   20	Mississippi	$112,963	$54

   Average information technology systems director salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Google	$222,692	$107.06	377
   2	Stanford Health Care	$193,672	$93.11	24
   3	Gilead Sciences	$185,714	$89.29	23
   4	Williams Sonoma	$174,487	$83.89	2
   5	Houston Methodist	$172,524	$82.94	9
   6	Dunkin Brands	$170,728	$82.08	1
   7	Clean Harbors	$170,604	$82.02	10
   8	Torrid	$168,301	$80.91
   9	Emory Healthcare	$165,000	$79.33	14
   10	Bon Secours Community Hospital	$163,897	$78.80	3
   11	Sinclair Broadcast Group	$162,848	$78.29	4
   12	Alexion Pharmaceuticals	$158,032	$75.98
   13	Rocket Lawyer	$157,546	$75.74
   14	Estée Lauder	$155,507	$74.76
   15	Medtronic	$155,318	$74.67	127
   16	Hospice of San Joaquin	$151,592	$72.88
   17	Realco	$150,314	$72.27
   18	Airborne Systems	$149,902	$72.07
   19	FIS	$148,467	$71.38	17
   20	Eaton	$146,881	$70.62	192

4. Writing an information technology systems director job description

   An information technology systems director job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an information technology systems director job description:

   Information technology systems director job description example

   Responsibilities:

   • Create the technical strategy and IT reference architectures to guide the successful design, development, implementation and operations of IT solutions
   • Own Ample's ERP architecture and define ERP applications capabilities and how they should be integrated to provide the best business outcome
   • Create selection short list, selection criteria and drive buy decisions for the right tools that meet Ample's needs and integrate them into a cohesive solution
   • Make build decisions for areas where either no sufficiently advanced tools exist, or they don't meet Ample's needs and process objectives.
   • Partner with various stakeholders and create the IT roadmap for investments to unlock value in the supply chain and manufacturing areas.
   • Understand the current and define the future architectures for the integration of WMS, MES solutions with ERP software and plant automation equipment.
   • Understand manufacturing business designs, business models, functions, processes, and job roles in manufacturing environments.
   • Working with key stakeholders, business relationship managers and project managers, follow the IT methodology, identify time and resources needed to deliver the solution while identifying risks, issues and mitigation strategies.
   • Create and implement ERP architecture – tools, frameworks, standards, processes, implementation and governance.

   Requirements:

   • 10+ years of relevant ERP, WMS, MES and/or shop floor automation experience integrating systems (SAP ERP or Oracle Netsuite experience are a plus; any MES system is fine)
   • 5-8 years of enterprise architecture development / implementation experience focused on supply chain and manufacturing solutions.
   • Software system development, integration experience.
   • Demonstrated expertise in creating enterprise architecture, technology roadmaps and ensuring these are aligned with key stakeholders.
   • Experience working with business relationships and project managers to design and deliver successful solutions. This experience should include creating detailed documents and presentations to steering committees or key stakeholders.
   • Any experience with technologies and industry trends in Smart Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 and Industrial IoT would be a huge bonus.

   We are an equal opportunity and E-verified Employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find information technology systems directors for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any information technology systems directors they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level information technology systems directors with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your information technology systems director job on Zippia to find and recruit information technology systems director candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with information technology systems director candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new information technology systems director

   Once you've found the information technology systems director candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an information technology systems director?