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The differences between senior technical directors and chief technology officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior technical director, becoming a chief technology officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief technology officer has an average salary of $172,989, which is higher than the $148,603 average annual salary of a senior technical director.
The top three skills for a senior technical director include cloud, project management and product development. The most important skills for a chief technology officer are infrastructure, cloud, and architecture.
| Senior Technical Director | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $148,603 | $172,989 |
| Hourly rate | $71.44 | $83.17 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 83,169 | 124,289 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 40 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
Senior technical directors are professionals who are responsible for providing technical direction within a software company, engineering firm, film studio, theatre company, or television studio. These directors are required to manage staff members and are responsible for developing, testing, and validating new products for manufacturing engineering projects. They must develop strategic direction for engineering projects to achieve high levels of customer satisfaction and exceed aggressive financial targets. In theatre management, these senior technicians must also provide technical services that include advanced audio and visual production.
The job of chief technology officers (CTOs) is to oversee the technological needs and research and development of an organization. The CTOs, who are like chief information officers, make decisions for a company's technology infrastructure that aligns with the organization's business goals. They must ensure that they are updated on new and existing technologies for them to guide the company's future endeavors. Other responsibilities include fixing issues related to information technology, developing and managing the company's technological resources, and participating in management decisions on corporate governance.
Senior technical directors and chief technology officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Technical Director | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Average salary | $148,603 | $172,989 |
| Salary range | Between $103,000 And $214,000 | Between $105,000 And $284,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Apple | InPhonex |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior technical director and a chief technology officer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Technical Director | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between senior technical directors' and chief technology officers' demographics:
| Senior Technical Director | Chief Technology Officer | |
| Average age | 40 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.7% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 12% |