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What does a technical director do?

Updated January 8, 2025
7 min read
What does a technical director do

A technical director is responsible for monitoring the technical efficiency of operations. Technical directors inspect audio and visual equipment, lighting systems for productions, and other technical processes. They ensure that all the equipment is in proper working condition, identify and troubleshoot defects, and deliver high-quality project results. They also monitor expenses, forecast sales reports, and create cost estimates for the systems needed for the project completion, following the clients' specifications to gain satisfaction. A technical director must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to manage operational processes with maximum accuracy.

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Technical director responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real technical director resumes:

  • Manage the support team upgrade of SalesForce SupportForce ERP app.
  • Manage live telephone calls including sound quality and VoIP phone set-up.
  • Optimize window rendering of Java SDK that lead to additional HP-UX sales.
  • Manage junior developers and SharePoint support desk.
  • Lead technical and QA departments of entrepreneurial separations process company, focusing on commercialization of specialize adsorption media.
  • Lead all training development activity and implementation for wireless contact centers, including logistics planning and document creation.
  • Utilize Java, JavaScript, and CGI.
  • Serve as CRM system admin (SalesForce) and the final escalation point for customer-care.
  • Create accountability and clarity by establishing performance objectives and KPIs, job skills and knowledge evaluation.
  • Highlight top events and KPIs of the month with insights into the root cause of red events.
  • Create efficient DevOps practices and procedures for promoting code from development through testing, packaging and release to production.
  • Reduce hardware costs by using virtualization technologies.
  • Monitor safety procedures and surpass OSHA standards.
  • Incorporate streamlined professional services to significantly augment SaaS revenue.
  • Collaborate with hosting company to troubleshoot connection and latency issues.

Technical director skills and personality traits

We calculated that 10% of Technical Directors are proficient in Business Development, Architecture, and Technical Expertise. They’re also known for soft skills such as Creativity, Communication skills, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Technical Directors that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Business Development, 10%

    Served as the Executive Director of Strategy, Development and Capture- focused on new business development and capture management.

  • Architecture, 8%

    Set technical architecture standard for Java-based enterprise portals based on clustered Sun UltraSPARC T2000 machines and managed BEA WebLogic/AquaLogic server clusters.

  • Technical Expertise, 7%

    Showed deep technical expertise and technology-agnostic approach and crafted technology solutions that are both effective and engaging.

  • Project Management, 6%

    Trained Syrians in key public administration skills including strategic planning and project management as well as conflict management and transitional justice.

  • Digital Transformation, 5%

    Deliver vision for organization's digital transformation and compelling member experience.

  • Enterprise Solutions, 4%

    Develop integration roadmap for complex enterprise solutions and services including Content Management System, Oracle, MS-Sharepoint.

Most technical directors use their skills in "business development," "architecture," and "technical expertise" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential technical director responsibilities here:

Creativity. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a technical director to have is creativity. Their role and responsibilities require that "because a script may be interpreted in different ways, directors must decide on their approach and on how to represent the script’s ideas for the production." Technical directors often use creativity in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "line out and start up along with product development, research and development, costing, inventory and production. "

Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling technical director duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "producers and directors must convey information and ideas clearly in order to coordinate many people to finish a production on time and within budget." According to a technical director resume, here's how technical directors can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "migrated employee collaboration, communication and productivity functions to cloud saas solutions (sharefile, dropbox, gmail, amazon). "

Leadership skills. technical directors are also known for leadership skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to technical director responsibilities, because "directors instruct actors and help them portray their characters in a believable manner." A technical director resume example shows how leadership skills is used in the workplace: "provided leadership in product development and business strategy. "

Most common technical director skills

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Compare different technical directors

Technical 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.

We looked at the average technical director salary and compared it with the wages of a director of technology and services. Generally speaking, directors of technology and services are paid $4,905 lower than technical directors per year.Even though technical directors and directors of technology and services are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require business development, project management, and enterprise solutions in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between technical directors and director of technology and services. For instance, technical director responsibilities require skills such as "architecture," "technical expertise," "digital transformation," and "customer service." Whereas a director of technology and services is skilled in "technical service," "healthcare," "cloud," and "technical support." This is part of what separates the two careers.

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, technical directors are paid more in the technology industry with an average salary of $134,759.directors of technology and services tend to reach similar levels of education than technical directors. In fact, directors of technology and services are 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.8% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

Technical director vs. Vice president, technology

A vice president of technology is in charge of overseeing all technological operations in a company while managing the workforce involved, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Typically, it is their responsibility to establish goals and objectives, devising strategies to enforce them. They also spearhead the development of new systems and tools that boost workforce productivity, coordinate with analysts and specialists, and resolve any issues and concerns. Furthermore, as a vice president, it is essential to implement the company's policies and regulations, creating new ones as needed.

A career as a vice president, technology brings a higher average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a technical director. In fact, vice presidents, technology salary is $20,743 higher than the salary of technical directors per year.While the salary may differ for these jobs, they share a few skills needed to perform their duties. Based on resume data, both technical directors and vice presidents, technology have skills such as "business development," "architecture," and "project management. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, technical director responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "technical expertise," "customer service," "database," and "customer satisfaction." Meanwhile, a vice president, technology has duties that require skills in areas such as "analytics," "portfolio," "cloud," and "risk management." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, vice presidents, technology earn a higher salary than technical directors. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, vice presidents, technology earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $156,843. Whereas technical directors have higher pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $134,759.In general, vice presidents, technology achieve similar levels of education than technical directors. They're 4.0% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.8% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Technical director vs. Information technology support manager

Information technology support manager primarily supervises information technology support staff, oversees system and software maintenance, and repairs. They assist with computer equipment installation and purchasing and maintaining a secure network and connectivity for users. It is part of their role to coordinate training and development for new technology users. Another vital role is they monitor online security for users and networks and takes appropriate steps to address possible security breaches if necessary. Moreover, they also develop contingency plans to address any equipment, power, or possible security failure to ensure the protection of technology and data.

On average scale, information technology support managers bring in lower salaries than technical directors. In fact, they earn a $27,295 lower salary per year.By looking over several technical directors and information technology support managers resumes, we found that both roles require similar skills in their day-to-day duties, such as "project management," "customer service," and "database." But beyond that, the careers look very different.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a technical director is likely to be skilled in "business development," "architecture," "technical expertise," and "digital transformation," while a typical information technology support manager is skilled in "itil," "desk support," "slas," and "application support."

Information technology support managers make a very good living in the finance industry with an average annual salary of $117,341. On the other hand, technical directors are paid the highest salary in the technology industry, with average annual pay of $134,759.When it comes to education, information technology support managers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to technical directors. In fact, they're 4.6% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Technical director vs. Information technology technical services manager

An information technology/technical services manager is responsible for supervising the operations of the information technology team, assisting the technical staff in providing efficient performance by improving technology systems and network infrastructure to support business functions. This job requires extensive knowledge of the technology industry, as well as an excellent command of programming and system processes to ensure smooth navigation and consistent transitions. An information technology/technical services manager also handles the development of new network systems according to business requirements and client specifications.

Information technology technical services managers tend to earn a lower pay than technical directors by an average of $17,698 per year.While their salaries may vary, technical directors and information technology technical services managers both use similar skills to perform their duties. Resumes from both professions include skills like "project management," "enterprise solutions," and "customer service. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between technical directors and information technology technical services managers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a technical director might have more use for skills like "business development," "architecture," "technical expertise," and "digital transformation." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of information technology technical services managers require skills like "itil," "service management," "itsm," and "process improvement. "

Information technology technical services managers enjoy the best pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $124,604. For comparison, technical directors earn the highest salary in the technology industry.In general, information technology technical services managers hold similar degree levels compared to technical directors. Information technology technical services managers are 2.0% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 1.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of technical director

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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