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Technology strategist vs chief technology officer

The differences between technology strategists and chief technology officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a technology strategist, 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 $138,362 average annual salary of a technology strategist.

The top three skills for a technology strategist include digital transformation, azure and architecture. The most important skills for a chief technology officer are infrastructure, cloud, and architecture.

Technology strategist vs chief technology officer overview

Technology StrategistChief Technology Officer
Yearly salary$138,362$172,989
Hourly rate$66.52$83.17
Growth rate16%6%
Number of jobs67,147124,289
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age4752
Years of experience8-

What does a technology strategist do?

A technology strategist spearheads the development of a company's technological structures, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. Their responsibilities typically revolve around conducting research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of a company's information technology systems, designing and implementing strategies to optimize operations, coordinating with different departments to identify their needs, and assessing existing structures to recommend enhancement for optimal quality. Furthermore, a technology strategist may provide technical support and mentor staff, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations when it comes to information technology.

What does a chief technology officer do?

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.

Technology strategist vs chief technology officer salary

Technology strategists and chief technology officers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technology StrategistChief Technology Officer
Average salary$138,362$172,989
Salary rangeBetween $95,000 And $200,000Between $105,000 And $284,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASeattle, WA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaHawaii
Best paying companyMetaInPhonex
Best paying industryInsuranceTelecommunication

Differences between technology strategist and chief technology officer education

There are a few differences between a technology strategist and a chief technology officer in terms of educational background:

Technology StrategistChief Technology Officer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common majorBusinessComputer Science
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Technology strategist vs chief technology officer demographics

Here are the differences between technology strategists' and chief technology officers' demographics:

Technology StrategistChief Technology Officer
Average age4752
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 91.6% Female, 8.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 14.0% White, 64.1% 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 Percentage11%12%

Differences between technology strategist and chief technology officer duties and responsibilities

Technology strategist example responsibilities.

  • Lead software vendor evaluations, RFP process, selections and negotiations.
  • Switch data network from frame relay to manage internet with VPN.
  • Manage a team of programmers in administering human resources and payroll processes for 6000 employees.
  • Lead a series of enterprise OS upgrades and applications enhancements to replace lease terminal device services.
  • Maintain all departmental training documents and manage escalated tickets queues to ensure timely resolutions while exceeding SLA's.
  • Manage service and maintenance subcontractors for diesel generators, fire alarms, building automation, security and HVAC systems.
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Chief technology officer example responsibilities.

  • Implement, manage and customize Salesforce, a CRM system, allowing the company to convert sales leads into opportunities.
  • Manage windows and linux servers.
  • Manage patches and security on windows and RHEL/CentOS systems.
  • Develop and manage a complete network solution featuring EMC, Cisco and VmWare solutions.
  • Design, manage, and analyze PPC, SEO, strategies for internet marketing.
  • Manage computer operations, end-user computing, PC support, network systems and voice telecommunication systems.
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Technology strategist vs chief technology officer skills

Common technology strategist skills
  • Digital Transformation, 25%
  • Azure, 11%
  • Architecture, 10%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Business Value, 4%
Common chief technology officer skills
  • Infrastructure, 8%
  • Cloud, 7%
  • Architecture, 7%
  • Python, 6%
  • Java, 5%
  • C++, 5%

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