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Technology strategist vs information technology director

The differences between technology strategists and information technology directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-8 years to become both a technology strategist and an information technology director. Additionally, an information technology director has an average salary of $138,906, 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 an information technology director are customer service, project management, and cloud.

Technology strategist vs information technology director overview

Technology StrategistInformation Technology Director
Yearly salary$138,362$138,906
Hourly rate$66.52$66.78
Growth rate16%16%
Number of jobs67,14787,765
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age4747
Years of experience88

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 an information technology director do?

An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.

Technology strategist vs information technology director salary

Technology strategists and information technology directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Technology StrategistInformation Technology Director
Average salary$138,362$138,906
Salary rangeBetween $95,000 And $200,000Between $97,000 And $197,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMetaThe Tipping Point
Best paying industryInsuranceTechnology

Differences between technology strategist and information technology director education

There are a few differences between a technology strategist and an information technology director in terms of educational background:

Technology StrategistInformation Technology Director
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University

Technology strategist vs information technology director demographics

Here are the differences between technology strategists' and information technology directors' demographics:

Technology StrategistInformation Technology Director
Average age4747
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9%
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, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between technology strategist and information technology director 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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Information technology director example responsibilities.

  • Lead the implementation of the ServiceNow ITSM solution.
  • Work with customers and internal management to create and manage acceptable SLA standards and measurements.
  • Manage the migration of email system for 400 plus users from Novell GroupWise to Google Gmail.
  • Manage the QA department and oversee the support of all storage for the company and its outsource customers.
  • Perform resource planning for a portfolio of projects via prioritizing the demand queue and successfully managing business relationships.
  • Lead the prototyping of a Microsoft SharePoint implementation that customize the look & feel to support the organizational requirements.
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Technology strategist vs information technology director skills

Common technology strategist skills
  • Digital Transformation, 25%
  • Azure, 11%
  • Architecture, 10%
  • Healthcare, 6%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Business Value, 4%
Common information technology director skills
  • Customer Service, 10%
  • Project Management, 7%
  • Cloud, 6%
  • Network Infrastructure, 6%
  • Disaster Recovery, 3%
  • Windows Server, 3%

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