Director jobs

A director of IT works as the programme manager for their organisation's IT operations, including computers and workstations, peripherals, networks and internet connectivity, and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telecommunications, along with any other digital tools and equipment used when carrying out the company's business operations.

IT director jobs can involve working as the sole head of a large department, with many technicians beneath you. In corporations with multiple offices, locations and potentially thousands of employees, there may be more than one director of IT. In this case the individual roles may be akin to programme director jobs, with each person overseeing a specific portion of the business's activities.

Typical tasks of an IT director

A director of IT, especially in a large company, will typically take on significant amounts of responsibility, reporting directly to C-suite or director level staff. In programme manager jobs you may be the head of a team with ambitious targets, or you could be the IT director for your entire organisation.

Tasks can include creating SMART objectives for IT assets including software, hardware and storage. You are likely to be asked to report on potential cyber security vulnerabilities and how to fix them. When new hardware and software is installed, you will direct the installation process and ensure that everything is in good working order.

In addition to your IT-specific duties, you may also have more general administrative tasks to carry out. This includes interviewing, hiring and managing the employees working below you, and supporting any middle managers to do the same. It's likely that you will be allocated a budget, so being able to manage business finances and make accurate spending forecasts is essential for such roles.

Qualifications required for an IT director job

Director of IT jobs are positions of significant seniority. If you’re in contention for one of these jobs it’s likely that you will hold a bachelor's degree in IT or computer science. A high pass in a master's degree would be beneficial. You will typically have several years of experience working in IT leadership roles and managing major IT infrastructure projects.

Within programme director jobs there may be greater emphasis on professional accreditations that show your technical aptitude for the role. In broader IT director jobs, the emphasis is more likely to be on interpersonal skills and people leadership, so experience of middle to senior management will help support your application.

Hard/soft skills needed for an IT director job

Those in IT programme manager jobs will need a suite of hard skills, most pertinently including an advanced understanding of IT resources including hardware, software, networks and storage. You will have several years of experience working with commercial IT systems at a managerial level and using principles like SMART to set and achieve business goals.

Required soft skills for director of IT jobs include commitment to the role, as you will be ultimately responsible for delivering on any planned IT strategies. You will need to be highly resistant to stress, with a keen attention to detail on factors such as schedules, budgets and the availability of IT resources.