CIO Job Description
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Most Recent Research: 18 January, 2012
Job Description
The CIO is the individual with ultimate responsibility for information technology services within the business. They will take a strategic or corporate level view of technology needs and confirm large scale technology development programs or projects of very high value. They will be the decision maker for information technology on the corporate board and operate as a C-level executive.
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Tasks and Activities
- Responsibility for the continuity of all the business IT systems.
- Provide strategic direction for the development of IT projects, programs or portfolios.
- Confirm and approve the purchase or procurement of very high value e.g. corporate wide new IT hardware and software.
- Take a lead on the development of IT systems to meet future technology needs for the business.
- Public relations and customer engagement with existing contractors, partnerships and external corporations.
- Sponsorship of strategic technology change
- Direct management of IT Director (s) and Vice President(s) within the Information Technology division.
- Be the Senior responsible officer for IT business continuity and information technology risk mitigation
- Identifying and delivering against corporate goals for the business.
- Joint responsibility for the strategic direction, development and growth of the business with the corporate or executive board.
Role at a glance
Skills, Knowledge & Experience
- 10+ years of increasing direct management responsibility within an IT environment.
- Experience of being the decision maker for procurement of IT products of significant value.
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to effectively present to large groups of internal and external stakeholders.
- 5+ years of experience leading, developing or sponsoring IT project management delivery.
- Experience in business continuity planning within an IT framework.
- Experience of corporate information technology hardware and software needs.
- Promoting and sponsoring strategic change management activities.
- Experience in developing and delivering corporate IT strategy and plans.
Organizational Position
The CIO will lead, manage and guide all information technology employees. They will be an active member of the corporate or Executive Board, only answerable to the Chief Executive, President or occasionally Chief Operating Officer. The will have one or many IT directors reporting to them, with responsibility for corporate outsourced IT services and any IT partnerships the business may have.
Qualifications & Certifications
A bachelors or higher degree in information technology or a related discipline. MBA or equivalent may be expected.
Key Competencies
Strategic thinking
Financial proprietary
Managing people
Decision making
Project, Program and Portfolio management
Risk Assessment
Enabling empowerment
Planning & organizing
Problem Solving
Corporate Communications
Attributes of an Excellent Chief Information Officer
The CIO is likely to be a career IT person with an understanding of corporate and strategic level business needs and the role that IT plays in fulfilling those needs. An excellent CIO is a strategic thinker, an innovator, comfortable heading a business stream and enjoys senior executive level experience with strong decision making and communication skills. Being part of the Corporate or Executive board requires an understanding of the organizations' core business needs as well as a collaborative approach to corporate business delivery.
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Attraction to the position and job retention strategies for employers
The biggest attraction in this role is its position of ultimate responsibility for IT within the business as well as a very high profile making big decisions with significant business impact. The challenge for this role is to be able to look outside IT and understand the needs of the core business helping move the Information Services Division from a corporate silo mentality.
Being generally filled by ambitious and high achieving individuals this role experiences fewer challenges for job retention than most other positions. This personality type, however, does enjoy a challenge so job retention may be better achieved by offering this exciting challenges and opportunity to make a difference.
What You Know
Expert level understanding of the core business
Expert level understanding of Information Technology resourcing
Budgeting and financial acumen
High level contractual and service level understanding
What You Do
Provide governance, leadership and direction
Identify and deliver IT service and support against corporate goals
Oversee public facing correspondence and communication
Promote IT services to the business
What You Are
A thought leader
An overachiever
A decision maker
A strategic thinker
A motivator and enabler
