As our reliance on technology grows, IT manager jobs continue to open up in various organizations, whether they be corporations, academic institutions, or not-for-profits. IT manager jobs may vary in terms of their responsibilities, salary, and seniority, depending on the organization they’re with. Some of the most common IT manager jobs include positions within the IT department of a non-tech organization, managers within an exclusively IT company, and IT project managers who work with one or more organizations.
Because technology has become so integral to the workplace in the last few decades, virtually every place of employment now relies on IT managers to maintain and optimize their computer systems. As such, IT manager jobs can be found in all industries, whether they be fashion and apparel, agriculture, or any other sector that may not be typically considered high-tech. An IT manager is usually responsible for procuring, installing and maintaining the office’s hardware and software, including computers, phones, and hand-held devices. If the office is fairly small, its IT department may have as little as two employees including the IT manager, who will then take on a supervisory role in the department. However, if the office also employs a technology director such as a chief technical officer (CTO) then he or she will oversee the IT manager, who occupies a middle-management position.
High-tech organizations that provide such services as software development, web design, or telecommunications also employ IT managers. In this scenario, an IT manager would not be part of an IT department, but would rather be in charge of some specific area of IT management, such as IT financial manager, IT customer service manager, or database administration manager. Unlike IT manager jobs within an IT department that is part of a larger organization, IT manager jobs with an IT firm may not have a supervisory element in which the manager oversees other staff members.
IT project managers are technology professionals who manage all or part of a project, which may be within an organization or between two different organizations. For example, there might be IT project manager jobs available for project managers in a university that’s teaming up with a corporation to develop new technology. Or an IT project manager could be tasked with overseeing the development and implementation of new software for an organization.