An information technology executive is a senior-level professional who supervises computerized information systems at an organization. Depending upon the size of the company, this individual may be focused on management and strategic planning, as is the case for vice-presidents and directors. At other organizations, he could be more heavily involved in on-site applications and troubleshooting, which is in line with the job duties of an information technology manager or supervisor. Any executive of this type will likely supervise and train others in effective and efficient protocols and procedures.
One major component of this job is the designing and maintenance of computer systems. To enable an organization to effectively store, retrieve, and process information, he will have a hand in the planning and upgrading of company information equipment. This may involve collaborating with other executives in strategic planning meetings, or manually working with servers, hardware and software and other technological devices and machines. He may also plan and upgrade company databases, used to store larger volumes of company records.
Budgeting is another job component of the information technology executive job position. Most senior managers in this career field will be responsible for maintaining information technology budgets, and in the case of a smaller organization, may need to supervise related department budgets as well. He will need to track expenditures, monitor employee salaries, and calculate profits. He may also be responsible for coordinating with outside accounting advisors, such as in the time of a company or department audit.
An information technology executive must also supervise, train, and review employees. His staff may include a variety of positions from manager to technical assistants. An information technology department may be small or large, but this executive will be responsible for the interviewing, hiring, and scheduling of employees. He will also perform performance assessments and will spearhead departmental training and safety efforts.
Many other duties are required of the information technology executive including communication with outside suppliers and contractors and procedural planning and implementation. He will be required to plan for the information technology sector of his organization and will need to communicate these plans to others who will execute them. An executive of this type must also have broad knowledge of governmental policies and laws as they pertain to the workplace, the information technology field, and current trends in computer equipment and applications.
This job position requires experience in managing others, information technology, and general business practices. Senior-level executives in this field will likely spend a lot of their work day planning, budgeting, and analyzing. An information technology executive at the middle management level may do some strategic duties as well, but will spend more time in hands-on applications and training.