IT directors · the role
What does an IT director do?
The short answer · updated
An IT director runs an organisation’s information technology: the IT strategy and budget, the infrastructure and systems, the IT team and suppliers, and cyber security. They keep technology reliable and secure, decide where to invest, and report to the chief executive, finance director or a CIO. In many mid-sized businesses the IT director is the most senior technology role.
What is an IT director?
An IT director is the senior manager responsible for the technology an organisation runs on: the network, devices, servers, business systems and the data in them, and the team and suppliers who keep them working. The title is also written director of IT.
The Office for National Statistics groups IT directors with chief information officers. Its Standard Occupational Classification (unit group 1137, information technology directors) says they plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the work and resources needed to provide and operate IT infrastructure and services, and lists Chief Information officer and IT Director among the related job titles.
Where a company has no CIO, the IT director is usually its top technology seat. Where it has one, the IT director often runs delivery under the CIO.
What an IT director does
The ONS lists the tasks below for the unit group. In practice an IT director spends the week on service: keeping systems running, fixing what breaks, managing suppliers and contracts, and moving projects forward, with the IT strategy and budget as the frame.
- developing the IT strategy with the rest of senior management;
- directing how that strategy, the infrastructure, procurement, procedures and standards are put in place;
- setting the IT business plan and operating budget to deliver agreed service levels;
- deciding IT staffing levels, overseeing recruitment and directing training;
- prioritising and scheduling major IT projects;
- making sure new technologies are researched and evaluated against what the organisation needs.
IT director vs CIO vs CTO
An IT director runs the organisation’s own technology and the service it gives staff and customers: infrastructure, systems, the service desk, suppliers and security. The focus is delivery and reliability.
A chief information officer (CIO) is the executive who owns technology strategy across the business, usually in the C-suite and often reporting to the chief executive. The ONS puts the two titles in the same group, and in a mid-sized business one person often does both; where both exist, the IT director typically reports to the CIO. Our page on what a CIO does covers the seat above.
A chief technology officer (CTO) looks outward. The government’s framework calls the chief technology officer the organisation’s technology strategist, making decisions about its technical direction. In a company that sells software, the CTO usually leads the engineers who build the product, while the IT director runs the internal estate. See what does a CTO do.
Below the IT director sit the head of IT and IT managers, who run parts of the estate or the service desk day to day.
Cyber security, data and the board
Cyber risk is now a board matter. The government’s Cyber Governance Code of Practice, written for boards and directors of medium and large organisations, asks the board to agree senior ownership of cyber security risks and to gain assurance on supplier risk and incident plans. The IT director is usually the executive who provides that assurance, or supports the CIO or CISO who does.
For a smaller business the baseline is Cyber Essentials, the minimum standard the government recommends, built on five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, security update management, user access control and malware protection. Getting and keeping certification is usually on the IT director’s list.
Personal data sits alongside. The ICO’s guide to personal data breaches says organisations must report certain breaches to the ICO, tell affected people where the risk to them is high, and keep a record of every breach. The IT director often owns the detection and response plan that makes this possible.
An IT director appointed to the board is a company director, with the general duties under the Companies Act 2006 that Companies House guidance sets out. Many IT directors hold the title without a board seat.
Skills, qualifications and the path to IT director
The ONS says there are no pre-set entry requirements, though candidates usually hold a degree or equivalent and substantial relevant experience, and a variety of professional and postgraduate qualifications is available.
The usual path runs through IT support, IT service management and IT manager to head of IT. The government framework’s IT service manager path runs from IT service analyst up to head of IT service management, which shows the service side of that climb.
For professional standing, BCS, the Chartered Institute for IT, awards Chartered IT Professional (CITP) registration to members at Professional or Fellow grade who show their competence and conduct. It is a useful signal; no law requires it.
Fractional, interim and part-time IT directors vs permanent
A permanent IT director suits an organisation whose estate, team and suppliers need an owner every day.
A fractional IT director works a set number of days a week or month: setting the IT strategy, sorting suppliers and contracts, getting security to a known standard, then leaving the team or provider to run it. It suits smaller and growing businesses that need senior IT judgement but not five days of it. You can hire a fractional IT director for that. An interim works full-time for a fixed period, often to cover a vacancy, run a migration or steady things after an incident; at the executive level that is an interim CIO.
A fractional or interim IT director often works through their own company. The off-payroll working rules (IR35) may then apply. Status turns on how the engagement runs in practice, and a medium or large client makes the determination. Our IR35 guide sets out the tests.
What an IT director earns, and how to hire one
Pay depends on the size of the estate and the team, the sector, the location and whether the role sits on the board. Our IT director salary page sets out national and London pay and contract day rates, each figure with its source.
Write the brief around the problem: an estate to stabilise, a migration, a security standard to reach, suppliers to consolidate. Test candidates on a real one from your business. For the open roles, see IT director jobs.
We recruit permanent, interim, fractional, part-time and temporary IT leaders. To hire for the seat above, see how to hire a CIO; every brief gets a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out, after our five-stage vetting.
Questions people ask
What is an IT director?
An IT director is the senior manager who runs an organisation’s information technology: infrastructure, systems, the IT team, suppliers, the IT budget and cyber security. In many mid-sized businesses it is the most senior technology role.
Is an IT director the same as a CIO?
Not quite. The ONS puts both titles in one group, and in a smaller business one person does both. Where both exist, the CIO owns technology strategy at executive level and the IT director runs delivery, often reporting to the CIO. See what a CIO does.
What is the difference between an IT director and a CTO?
An IT director runs the technology the organisation uses internally. A CTO sets the technical direction and, in a company that sells software, usually leads the engineers who build the product. See what does a CTO do.
Who does an IT director report to?
Usually the chief executive, the finance director or the chief operating officer; in a larger organisation, the CIO. The line shows whether the business treats IT as strategy, operations or cost.
What qualifications does an IT director need?
None is required by law. The ONS says candidates usually hold a degree or equivalent and substantial relevant experience. Chartered IT Professional registration from BCS is a recognised mark of competence.
How much does it cost to hire an IT director?
A permanent IT director is paid a salary, usually with a bonus; a fractional or interim one a day rate. Our IT director salary page sets out pay with sources. On every shortlist we set out each candidate’s pay or day rate.
How do I hire an IT director?
Write the brief around the problem the role must solve, choose permanent, fractional, interim or part-time, and test candidates on a real case from your estate. We send a shortlist of 3–5, each with pay or day rate, availability and IR35 position set out. See IT director jobs.
