Chief technology officer

Chief technology officers contribute to a company’s technical vision and lead all aspects of technology development, according to its strategic direction and growth objectives. They match technology with business needs.

Includes people working in a higher level than the CEO.

The following job titles also refer to chief technology officer:

IT director
CTO
information technology director
chief technology officers

Bachelor’s degree is generally required to work as chief technology officer. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

• the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
• the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
• the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Chief technology officer is a Skill level 4 occupation.

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to chief technology officer.

chief information officer
chief ICT security officer
3D modeller
ICT intelligent systems designer
embedded system designer

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of chief technology officer. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of chief technology officer with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of chief technology officer.

Decision support systems: The ICT systems that can be used to support business or organisational decision making.
Ict project management: The methodologies for the planning, implementation, review and follow-up of ICT projects, such as the development, integration, modification and sales of ICT products and services, as well as projects relating technological innovation in the field of ICT.
Ict project management methodologies: The methodologies or models for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals, such methodologies are Waterfall, Incremental, V-Model, Scrum or Agile and using project management ICT tools.

These skills are necessary for the role of chief technology officer.

Administer ict system: Handle components of ICT system by maintaining configuration, managing users, monitoring resource use, performing backups and installing hardware or software to comply with the set requirements.
Carry out strategic research: Research long term possibilities for improvements and plan steps to achieve them.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Define technology strategy: Create an overall plan of objectives, practices, principles and tactics related to the use of technologies within an organisation and describe the means to reach the objectives.
Optimise choice of ict solution: Select the appropriate solutions in the field of ICT while taking into account potential risks, benefits and overall impact.
Implement ict coding conventions: Apply guidelines for ICT programming techniques, such as conventions, code design patterns and practices to achieve higher security, reliability, better readability and maintenance of the product.
Monitor technology trends: Survey and investigate recent trends and developments in technology. Observe and anticipate their evolution, according to current or future market and business conditions.
Analyse ict system: Study the activity and performance of information systems in order to model their usage and weaknesses, specify purpose, architecture and services and discover operations and procedures for accomplishing them most efficiently.
Maintain plan for continuity of operations: Update methodology which contains steps to ensure that facilities of an organisation are able to continue operating, in case of broad range of unforeseen events.
Coordinate technological activities: Give instructions to colleagues and other cooperating parties in order to reach the desired outcome of a technological project or achieve set goals within an organisation dealing with technology.
Ensure adherence to organisational ict standards: Guarantee that the state of events is in accordance with the ICT rules and procedures described by an organisation for their products, services and solutions.
Lead technology development of an organisation: Develop activities surrounding innovation and research in the field of technology within an organisation based on its strategic direction and growth goals. Provide guidance to colleagues how to best implement them.
Review development process of an organisation: Judge, review and decide on directions of innovation and development processes in an organisation in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
Monitor ict research: Survey and investigate recent trends and developments in ICT research. Observe and anticipate mastery evolution.
Utilise decision support system: Use the available ICT systems that can be used to support business or organisational decision making.
Establish an ict customer support process: Create a series of customer ICT service activities before, during and after a request. Ensure an adequate response or action, enhance the level of customer satisfaction and accumulate ICT product or service feedback.
Implement corporate governance: Apply a set of principles and mechanisms by which an organisation is managed and directed, set procedures of information, control flow and decision making, distribute rights and responsibilities among departments and individuals, set corporate objectives and monitor and evaluate actions and results.

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chief technology officer. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Haskell: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Haskell.
Erlang: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Erlang.
Information structure: The type of infrastructure which defines the format of data: semi-structured, unstructured and structured.
Sas language: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in SAS language.
Agile project management: The agile project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Ruby (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Ruby.
Common lisp: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Common Lisp.
Lisp: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Lisp.
Visual studio .net: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Visual Basic.
Business intelligence: The tools used to transform large amounts of raw data into relevant and helpful business information.
Java (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Java.
Computer programming: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms (e.g. object oriented programming, functional programming) and of programming languages.
Prolog (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Prolog.
Openedge advanced business language: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in OpenEdge Advanced Business Language.
Ict quality policy: The quality policy of the organisation and its objectives, the acceptable level of quality and the techniques to measure it, its legal aspects and the duties of specific departments to ensure quality.
Javascript: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in JavaScript.
Perl: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Perl.
Smalltalk (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Smalltalk.
Php: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in PHP.
Assembly (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Assembly.
Software components libraries: The software packages, modules, web services and resources that cover a set of related functions and the databases where these reusable components can be found.
Hardware components: The essential components that make up a hardware system, such as liquid-crystal displays (LCD), camera sensors, microprocessors, memories, modems, batteries and their interconnections.
C#: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in C#.
Internet governance: The principles, regulations, norms and programs that shape the evolution and use of internet, such as internet domain names management, registries and registrars, according to ICANN/IANA regulations and recommendations, IP addresses and names, name servers, DNS, TLDs and aspects of IDNs and DNSSEC.
R: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in R.
Groovy: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Groovy.
Asp.net: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in ASP.NET.
Apl: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in APL.
Ict communications protocols: The system of rules which allow the exchange of information between computers or other devices via computer networks.
Microsoft visual c++: The computer program Visual C++ is a suite of software development tools for writing programs, such as compiler, debugger, code editor, code highlights, packaged in a unified user interface. It is developed by the software company Microsoft.
Typescript: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in TypeScript.
Coffeescript: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in CoffeeScript.
Objective-c: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Objective-C.
Ml (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in ML.
Ajax: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in AJAX.
C++: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in C++.
Sap r3: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in SAP R3.
Business strategy concepts: The terminology related to the design and implementation of major trends and aims which are taken by an organisation’s executives, while keeping in mind its resources, competition and environments.
Swift (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Swift.
Matlab: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in MATLAB.
Python (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Python.
Ict infrastructure: The system, network, hardware and software applications and components, as well as devices and processes that are used in order to develop, test, deliver, monitor, control or support ICT services.
Scratch (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Scratch.
Process-based management: The process-based management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Lean project management: The lean project management approach is a methodology for planning, managing and overseeing of ICT resources in order to meet specific goals and using project management ICT tools.
Vbscript: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in VBScript.
Cobol: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in COBOL.
Software components suppliers: The suppliers who can deliver the required software components.
Pascal (computer programming): The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Pascal.
Abap: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in ABAP.
Hardware components suppliers: The suppliers who can deliver the required hardware components.
Scientific research methodology: The theoretical methodology used in scientific research involving doing background research, constructing an hypothesis, testing it, analysing data and concluding the results.
Scala: The techniques and principles of software development, such as analysis, algorithms, coding, testing and compiling of programming paradigms in Scala.

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of chief technology officer. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Maintain relationship with customers: Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.
Perform business analysis: Evaluate the condition of a business on its own and in relation to the competitive business domain, performing research, placing data in context of the business’ needs and determining areas of opportunity.
Ensure information privacy: Design and implement business processes and technical solutions to guarantee data and information confidentiality in compliance with legal requirements, also considering public expectations and political issues of privacy.
Oversee development of software: Organise, plan and supervise the development of the applications and frameworks in order to create a software product, from the earliest planning stages to the final product test.
Build business relationships: Establish a positive, long-term relationship between organisations and interested third parties such as suppliers, distributors, shareholders and other stakeholders in order to inform them of the organisation and its objectives.

1330 – Information and communications technology service managers

 

 

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References

1. Chief technology officer – ESCO