It Manager jobs

An IT manager is responsible for planning, researching and coordinating information technology tasks within a company. The role of an IT manager is to support all other areas of the business by ensuring their IT needs are met, and that IT downtime is reduced. 

Sometimes someone with an IT manager job can be referred to as an IT project manager. The terms are generally interchangeable, but sometimes the latter can refer to a contractor or someone in a fixed-term contract. In an instance like this, a company brings in the IT project manager to oversee something short-term. 

The importance of those in IT manager jobs has become much greater since the push towards remote and out of office working began changing workplace norms. The need for innovative and experienced IT managers is higher than ever. This can positively impact an IT manager salary.

Typical tasks of an IT manager  

Depending on the company that posts the IT manager job vacancy, expectations for the candidate, and their responsibilities should they get the role, can be varied. Due to the variety of sub-categories within the role of the IT manager, there is a broad scope for lateral and vertical movement alongside a mix of duties and tasks.

As the title suggests, an IT manager tends to be more focused on the human element of the IT team than those in other IT roles. They are there to ensure that the IT personnel perform tasks in a timely and efficient manner. 

The IT manager will be expected to oversee information technology projects, from researching, installing and maintaining new systems and services, to ensuring that systems are operating at maximum capacity. 

An IT manager may be tasked with troubleshooting problems and issues that users encounter. This can be both internally or externally, for stakeholders or customers. IT manager roles can be both customer-facing and internal, depending on the company’s structure and what they sell or provide.

Qualifications required for an IT manager job

IT manager jobs will normally require the candidate to possess a bachelor’s degree in information technology, computer science, information science or a related field. They will be expected to have around three to five years of experience within IT teams, and sometimes to have management experience.

For some roles, the addition of a relevant master’s degree is preferred, but this is often at the discretion of the company and not an industry standard. Having supplementary relevant qualifications or experience will always help set an IT manager candidate apart, but again, is not always necessary. 

Hard/soft skills needed for an IT manager job

As with a lot of management roles in the IT sector, there are a wide range of skills that a candidate must possess to flourish in the role. In terms of soft skills, a manager should have good communication, project management skills, leadership, conflict management skills and the ability to multitask.

Hard skills required for IT manager jobs will vary from role to role, but some common skills employers look for are the ability to research and deploy complex IT systems, knowledge of various devices, security measures and information technology methodologies, and understanding of IT infrastructure.