IT MANAGER

As businesses are increasingly reliant on technology, your role as IT manager is crucial to business continuity and success. You will be advising organisations on IT solutions that will best help them grow and perform more efficiently. You’ll work with companies from beginning to end, outlining the most effective resources and oversee projects through design, development to completion. You’ll be working closely with the client to ensure projects are completed on time and to budget. You’ll be in charge of your project team and it’ll be your responsibility to ensure everyone is doing the right thing at the right time. It can be a highly varied job, and you’ll find there are opportunities to work alongside a wide range of sectors. For example, you might be helping to create a new patient database for the NHS or assisting a private company to switch to a new phone system. Whatever project you’re working on, your daily tasks may include: • Speaking to your management team/clients to find out what they want and to advise them objectively on where IT might make a difference to the business • Planning the stages of the project and how each affects the business • Coordinating the project team • Agreeing costs, timescales and standards to be met and monitoring these throughout the project • Adjusting the plans where needed • Making sure there is a smooth change over from the old system to the new one • Keeping management and clients updated on progress • Evaluation of each project stage and once completed If the flexibility and diversity of self-employment is something you’re looking for, you could move into freelance work as a consultant or contractor. The additional advantage of freelance work is that you can organise breaks between projects, for example, to get a qualification or go travelling. Opportunities Promotion prospects for IT managers may often depend on the size and type of organisation you work for. Wherever you are, it’s likely you will be able to work towards a more strategic role. You’ll find many large companies have structured career paths, which lead to acquiring more management responsibility. As IT is such a diverse field, you could choose to take a more technical path instead of a management role. It’s possible to then specialise in a specific sector or computer platform like SAP or Oracle. Alternatively, you could work towards becoming an IT specialist or technical architect. Required skills If you’re looking to become an IT manager, employers will be looking for the following attributes: You should have: • Excellent organisational skills • Strong leadership and decision making skills • Excellent analytical and problem solving skills • Understanding of complex information and requirements • Good prioritisation skills and be flexible enough to adapt plans • Great IT skills combined with a good head for business • Ability to explain complex systems in simple terms • An ability to work to tight deadlines and within constraints Entry You'll generally need a degree and several years of relevant experience to get started in IT management. It's better if your degree is in an IT-based subject or a business degree with some technical element (like maths or engineering).