Chief Information Officer

A Chief Information Officer (CIO) will manage the information systems of an organisation or business by making all the major decisions regarding the information framework of the company.  Furthermore, the Chief Information Officer will decide on the IT equipment that needs to be purchased, how it should be installed, when it will be updated and how it will be integrated into the rest of the company’s operations.  

In order to qualify as a Chief Information Officer, you will need to have a formal qualification.  This should be a qualification in information systems, information technology of computer science.  There are differences in these qualifications however, each of them will give you a solid foundation to pursue a career as a Chief Information Officer. In general, you will be able to complete a Bachelor’s degree in Science or Commerce with specialisation in Information Systems or Computer Science.

Chief Information Officers work normal hours however they often will work extra hours/on weekends when need be.

As a qualified Chief Information Officer with at least five years of experience, you can expect to earn an average annual salary of R1 171 048 in South Africa.

Here are a few things you can expect from a career as a Chief Information Officer:

• this career calls for an individual to combine both management and IT skills
• you will be responsible for overseeing and evaluating IT operations
• this position also requires you to communicate at a senior level and be able to account for any technical decsions made