Top 10 best paid IT job titles for SMEs

TechHQ rounds up the most well-paid IT job titles for SMEs based on the 2019 IT Salary Survey.
25 January 2019

Target’s Mike McNamara tops the list of best-paid CIOs, earning $9,960,117 last year. Source: Target

It’s a lucrative time to be a skilled IT professional in the States.

Mean salaries have increased across both large companies and SME (small and medium enterprises), and average total compensation now sits at just over US$93K— a near 3 percent uptick on the start of 2018.

That’s according to the 2019 IT Salary Survey published by Janco Associates, which sheds a rosy outlook for digital talent in the year ahead, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and standardized job definitions.

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Salary increases across the board in IT. Source: Janco Associates

According to the report, some 80,000 jobs were created last year, as companies— both large and small— frantically seek to bolster their IT teams, particularly in tech hubs like San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, District of Columbia, New York and Washington State.

At the same time, the opportunity has arrived for millennials to take the hot seat. With many CIOs or larger enterprises getting closer to retirement, promotion to executive roles is becoming a priority.

That’s not to discount the wealth of opportunity lower in the pile, though. As enterprise seeks to beef up on big data, blockchain, SEO, and smartphone & tablet connectivity, recruitment for middle management positions is rife.

Among mid-sized businesses, a bid to improve service levels and expand the impact of tech across the business has led to the use of more specialist roles for key projects, and to bring ‘offshore’ computer operations back into the company’s direct control. That movement has seen increased demand for roles such as CSO, VP Information Services, Director Systems & Programming, and Manager Application Development.

Job titles now in lower demand, meanwhile, include Director IT Planning, Manager Production Support, Computer Operations Shift Supervisor and Disaster Recovery Coordinator.

Top 10 best paid IT job titles for SMEs

Below, based on the 2019 IT Salary Survey, TechHQ rounds up the most well-paid IT job titles for SMEs and their definition according to BLS definitions. Figures and rank are based on mean base salary in 2018:

# 1 | Vice President – Chief Information Officer – US$165,494

Accountable for directing the information and data integrity of the enterprise and its groups and for all Information Service functions of the enterprise. He or she is responsible for maintaining the integrity of all electronic and optical books and records of the enterprise.

He or she provides overall management and definition of all computer and communication activities within the enterprise including responsibility for providing a leadership role in the data to day operations of the Information Services function as well as providing direction as the enterprise grows through internal growth and external acquisition.

# 2 | VP – Security (CSO) – US$142,525

Responsible for overall direction of all security functions associated with Information Technology applications, communications (voice and data), and computing services within the enterprise. At the same time, the CSO must be aware of the implications of legislated requirements that impact security for the enterprise. This includes but is not limited to Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 requirements. The CSO has the responsibility for global and enterprise-wide information security and the physical security, protection services and privacy of the corporation and its employees.

# 3 | VP – Technical Services – US$138,881

Responsible for overall direction of all computing and communications technology functions associated with Information Services applications, communications (voice and data), and computing services within the enterprise. As the top technical architect of the enterprise, he or she provides a vision of how technology can be applied to the enterprise.

# 4 | VP – Consulting Services – US$138,213

Accountable for directing the business and operational application of information and data in the enterprise and its groups. He or she provides overall management and definition of all computer and communication business and operation activities within the enterprise.

# 5 | Director – Systems & Programming – US$133,190

Responsible for overseeing the development of systems within Information Systems. This group is responsible for the development of systems on both mainframes and PCs. System development includes configuration data, security, resource monitoring and reporting, and the development of specialized programs.

# 6 | VP – Information Services – US$133,094

Accountable for directing the information and data integrity of the enterprise’s Information Services function, including the enterprise data centers, enterprise technical service centers, enterprise production scheduling functions, enterprise help desks, enterprise communication networks (voice and data), enterprise computer program development, and computer systems operations.

# 7 | Director – Production/Data Center – US$115,651

Responsible for managing the intermediary communication and support between the user community and the technical and operational components of the data center including tracking the activities of the customer support group and ensuring the availability, responsiveness, and effective utilization of the enterprise communication network. The director reports to the Vice President regarding the operation of the production services and the data center.

# 8 | VP – Administration – US$108,785

Accountable for providing administrative direction and support systems as well as communication of performance and inter-enterprise billings between the Information Services organization and its internal and external users. This includes all Information Service functions of the enterprise.

# 9 | Project Manager – Distributed Systems – US$107,203

Responsible for management and direction of all technical services functions associated with remote location applications, data communications, and operating systems and applications systems software, and subsequent data processing.

# 10 | Manager – Systems and Programming – US$106,870

Responsible for assisting the director in overseeing the mainframe programming and system management group within Information Systems. This group is responsible for mainframe system management and programming on the enterprise’s systems.

CIO high rollers

If those figures above don’t do it for you, perhaps you better set your ambitions a little higher. The 2019 IT Salary Survey also revealed the highest paid CIOs in the US, 25 of whom’s total compensation— including base salary, bonus, and stock— surpassed US$2,000,000.

Topping that list was Target’s Mike McNamara ($9,960,117), AIG’s Philip Fasano ($8,397,989), Biogen’s A. Karaboutis ($7,746,857), Hertz Global Holding’s Tyler Best ($6,556,121), 3M’s Julie Bushman ($$5,985,104), and T-Mobile’s Neville Ray ($5,698,479).