Chief Information Officer

Tasks & duties

Chief information officers may do some or all of the following:

• study the organisation's computer and information systems requirements
• plan computer and information systems to meet the organisation's immediate and long-term needs
• advise on the computer equipment, software and networks to be used
• supervise the installation, use and repair of computer systems
• advise and train organisations on the uses of computer systems
• supervise the selection and training of computer services staff
• manage the helpdesk area
• ensure jobs are costed correctly and invoices sent to customers
• prepare budgets
• purchase computer and information technology equipment

Skills & knowledge

Chief information officers need to have:

Entry requirements

To become a chief information officer you need to have a relevant tertiary qualification, such as a degree or diploma in information technology, and relevant work experience.

Secondary education

A tertiary entrance qualification is needed to enter further training. Useful subjects include English, maths, computer studies and physics.

Training on the job

Chief information officers gain their skills on the job and through company training courses.

Useful experience

It can be useful for chief information officers to have experience in:

• technical computer work
• management
• helpdesk operations
• project administration
• the customer service industry
• dealing with people at all levels of an organisation

Related courses

Business Management
Computer Engineering
Database Management
Networks and Communications
Security Science

For more information, please refer to myfuture.