Recruiting CIO and Technology Roles | IT Recruiter

Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Without a doubt, the CIO role is unique. It brings together a broad and often contradictory set of responsibilities that are essential to a company’s operations and growth. What’s more, as digital technologies transform the very fundamentals of most businesses, the CIO role is constantly evolving. More than half of the searches that Heller Search completes are for the role of CIO.

Explore the Role of the CIO

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Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

CTO is one of the least understood titles in the industry. CTOs come in many shapes and sizes, from infrastructure manager to start-up guru. Exactly which CTO profile meets an organization’s needs depends on several factors. (Related article: What is a CTO?)

Chief Information Security Officer (CISO)

Due to the widely publicized rash of data breaches, ransomware and denial-of-service attacks in recent years, security professionals are in extremely high demand. Some CISOs have a background in governance and risk; others are highly technical; some report to the CIO; others report to risk, legal, or directly to the CEO. Download our Ultimate CISO Job Description.

Chief Digital Officer

With digital technologies changing every facet of their business, many CEOs are looking for someone to turn the pockets of digital innovation that are happening all over the company into one comprehensive strategy. Some Chief Digital Officers have a technology background, some come from marketing, and some have run business units. But regardless of the background, the Chief Digital Officer is an enterprise leader who is strong on vision, influence, and partnerships, and has the communication skills and executive presence to keep the executive committee focused on the future.

Data, Analytics and BI

Data is increasingly becoming the currency of business, which places a premium on professionals who can leverage data for business benefit. From Chief Data Officers, to platform engineers who provide access to real-time information, to data scientists who turn analytics into new revenue streams, data professionals will be the most sought-after talent for the foreseeable future.

Article: How to Write Your Data Vision and Mission Statements

Podcast: All About the Chief Data Officer Role

Infrastructure and Operations

With titles including VP of Infrastructure and Operations and CTO, this resilient executive reports to the CIO and manages data centers, help desk, networks and every other facet of a company’s IT operations. With the emergence of infrastructure-as-a-service and other cloud technologies, CIOs across the industry spectrum are refreshing their infrastructure talent. These days, the “plumbing” of a company’s IT stack is going through tremendous change, as are the professionals who are responsible for it. IT infrastructure and ops leadership involves more orchestration and vendor management than hands-on technology work. Download our Ultimate VP of IT Infrastructure Job Description.

Enterprise Architecture

Successful enterprise architects bring a lot to the table. They have expertise in every layer of the technology stack, the ability to direct a matrixed pack of entrenched and siloed technologists, a deep understanding of the business, and the interpersonal skills to sell concepts like service-oriented architecture to business executives who don’t fully understand IT. Deep technologist meets business strategist meets influential manager meets expert communicator. It's a tall order, but with the array of technology options available on the market, CIOs need someone looking after the integrity of their architecture. Download the Ultimate VP of Enterprise Architecture Job Description.

Application Development

Today’s application development leaders do more than churn out code. They lead teams in Agile development processes, they create mobile solutions, and build strong relationships with their business partners. They are transformational executives with business acumen and the ability to drive change. These executives are often in the prime position to succeed their boss, the CIO, so having a strong applications VP or director is a long-term strategy. Download our Ultimate VP of Application Development Job Description.

Product Development

Technology organizations – whether in retail, financial services, healthcare, or any other industry – are starting to think about technology as a product, rather than a project or an application. Critical to this shift is the product development leader, that professional responsible for ensuring the release, adoption, and value of a technology solution. Product development leaders understand technology, marketing, ROI and how to lead nimble, cross-functional, agile teams.

E-Commerce, Digital, Mobile

Often a subset of application development, e-commerce, digital, and mobile technology executives partner with the heads of sales, marketing and e-commerce to develop and deliver customer facing technologies. While most CIOs prefer that their e-commerce and digital technology leaders have a strong development background, more and more of these professionals have come up through marketing, but have enough technical acumen to be effective in their IT roles.

IT Business Relationship Manager (BRM)

An IT Business Relationship Manager (BRM) is a senior executive who typically reports to IT with a dotted line to the business unit or function they support. Their objective is to converge business and IT as true strategic partners. IT BRMs are blended professionals with one foot in technology and the other in the business, responsible for communication, shaping demand, and making sure that IT delivers business value results. Download the Ultimate IT BRM Job Description