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Chief Technical Officer (CTO): Job Description

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The Chief Technical Officer (CTO) is in charge of technical innovation and the deployment of technologies adapted to the development and efficiency of a company’s activities. As a consequence, the CTO is one of the most important technology-related positions in a company. He/she leads the technology or engineering department.

Also read our article about Project Management, roles, skills and career paths

Chief Technical Officer (CTO): the job

Usually the highest-level information technology (IT) specialist in a company, the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is the executive who manages the technical requirements of an organization. In other words, they must ensure that software, hardware, and technology processes are capable of serving the company’s members and customers. The CTO must always be well informed about all aspects of technology.

But, what are the tasks of a chief technical officer?

Oversight of all IT projects in the company

The CTO reviews the company’s short- and long-term technology needs through a technical audit. This will enable him or her to identify the company’s aging or obsolete facilities.

You can also read : 5 Steps to a Successful Technology Needs Assessment

Define the company’s innovation strategy

The CTO formulates development policies on infrastructure and innovation. To this end, he or she makes technology investments to help the company achieve its goals and increase revenues.

Providing innovative and fit-for-purpose solutions

The CTO plays a key role internally. He or she may also have to play a sales role in dealing with potential customers and clients.

Required skills of the Chief Technical Officer (CTO)

Excellent computer skills

The CTO must be an expert in: web, programming languages and development in general. This will help them understand the problems and goals of his projects. These skills also enable him to manage technical teams.

Delegation and team management skills

The CTO is, primarily, a manager. Thus, they must lead and motivate their teams toward the same goals. They work closely with the technical profiles that make up their teams and with the company’s management.

Being visionaries and strategists

The CTO must also be able to implement the best business strategies and power the technology infrastructure. To do this, he or she must analyze the target markets and keep a constant eye on the situation.

Also discover What Makes a Good CTO

Context

Since R&D has been an essential strategic component of companies for many years, the rise of information technology and the digitization of companies have reinforced the importance of the Chief Technology Officer. Today he or she is employable within large companies as well as smaller structures such as start-ups.

Salary

The average daily rate for a CTO is between 600 and 1,000 euros.

Education and training

In conclusion, the CTO must hold a five-year degree from a university, computer science school, or engineering school. However, this position is not accessible after graduation, but rather, in general, after 5-10 years of experience.

Interested in the full picture? Download our comprehensive career guide on how to become a CTO.

What Makes a Good CTO?

The CTO role

The success of the CTO is largely based on their ability to deploy new technologies at the right time. And, since technology progresses every day, a good CTO needs to be fully up-to-date with current developments and challenges.

But, while they need to be tech-focused, balancing tech acumen and computer skills; good CTOs must also possess other, softer skills like creativity and strategic thinking.

Teamwork and collaboration skills are, of course, also key. To accomplish something that has not been done before, CTOs will need to work together with several in-house engineers and external vendors.

A hybrid set of skills

While no two CTO job descriptions are the same, change is common to all their functions. They must therefore be adaptable and flexible to respond to the ever-changing needs of the market and the company’s customers.

Additionally, the conventional, tech-silo figure of the CTO has progressively evolved onto a more external, customer-facing role. The CTO of today needs to possess a hybrid set of skills. With business and interpersonal skills having gained importance in recent years.

Leaving the code behind

Moreover, successful CTOs have to complement their technical skills with those needed at the senior management and executive levels.

In what is an ironic twist for a technology leader, the role becomes less technical as they become more senior. It is precisely the ability to move beyond technical specifics and towards more strategic and managerial functions what is most difficult about this transition.

In addition, a CTO must master the art of delegation and leave the code behind.

What makes a good CTO: Essential skills

Based on all the above, a good CTO should possess:

Excellent communication skills: The effectiveness of their position depends on their ability to communicate across departments and teams. They also need to relay highly technical information to individuals with little to no technical knowledge

Adaptability: In order to better support the business as a whole, the CTO must understand every angle of the business. And also know how to adapt technology to each case and need

Leadership: They need to operate as technology and IT team managers. Inspiring and encouraging the rest of the team to meet the strategic goals

Understanding of market and customer expectations

Exceptional organisational skills

Great negotiation skills

Strategic thinking: They need to think about the organization as a whole. They have to be able to plan ahead, identifying future problems and trends

Coding: While the CTO has left behind the more technical years; understanding of current programming languages is key to better communicate with engineers and be able to conceptualise more efficient and realistic technology products

A computer science, engineering or related university degree; an MBA or other appropriate graduate degree are always a plus and preferred in the industry