Chief Information Officer

 Managing IT staff and developing department goals;

 Developing and overseeing the IT budget;

 Planning, deploying and maintaining IT systems and operations;

 Managing the organization's software development needs

 Developing IT policies, procedures and best practices

 Staying updated on IT trends and emerging technologies;

 Developing and enforcing IT best practices across the organization;

 Ensuring IT strategies and processes support company-wide goals;

 Overseeing relationships with vendors, contractors and service providers;

 Explaining to the board of directors and other executives the benefits and risks of new IT related projects.

 The educational background of CIOs can vary. Have at least a bachelor's degree.

 Traditional college majors for this position include IT, computer science, management information systems, IT management and project management. CIOs may come from other technology disciplines -- including networking, data science or security.

 CIOs with graduate degrees in fields such as IT management, project management and computer information systems. Others look for candidates who have a Master of Business Administration degree with an emphasis on IT.

 CIOs must be able to monitor and understand technology trends and tap the knowledge of technology experts. Other skills and expertise that can be useful in the top tech job include:

 legal expertise: corporate finance/ data management/ vendor and partner management/ project management/ compliance/ security