-4

Rephrased again to meet criteria of generalized question that aren't to specific. Taking out my personal situation.

How can a job title in IT management get accross, that the person in charge covers more than just highly specfic disciplines, but "leading all encompassing IT topics", including strategic ones? (I took the phrasing in quotes from an existing answer because it is way better than any sentence I could have come up with, thanks to @mu 無)

Below the line is the original question's content retained in order not to take the existing comments/answers out of context.

Short: What are other names for a position like "Head of IT" in an industrial company where the IT dept. covers a broad range of topics? For internal reasons "Head of IT" is already taken.

Long: I am about to take over the responsibility for a department that covers "everything IT" in our company. My predeccesor (Person A, leaving the company) has the title "Head of data processing and organisation" (which dates back to the time he took over his job when introducing mainframe operations for the financial department as the first "computer thing" to enter the company in the early 90s.)
I think it is heavily outdated, and gives an antiquated picture to outsiders.

Historical reasons lead to one other person (Person B, that will stay within my team) getting assigned the title "Head of IT" and a small sub-team.

I am now in the process of defining my new job description, including the title. For obvious reasons I don't want to use the same title as Person B, since Person B will keep this title for a little while. It would cause confusion and probably a lack of acceptance of my new role.

Question rephrased to separate better from the "possible duplicate" question
What title would better suiting for the below mentioned responsibilities than "Head of IT" giving focus on the diversity of tasks involved?
Going off job-listing databases I do find titles that are more precise "Head of Data Analysis", "Head of Tech Support", "Head of SW Development", but what is a more general term for this type of job? On an executive level, I guess a CIO would be responsible for a similar broad range of topics, but what is an appropriate title for a function on upper management level?

The activities for my department cover

  • End user support
  • Consulting the business in chosing solutions
  • IT strategy
  • SAP customization
  • SAP operations
  • Windows client provisioning
  • Software roll outs
  • Network operations
  • Implementation of individual solutions
  • Information security
  • IT reporting
  • and more

As you can see, our line of work is quite diverse.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Some anticipated FAQs
Q: Since you become the manager, can't you just take the title away from Person B?
A: I cannot change something until I take over the new position, that requires a title. I also want any future change to happen in a planned and aligned manner, getting some input from employees first before finalizing my new concept.
Kicking it off by taking the title away from a senior team member without any prior notice doesn't seem like a good start.

Q: Can't you take his title at a later point?
A: I'd prefer not to change the title more often than neccessary, to avoid irritaion, as well as extra efforts like printing business cards twice etc.

Q: Can't you make the title more specific to the technology you are responsible for?
A: As can be seen in the list, we have quite a broad spectrum from strategic topics to operations.

Q: Why is "data processing" outdated?
A: Because this is just the direct English translation. The actual local term used is simply not common anymore and was universally replaced with the English term "IT".

modmatt
  • 1
  • 1
  • How does your role differ from the person who holds Head of IT? IT manager would come to mind as a fitting title, but perhaps that doesn't carry enough weight for your actual role. – Edwin Lambregts Aug 27 '19 at 14:07
  • @EdwinLambregts The current "Head of IT" effectively does not manage anything at all. His team covers something I'd call "operations", he himself is mostly unrelated to this topic and works on his own ERP tasks. I agree, it sounds fitting and I would prefer this title the most. Just trying to find an alternative here. – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:13
  • @DavidK not really a duplicate but still a worthy link and a good read. Thanks! – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:14
  • Seems strange to me that all those functions would be delegated to "middle management"! But anyway: what is your locale? Certain titles (like SVP, VP) are very specific to certain regions. – Phueal Aug 27 '19 at 14:36
  • @Phueal rephrased it to upper management, because that it is what it is. Was a freudian slip. I consider myself in the middle between CxOs and the actual team. – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:39
  • @modmatt Could you explain why you believe your question is substantially different from the linked duplicate? Remember that questions which are only relevant to your specific position are considered off-topic, as they aren't going to be helpful to any other readers. That's why I linked to a more generic "how to" question instead, which should still help you make the right decision. – David K Aug 27 '19 at 14:39
  • @David K, I rephrased again. My question aims at bringing accross the "universal" aspect of the position. it is easy to be more specific, like it is explained in the other question, adding a profession, a senior/junior level, etc. But I am trying to do the exact oppisite. We're not just developers, not just some windows admins, but the department covers all of it. – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:56

3 Answers3

1

There is a list of such titles that I've seen people use while doing what all you describe (leading all encompassing IT roles):

  • CIO
  • SVP IT
  • VP IT
  • Senior Director IT
  • Director IT
  • General Manager IT
  • Principal Manager IT
  • Head of IT

You can use one depending on your position in the food chain. You can replace "IT" with "Tech Ops"/ "Tech Operations" and get even more combination above.

While you are at it, might I suggest that you standardize the job descriptions of all reports, and not just yourself - this will help you set the right expectation about what a particular designation represents both internally and externally.

David K
  • 30,066
  • 21
  • 108
  • 140
Anshul Goyal
  • 7,763
  • 2
  • 32
  • 45
  • The part in brackets is really what I want to bring accross in the title I am looking for. I therefore copied this phrase in my question, to make my question more precise. – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:58
0

"Operations Manager", or "Head of Technology Operations".

Justin
  • 9,059
  • 2
  • 28
  • 40
  • To me "operations" sounds like a lower level. "Operations" to me is limited to keep things running, in other words "operating things". But my department also covers strategic topics as well as programming/customizations. – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:11
  • I went with "operations" as you said industrial, and I had recently read the Project Phoenix book. I take it you cant use CTO for political reasons? – Justin Aug 27 '19 at 14:14
  • correct, all the CxOs are reserved for people with executive functions, executive salaries and a legally binding position on the company's board. Not my level :D – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:25
  • Possibly something with "minion" in the title then? – Justin Aug 27 '19 at 14:26
  • Now that you say it - our company being part of a larger concern, I often feel like a minion, no matter the level. :) – modmatt Aug 27 '19 at 14:37
  • "Minion Manager" then. Sorry, I haven't got any better/sensible suggestions. Best of luck with everything anyway. – Justin Aug 27 '19 at 14:55
0

How about "Head of Technology Strategy and Operations"?

I saw your response saying "operations" sounds too junior. I think a COO would disagree. But hopefully adding "strategy" captures that your role is bigger than day-to-day support or implementation.

Alternatively, if both the company and your role is international, you could go for "Global Head of IT".

Phueal
  • 1,350
  • 1
  • 7
  • 10