The Chief Information Officer (CIO) at a company is responsible for managing the company’s information systems and supervising the staff related to them. The CIO introduces changes to the company’s information systems, such as their databases and data centers, examines the systems for unwanted drops in efficiency, and defines the company’s specific guidelines and regulations for accessing the information systems. If the company utilizes proprietary software, the CIO is directly responsible for developing it and usually heads the team tasked with that specific development.
A CIO is a primarily technology-oriented position, and as such requires deep and intricate knowledge of the latest trends in computers and information systems. Experience in working with databases and building information systems from the ground up is required for working at high-ranking companies. Additionally, the CIO must be well-acquainted with the basic principles of software development, even if their employment at the company does not involve such tasks directly. Good knowledge of both new systems as well as older ones is also important, when it’s required to extract information from an outdated database for example.
A CIO is a very well-paying job, with salaries of over $100,000 being common even for those who’re just starting out. This is usually the result of the strict requirements for attaining the job, as those who manage to find employment as CIOs normally already have at least several years of experience in the industry. High-ranking CIOs can earn up to $205,000 a year in more developed companies.