jobfacts

Information technology directors

SOC 2020 1137

Information technology directors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the work and resources necessary to provide and operate IT infrastructure and services, including networks, devices, servers and software that runs on the infrastructure within an organisation. IT programme managers and directors direct and provide technical oversight to particular IT programmes of a discrete duration and/or budget.

Also calledDirectorOwnerDevelopment directorDigital directorDirector of information securityDirector of ITand 41 more titles
Typical full-time pay£91,7002025 Provisional
People in the job197,000across the UK
Demand for workersElevated
New adverts a month1,100↑ 11%on last year · 172nd of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time information technology directors earn between £69,500 and £119,400 a year.

What full-time information technology directors earn, 2025
£91,700 typical£55,100lowest 10%£69,50025%£127,700top 20%n/ptop 10%
Middle half (£69,500–£119,400)n/p: top 10% not published by ONS
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£55,100
Lowest 20% earn less than£65,800
25%£69,500
Median£91,700
75%£119,400
Top 20% earn more than£127,700
Top 10% earn more thanNot published
Typical pay by regionUK median £91,700
London£108,100
South East!£96,800
North West!£82,500
Yorkshire and The Humber!£79,800
East Midlands!£73,300
North East!£72,400
West MidlandsNot published by ONS–
East of EnglandNot published by ONS–
South WestNot published by ONS–
ScotlandNot published by ONS–
WalesNot published by ONS–
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
UK median, £91,700
London£108,100
South East£96,800 (small sample)
North West£82,500 (small sample)
Yorkshire and The Humber£79,800 (small sample)
East Midlands£73,300 (small sample)
North East£72,400 (small sample)
West MidlandsNot published by ONS
East of EnglandNot published by ONS
South WestNot published by ONS
ScotlandNot published by ONS
WalesNot published by ONS
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £80,700
  • 2024 £84,000
  • 2025 Provisional£91,700
↑ 14% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 1,100 jobs for information technology directors are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as elevated.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (1 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20261,511
Jul 20261,287
Jun 20261,212
May 20261,294
Apr 20261,018
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20261,007
Jan 20261,050
Dec 2025592
Nov 20251,296
Oct 20251,120
Sept 20251,027
Aug 2025943
Jul 20251,147
Jun 20251,492
May 20251,524
Apr 2025942
Mar 20251,216
Feb 20251,097
Jan 2025849
Dec 2024635
Nov 2024858
Oct 2024809
Sept 2024880
Aug 2024840
Jul 2024921
Jun 2024938
May 20241,063
Apr 2024981
Mar 2024937
Feb 2024981
Jan 20241,184
Dec 2023961
Nov 2023969
Oct 20231,064
Sept 2023921
Aug 20231,089
Jul 20231,058
Jun 20231,525
May 20231,543
Apr 20231,225
Mar 20231,577
Feb 20231,757
Jan 20231,818
Dec 20221,738
Nov 20221,878
Oct 20221,813
Sept 20221,665
Aug 20221,718
Jul 20221,852
Jun 20221,978
May 20222,302
Apr 20221,794
Mar 20222,243
Feb 20222,141
Jan 20222,219
Dec 20211,729
Nov 20211,734
Oct 20211,722
Sept 20211,617
Aug 20211,582
Jul 20211,950
Jun 20211,656
May 20211,853
Apr 20211,574
Mar 20212,072
Feb 20211,250
Jan 20211,388
Dec 20201,213
Nov 20201,256
Oct 20201,321
Sept 20201,092
Aug 20201,030
Jul 20201,097
Jun 2020934
May 20201,080
Apr 20201,209
Mar 20202,028
Feb 20201,963
Jan 20201,840
Dec 20191,187
Nov 20191,643
Oct 20191,737
Sept 20191,612
Aug 20191,578
Jul 20191,909
Jun 20191,830
May 20191,903
Apr 20191,367
Mar 20191,393
Feb 20191,375
Jan 20191,488
Dec 20181,011
Nov 20181,406
Oct 20181,381
Sept 20181,500
Aug 20181,218
Jul 20181,443
Jun 20181,429
May 20181,520
Apr 20181,331
Mar 20181,566
Feb 20181,406
Jan 20181,515
Dec 20171,043
Nov 20171,646
Oct 20171,752
Sept 20171,268
Aug 20171,210
Jul 20171,140
Jun 20171,414
May 20171,465
Apr 20171,468
Mar 20171,588
Feb 20171,379
Jan 20171,653
Is there a shortage of information technology directors?
Elevated

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was critical.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsUsual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsWell above usual
  • Hours workedUsual
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
12%against 27% for all jobs
Broader groupFigure for functional managers and directors, which includes information technology directors. DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London1,113
Manchester141
Birmingham121
Bristol, City of83
Leeds80
Glasgow City74
City of Edinburgh49
Nottingham49
Sheffield46
Liverpool43
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where information technology directors are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 318 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from United States, India, Japan, ranking it 50th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of information technology directors
n/p
12%!
30%
39%
17%
2.2%!
!Small sample: treat with cautionn/p: too few in the survey to publish
Show as table
16–24Not published
25–3412% (small sample)
35–4430%
45–5439%
55–6417%
65+2.2% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent71%
Higher education below degree5.7%
A levels or equivalent16%
GCSEs or equivalent5%
Other qualifications!0.6%
No qualifications!0.8%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent71%
Higher education below degree5.7%
A levels or equivalent16%
GCSEs or equivalent5%
Other qualifications0.6% (small sample)
No qualifications0.8% (small sample)

Main employers: computer consultancy activities (24%), computer programming activities (11%), business and other management consultancy activities (4.9%), engineering activities and related technical consultancy (3.2%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
71%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
None
none leads directly into this work

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • develops in consultation with other senior management the IT strategy of the organisation
  • directs the implementation within the organisation of IT strategy, infrastructure, procurement, procedures and standards
  • develops the periodic business plan and operational budget for IT to deliver agreed service levels
  • considers the required IT staffing levels, oversees recruitment and appointment of staff and directs training policy
  • prioritises and schedules major IT projects
  • ensures that new technologies are researched and evaluated in the light of the organisation’s broad requirements
  • works with client or senior management to establish and clarify the aims, objectives and requirements of an IT programme
  • plans, directs, reviews and provides technical oversight to IT programmes, involving the co-ordination of multiple IT projects

Skills

  • manage budgets
  • coordinate technological activities
  • implement ICT risk management
  • manage staff
  • maintain relationship with suppliers
  • monitor technology trends
  • provide cost benefit analysis reports
  • apply procurement
  • apply organisational techniques
  • build business relationships
  • define technology strategy
  • develop information standards
  • implement corporate governance
  • manage contracts

Knowledge

  • systems development life-cycle
  • crowdsourcing strategy
  • ICT project management
  • insourcing strategy
  • outsourcing strategy
  • business processes
  • decision support systems
  • ICT project management methodologies

Suits people who like

  • Organising and following procedures
  • Leading and persuading

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for corporate managers and directors, a group of 20 jobs that includes information technology directors.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 3%about 78,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.4 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.