Computer and Information Systems Managers

Career Description: Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.

Industry: Management

Other Job Titles for Computer and Information Systems Managers:

• Realistic: Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• Social: Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
• Enterprising: Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Manage backup, security and user help systems.
• Consult with users, management, vendors, and technicians to assess computing needs and system requirements.
• Direct daily operations of department, analyzing workflow, establishing priorities, developing standards and setting deadlines.
• Assign and review the work of systems analysts, programmers, and other computer-related workers.
• Stay abreast of advances in technology.
• Develop computer information resources, providing for data security and control, strategic computing, and disaster recovery.
• Review and approve all systems charts and programs prior to their implementation.
• Evaluate the organization's technology use and needs and recommend improvements, such as hardware and software upgrades.
• Control operational budget and expenditures.
• Meet with department heads, managers, supervisors, vendors, and others, to solicit cooperation and resolve problems.
• Develop and interpret organizational goals, policies, and procedures.
• Recruit, hire, train and supervise staff, or participate in staffing decisions.
• Review project plans to plan and coordinate project activity.
• Evaluate data processing proposals to assess project feasibility and requirements.
• Prepare and review operational reports or project progress reports.
• Purchase necessary equipment.
• Provide users with technical support for computer problems.
• Prepare detailed job descriptions and classification systems and define job levels and families, in partnership with other managers.
• Manage the design and development of tools to assist employees in benefits selection, and to guide managers through compensation decisions.
• Conduct exit interviews to identify reasons for employee termination.
• Prepare budgets for personnel operations.
• Prepare personnel forecasts to project employment needs.
• Contract with vendors to provide employee services, such as food services, transportation, or relocation service.
• Study legislation, arbitration decisions, and collective bargaining contracts to assess industry trends.
• Direct and coordinate activities of businesses involved with buying and selling investment products and financial services.
• Direct and conduct studies and research on issues affecting areas of responsibility.
• Attend and participate in meetings of municipal councils and council committees.
• Organize and approve promotional campaigns.
• Conduct or direct investigations or hearings to resolve complaints and violations of laws, or testify at such hearings.
• Represent organizations and promote their objectives at official functions, or delegate representatives to do so.
• Prepare bylaws approved by elected officials and ensure that bylaws are enforced.
• Direct and coordinate activities between the United States Government and foreign entities to provide information and promote international interests and harmony.

Emerging Tasks

• Manage sales team, including setting goals, providing incentives, and evaluating employee performance.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• adhere to safety procedures
• analyze operational or management reports or records
• analyze workflow
• assign work to staff or employees
• compile data for financial reports
• conduct or attend staff meetings
• confer with management or users
• confer with other departmental heads to coordinate activities
• consult with customers concerning needs
• consult with managerial or supervisory personnel
• determine customer needs
• develop computer performance standards
• develop policies, procedures, methods, or standards
• direct and coordinate activities of workers or staff
• estimate time needed for project
• evaluate computer system user requests or requirements
• examine expenditures to ensure activities are within budget
• follow data security procedures
• follow data storage procedures
• hire, discharge, transfer, or promote workers
• monitor operational budget
• order or purchase supplies, materials, or equipment
• oversee execution of organizational or program policies
• plan computer security measures
• plan or organize work
• prepare reports
• recommend software or hardware purchases
• revise or correct errors in computer programs, software, or systems
• test computer programs or systems
• use computer application flow charts
• use computer programming language
• use project management techniques
• work as a team member
• present information on human resource management issues
• recommend improvements to work methods or procedures
• resolve personnel problems or grievances
• resolve worker or management conflicts
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use government regulations
• use interviewing procedures
• use knowledge of employee classification system
• write employee orientation or training materials
• use conflict resolution techniques
• use interviewing procedures
• use negotiation techniques
• use oral or written communication techniques
• use public speaking techniques
• verify investigative information
• write business correspondence
• write sales or informational speeches

Overall Experience
A minimum of two to four years of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

Education
Most of these occupations require a four - year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Examples
Many of these occupations involve coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. Examples include accountants, human resource managers, computer programmers, teachers, chemists, and police detectives.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$51.96
• Average annual wage (2007) - $108,070.00

• Projected growth (2006-2016): 16.36%
• Projected need (2006-2016): 43,134
• Employment (2006): 263,695

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