In the business integrity inclining along with the IT sector, there is a hierarchy of positions needed to work in the company. Tech companies have made a name in the market over time by introducing people to new technologies, new ways to live, and now new ways of learning & working. The success of a company depends upon the working team led by executive leaders to provide the best. And two most important roles to be served are CTO (Chief Technology Officer) and Technical Director. let us know CTO Vs Technical Director.
In the learning process, the technical director possesses great importance because of the technicality of creating and delivering the ideas of a company. Positioning as a technical director demands to be on the highest rank on a skill within a specific technical field. Whereas on the other hand, the role of CTO is an executive-level position, who is focused on scientific and technological issues the company is facing. So, which role is above? Among these which has more importance? Let’s find out.
CTO (CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER)
The name says it all, the Chief of the technical department. The person in this position holds great responsibilities for making decisions for making, planning, and adopting different technologies in the firm. The position of CTO is held operating under CIO (Chief Information Officer). The job demands a technical mind who is aware of the latest technologies and can guide the company towards beneficial projects. The CTO position is usually taken over by experienced candidates who have invested their time in building, improving, and processing to enhance the business or working of the company. The people who address CTO, our VP of engineering, technical directors, and R&D team lead. And CTO is only answerable to CIO or our CEO directly.
The roles of CTO:
As coming under an executive position, CTO deals with five broad categories of tasks at hand.
- People management tasks – Serving as the head in the game, CTO is expected to work with tasks including allocating tasks to others, mentoring, giving decisions as development supervisor, and making hiring decisions.
- System architecture tasks – Providing to be a reliable asset in choosing the best for the company. CTO takes tasks like introducing product development roadmaps & development protocols.
- Engineering tasks – In small companies, the role of CTO extends and becomes the core of manual testing and writing scripts for automation tests. And responsible to do software health checks and got the biggest role in the product roadmap where they head to schedule and perform any releases for the company.
- Business development tasks – Taking a lead on technology and development, CTOs are expected to foresee tech trends and update the company for better performance. They are to scale the technology within the company observing which strategy could work efficiently with which technologies and tools.
- Product management tasks – CTOs are ought to take part in user research, run along with product development, and look at products’ future.
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
The technical director shapes the firm by managing technical risks and opportunities. The important role the technical director serves is to provide the subject matter expertise. And act as the bridge between company and industry. With huge responsibility to represent the company’s interest and objective with directing the team on projects, technical directors are important in the field of employing recruits as subject matter experts who will train other people. It is the technical director who takes everyone to success altogether.
The day-to-day responsibilities of the technical director:
- Regular check-in progress for projects.
- Create and maintain open communication with design program directors.
- Hold orientation meetings for improvement and suggestions can be gathered during projects.
- Provide a clear description of goals, expectations, and ways to get the best outcomes.
- Guide the team to make reports and prepare oral presentations.
- Develop an effective team for better results and more productivity.
A technical director must-have the quality of mentoring in the corporate world, with highly skilled communication & professionalism to state and clear what you stand for to trainees & employees. To succeed in this role demands one to get involved and manage the workload precisely, understanding and valuing the standards of the company technically and effectively.
CTO VS TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
The main difference between the two positions is that CTO centers and controls the management of the company on the basis of technicality. The technical director supervises the employees, making the team work towards an objective. The responsibility taken by CTO is to plan and make the most for the company. And the technical director takes the responsibility of guiding and directing the team, seeking out the best potential out of them. In detail the role of CTO is broad and covers the categories of employee management, balancing the business, product, and technology. Whereas the role of technical director is specific and directed towards team spirit, helping out to find the objective in projects. And leading the team with understanding the best out of it.
CONCLUSION
Broadly speaking the position of CTO is above the technical director in a company. Yet both of the roles are important for a company to prosper. The unity and teamwork of both deliver the most effective results. The skills of a technical director are to get involved with various resources introducing new tools and technology to improve the working of the company.
FAQs
How much does a CTO make in a year?
The salary for this post may vary widely according to the company and location. However, in C-level executive companies, a CTO receives a performance bonus and additional stock option with the usual package. The average salary goes to $160k in the US or more.
What is the income of a technical director?
Technical director is a major role for a company in the corporate world, whose average salary goes from $125,000 to $192,000. The salary may vary with roles and responsibilities.
