| Detail | For this role |
|---|---|
| Department | Information Technology |
| Level | Senior management |
| Reports to | Chief Financial Officer |
| Direct reports | IT Manager, ERP Manager, IT Security Manager, Infrastructure Manager |
| Experience | 12 to 18 years in IT, with 5 or more years heading the IT function of a company with several locations |
IT Head job description template
Copy this job description, replace the text in square brackets and post it on your careers page or a job portal.
Job title: IT Head
Department: Information Technology
Reports to: Chief Financial Officer
Location: [City], [office, branch or site]
About the role
The IT Head runs the entire IT function of a company whose main business is not software, such as a manufacturer, hospital chain, retailer, NBFC or BPO. They own the ERP and business applications, networks, devices, security, IT budget and vendors, and they are the person the managing director calls when a system goes down. In mid-sized Indian companies the IT Head often reports to the CFO or the MD. A good one keeps operations running, makes sound buying decisions and gives the business systems it can trust at month end.
Key responsibilities
- Prepare the yearly IT plan and budget with business heads, covering ERP changes, hardware refresh, licences, security and new projects.
- Own the ERP and other business applications, and approve change requests that affect finance, inventory, sales or payroll processes.
- Select vendors for hardware, software, bandwidth and AMCs through quotations and negotiation, and review their service every quarter.
- Write IT policies for acceptable use, passwords, email, backups, remote access and personal devices, and get them approved by management.
- Make sure daily backups run, restores are tested and a disaster recovery plan exists for the ERP and core systems.
- Oversee security basics: firewalls, endpoint protection, patching, access reviews and staff awareness against phishing.
- Lead IT setup for new plants, branches or stores, from network and devices to ERP user creation and training.
- Keep software licences compliant and hardware asset registers current, and answer statutory and internal audit questions on IT controls.
- Take charge when systems fail at critical times such as month-end closing, GST filing days or festive sales peaks.
- Lead and develop the IT team, and decide which services to run in-house and which to outsource.
Requirements
- B.E., B.Tech, MCA or B.Sc IT
- ITIL Foundation is an advantage
- An MBA in systems or operations is an advantage
- 12 to 18 years in IT, with 5 or more years heading the IT function of a company with several locations
KRAs and KPIs for a IT Head
Key result areas for the appraisal form, each with a KPI you can measure every month or quarter.
| Key result area | How to measure it |
|---|---|
| System availability | ERP and email available for at least 99.5 percent of business hours each month |
| IT budget | Annual IT spend within the approved budget, with purchases above the delegated limit approved in advance |
| Data protection | Daily backups completed for all core systems, a restore test every month and zero unrecoverable data loss |
| Security hygiene | Critical patches applied within 14 days and no successful ransomware or phishing compromise in the year |
| User support | At least 90 percent of helpdesk tickets resolved within the agreed SLA |
| Audit compliance | No repeat IT general control observations from statutory or internal audit |
Skills and tools
Tools used day to day: SAP, Oracle or Tally-based ERP, Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace admin, Fortinet or Sophos firewall, Active Directory, Veeam or similar backup software, Helpdesk ticketing tool, Excel.
Reporting line and career path
Next roles: Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer
Interview questions for a IT Head
- The ERP goes down on the last day of the month while finance is closing the books. What do you do in the first 30 minutes?
- How do you decide between buying a new ERP module and customizing the existing one?
- Walk me through how you prepare the annual IT budget.
- An employee reports a suspicious email after clicking its link. What steps follow?
- How do you prove that backups can actually be restored?
- Tell me about a vendor who let you down. How did you handle it?
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What does an IT head do in a company?
An IT head manages all technology in a company: the ERP and business applications, networks, computers, email, security, backups, the IT budget and vendors. They set IT policies, approve purchases, lead the IT team and handle escalations when systems fail. In non-IT companies the IT head is usually the senior-most technology person.
Who does the IT head report to?
In mid-sized Indian companies the IT head often reports to the CFO, because IT spend and ERP control sit close to finance. In others they report to the managing director or the COO. Larger groups add a CIO above several IT heads, one for each business or location.
What is the difference between an IT head and an IT manager?
The IT manager runs daily IT operations such as the helpdesk, network, devices and backups for a site or company. The IT head owns the full IT function: strategy, budget, ERP, policies, vendors and the IT team, including the IT manager. In smaller companies one person often holds both roles.