By Jennifer Schu Senior IT professionals, in general, can count on a healthy salary and a strong market for their skills. Industry speed creates need for interim execs. Corporations aren't the only ones who need interim CIOs. These firms might already have a competent internal IT staff yet are unable to make high-level tactical and strategic technology decisions. Calif. Until recently, few companies were willing to outsource the CIO function, preferring to hire full-time employees.
New hires can expect immediate crises.
When an organization hires an interim CIO, it's often because there's an immediate need or crisis. The temporary IT leader must be prepared to deal with the worst and be able to immediately take charge. He restructured product development's role in the company and helped simplify processes for software development and quality assurance. As CIO, you report to a company's management team, and they're not interested in high-level technical debate. They're business and financial people, so you have to be able to speak their language.