Technical Services Manager Job Description – Salary, Education and Career Guide for becoming a Technical Services Manager

If you have solid business and communication skills and an interest in an IT technical services career, you are in luck. Companies will be hiring more technical services managers than ever in the next 10 years.
 
Computers have taken over the business world. If a company's computers stop working, the wheels effectively grind to a halt. A technical service manager's job is to see that doesn't happen. Technical services managers in the IT field can earn six-figure salaries while working in an exciting area with fabulous growth potential.

Job Description

A technical services manager is responsible for running the department that keeps an organization's IT network running smoothly. Technical services managers supervise a staff of:
  • programmers
  • systems analysts
  • other technical staff.
 
The technical service staff handles the nuts and bolts of keeping a network running. Part of a technical services manager job is to regularly evaluate staff and understand their capabilities.
 
Technical services manager jobs usually involve work in an office environment, often with long hours. The IT field is constantly changing, calling for adjustments on the fly and snap decisions. Being a technical services manager is not for the weak of heart. It is important for a technical services manager to understand all aspects of running the network. He or she should be able to fill in for any technical service employee in a pinch.
 
When things inevitably go wrong, a technical services manager must have contingency plans to defend the network against:
  • employee errors
  • hackers
  • viruses.
 
Upgrades and maintenance are crucial, since software and hardware becomes obsolete quickly. A technical service manager is responsible for keeping the system up-to-date and protected.

Salary Guide

There is a reward for the hard work of being a technical services manager. The average technical service manager salary is more than $101,000. Pay will vary with location and experience, with the majority of technical services managers earning between $79,000 and $129,000.

Education and Training

A bachelor's degree is the basic minimum requirement for technical services manager jobs. Many employers ask for a graduate degree, usually with relevance to both business and information technology.

Prior Work Experience

While some technical services career positions will hire you right out of school, managers need work experience in the field. Five or more years experience showing increasing responsibility is not an unusual requirement.
 
Jobs in related fields are a must to become a technical services manager. Employers look for experience in:
  • configuring and troubleshooting routers
  • maintaining local and wide area networks
  • management
  • multiple operating systems with a knowledge of Cisco hardware.
 

Career Advancement

There is plenty of room for advancement in the IT field. Technical services managers can rise to the position of:
  • Chief Technology Officer
  • Vice President of IT
  • other executive positions.
 

Related Associations and Groups

The IT field has a number of well-known groups affiliated with technical services careers:
  • Cyber Security Industry Alliance
  • Government Electronics and Information Technology Association
  • Information Technology Association of America
  • National Association of Service Managers.
 
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