The most demanded specialists in IT: C-level specialists

Who are C-level specialists?

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C-levels are called the first people of the company, top managers, and those directly reporting to the director of the enterprise. C-Level Executives can also lead a specific function or business project. In different organizations, the position of such a specialist may sound different, but the essence of their work lies in the full responsibility for the company’s strategy.

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It is essential for C-levels to understand how the business works in general, not only a particular product or segment. These qualities allow them to improve their work on projects and mutual understanding and cooperation with the staff. Therefore, despite the demand for already established professionals, a C-level that strives for continuous development and acquisition of new knowledge is often required. 

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At first glance, it might seem that finding the head of a department or company is much easier than a senior programmer. But there are much fewer top managers than programmers in the labor market. Plus, vacancies of this level are often confidential and not posted in the public domain, making it difficult to find and hire the right specialist.

Here, a recruitment agency, whose primary function is hiring specialists, is coming to the help of employers and candidates. And the higher the agency's qualification, the more complicated positions they close.

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The top C-level roles in demand

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Nowadays, the following professionals may be distinguished as the most demanded C-levels according to the statistics of the recruitment process:

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• CEO (Chief Executive Officer). The CEO is the top manager, the leader responsible for business processes in the company at all levels. This specialist assumes obligations to the business owner, investors, and employees. They solve complex work tasks at the entire company level and maintain communication with the board of the company’s directors and business partners at the top management level. Business development depends on them because the Chief Executive Officer is the one who sets the vector of work and growth of the company.
• COO (Chief Operating Officer). The area of responsibility of this specialist is implementing the strategy the CEO has formed. The COO also organizes the rational use of resources: builds, optimizes, automates processes, and minimizes the costly part of the company.
• CTO (Chief Technology Officer). CTO is in charge of the technical part of implementing business processes in the company. According to the statistics, most Chief Technology Officers grow to this role from project managers and team leaders. Therefore, they often have excellent teamwork and business process management skills.
• CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). This manager is responsible for brand recognition, detuning from competitors, and attracting new clients. They must thoroughly understand the company's position in the market and determine marketing goals, segmentation, and positioning. They create and implement the company’s strategy. The Chief Marketing Officer has the authority to influence the product and make strategic decisions in conjunction with other C-level managers.
• CFO/CRO (Chief Financial Officer/Chief Revenue Officer). The area of responsibility of the CFO is the company’s profitability and marginality. The Chief Financial Officer must proactively and independently offer the best solutions for building the business model, ensuring profitability, and seeking investments. And then, the CRO must lead the process of implementing these solutions in production. Therefore, they must be able to transfer these solutions into clear tasks, delegate them to the right employees and control their implementation. The necessary competencies of the CFO are manufacturability and analytics.
• CIO (Chief Information Officer). This specialist responds for the company’s information technologies and computer systems. Their direct duties are assessing the current information and technological processes, recommendations for software updates, and optimization of computer programs. They also direct the search and adaptation of helpful internet resources and tools for the company’s needs and manage the executive team.
• CSO (Chief Security Officer). The CSO is the manager responsible for the security and safety of the company’s staff, data, and assets. Their main duty is to prevent the company’s data leakage and its employees' safety. Also, Chief Security Officers are in charge of timely detection of malware, fraud, or any other illegal activities against the organization and its personnel.
• CPO/CHRO (Chief People Officer/ Chief Human Resources Officer). This specialist responds to the development and implementation of the personnel strategy as part of the overall company’s business plan. Chief People Officers also carry out staff and workflow management, staff movement within the company, hiring new employees, and employee training.
• CCO (Chief Compliance Officer). The CCO is one of the most significant managers of the management team. They control compliance within the organization and ensure it complies with the laws, official policies and procedures, and various regulatory requirements.
• CKO (Chief Knowledge Officer). This specialist oversees knowledge management within the company. In other words, Chief Knowledge Officers make sure the company profits from efficiently using its knowledge resources.
• CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer). The Chief Sustainability Officer is in charge of the enterprise’s impact on the environment and the efficient use of the resources. The CSO also builds the company’s strategy on estimating its current environmental impact and deciding how it may be improved in the future.
• CDO (Chief Data Officer). This manager controls the organization’s date-related functions. Chief Data Officers ensure the data quality and build the company’s data strategy. They are also in charge of the information analysis and the process of creating worthy insight from the available data.

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The most demanded C-level specialists of recent years

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The list of the most demanded C-levels in recent years includes:

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• Chief Executive Officer;
• Chief People Officer / Chief Human Resources Officer;
• Chief Marketing Officer;
• Chief Operating Officer;
• Chief Technology Officer.

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There are also four specialists whose importance has increased significantly in 2022:

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1. Chief Information Officer;
2. Chief Human Resources Officer;
3. Chief Security Officer;
4. Chief Compliance Officer.

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The tendencies are clear and do not need any further explanations: the C-level specialists who deal with the company’s strategy, workforce, data technologies, and security are becoming more and more critical because they are the ones who can directly help the company succeed and beat the competitors.

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Summary

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Nothing is surprising in that the above positions are gaining in importance and becoming increasingly in demand in recent years. And the statistics show that this trend will not only continue but will also intensify in the near future.

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It is impossible to run a modern company alone and succeed. Living in the age of multitasking, only with the totality of all specialists' work, each in a specific field and all together for the company, can you achieve heights in business and outperform competitors.

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