State CIO / CTO
(Male, Age 48) from Shawnee, KS
This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Male aged 48 who works as a State CIO / CTO in Shawnee, KS. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.
At a Glance
Current Job
Basic data on your current job
| Job Title | State CIO / CTO |
|---|---|
| Salary | $140,000 |
| Other Compensation | None Set |
| Hours/Week | 60 |
| Company Size | (not answered) |
| Location | Shawnee, KS |
| Years Experience | 1 Year |
Career Ratings
Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)
| Years in Career | 0 |
|---|---|
| Education | (not answered) |
| Income Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Interest Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Work-Life Rating | 0 / 10 |
| Fulfilment Rating | 0 / 10 |
Current job Q&A
Describe the type of organization you work for.
I work for the State of Kansas where I serve as the Chief Information Technology Officer for the executive branch of state government.
Describe your job role and responsibilities.
* Responsible for the state government enterprise technology capabilities and ensuring IT delivers business performance and growth.
* Responsible for state-wide information resource management planning, policy recommendations and integration. Serves as chief planner in the development of strategic plans for technological integration and intersystem coordination with vendors and other state agencies.
* Responsible for the development of multi-year IT management and budget plans; systems analysis and planning; computer and information related training; state-wide IT standards; and integration of all information technologies for the state agency.
* Formulates policy recommendations for the Governor of Kansas and the executive cabinet concerning IT policies, procedures, or activities.
* Active membership on multiple state government boards / committees providing IT governance across the state.
Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
defined benefit plan, 2 weeks vacation
Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
The salary is fair, benefits are significantly less than what you would find in the private sector
Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
This job entails coordinating details of work with information technology practitioners, business and government leaders and representing IT to the public.
Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes
Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes
Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
I spend 90% of my time in the capital city of Topeka, most of it out of my office in meetings with various state agencies. The rest of my time I am traveling to various locations around the state.
Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 3
Benefits: 7
Hours: 8
Co-Workers: 5
Supervisors: 4
Job Title: 2
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 1
Table of Contents
How you got your job
How did you get your current job?
The previous 4 years were spent as the CIO for the state Department of Transportation. Because of the performance on that job, I was considered for the state CIO/CTO when it became available.
What was the application process?
Submitted resume, long interview process, 2 months as interim to prove I was the right person, etc…
Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Interviewed with the majority of the cabinet secretaries and governor.
If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
Most of the questions were specific to information technology challenges at the state level and several large $100M+ IT projects that are currently underway.
Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
4 years as the CIO for another state agency certainly helped prepare me for the state CIO.
Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Any serious professional never stops learning and the proof of that will be a consistent history of training. I believe one should train for the position you want – don’t expect to get a job and then get the training you need.
Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
My education certainly helped give me the fundamentals to build my professional skills on.
If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
I did an internship in college at a government laboratory working on a research project. While not applicable to my current position, it gave me some good stories and a diverse background.
If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Get a sound education, lots of experience, professional crediability via certifications and publications, and managerial/finance experience.
What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
Being a certified project manager (PMP) is critical because at my level, all projects are so large they require major coordination and planning.
Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
Without a college degree no one will take you seriously. Get a masters!
What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Communication is critical. Guard your time because if left to its own, you won’t have any free time to do the planning that is so critical to your job.
Long-term career plans
Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
I am not sure I ever planned on holding a CIO/CTO position this high, but it certainly wasn’t outside of my plans.
What are your current career goals?
In a few years, I plan on moving back to the private sector. I personally don’t believe people should work in the public sector longer than 6 or 7 years at a stretch. There is something about being a lifetime civil servant that seems to drain the creativity and drive from individuals.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
no
Prior work history
Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:
| Title | Length | Salary | Description | |
| Prior Job 1 | CIO | 4 yrs | 105000 | Managed IT for the state Department of Transportation. |
| Prior Job 2 | Manager, Data Development | 2 yrs | 100000 | Managed data development projects for the nations largest pediatric clinical data warehouse. Managed certain IT projects across 40+ of the nations leading childrens hospitals. |
Educational background
Please list your educational background:
High School GPA:3.9
| GPA | School | Degree | |
| College (Undergraduate) or Technical/Vocational |
3.8 | Andrews University | BS Physics |
| Graduate or Professional (Masters or Doctorate) |
3.8 | University of Illinois | MS Mathematics |
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