CIO (Chief Information Officer) – CDO (Chief Digital Officer)

Because the Information System is now at the heart of corporate strategy and performance, the interim CIO is establishing himself as a fully-fledged profession whose main mission is to develop and transform the organisation in which he is working.

As Director of Information Systems, the CIO is responsible for managing a company’s IT unit. Created in the 1980s to supervise the IT department’s teams and resources, the job has evolved considerably since then. Today, the IS Director or CIO (Chief information officer) is a strategic partner for the company, with a cross-functional role, leading innovation and working continuously with managers in other departments to improve the organisation’s productivity.

These managers lead digital transformation initiatives with a view to improving the UX and develop technological strategies to outperform the competition. Their skills are no longer just technical: they are also managerial and commercial.

Interim CIOs will intervene in the context of a major project or crisis. These managers will provide the company with their expertise to meet the challenges of stabilisation, conflict resolution or the implementation of an IS project (examples: change of IS, management of a digital transformation programme, etc.).

The advantages of using an interim IT manager

Improving the information system has a direct influence on the company’s performance.

Why have an interim CIO?

There are several situations in which you may need to call on an expert network of transition management for your Chief Information Officer:

• • resignation or sick leave;
  • communication problems between the IS department and your company’s various business departments ;
  • unsatisfactory results: software reliability concerns, computer breakdowns, etc.

It is also possible to call on the services of an interim manager outside of a crisis situation, as part of a more one-off assignment such as carrying out a crucial technological project for your company: steering a digital transformation programme, restructuring or changing your IS, etc.

An interim manager to improve your information system

A high-performance IT department has an impact at several levels, on the economy, performance and life of the company:

• • improving productivity;
  • providing a global and synthetic vision of the organisation;
  • facilitating the implementation of an action plan ;
  • optimising collaboration both internally and externally;
  • management decision-making.

Information systems and their IT tools play a central role in business: the expertise of an IS Director is therefore invaluable to any company, whatever its size or sector of activity.

Profile and skills of the IT manager

As you can see, the role of the interim CIO is a strategic one within a company. A genuine business partner, he or she performs a function at the crossroads of the various business lines and makes an active contribution to optimising the company’s performance. As such, the typical profile of an interim IT manager is characterised not only by specialised technological skills, but also by leadership, analytical skills, good interpersonal skills, a sense of innovation and creativity. An entrepreneur, they must have decision-making skills in order to manage major IT projects and large-scale technological transitions.

An interim IT manager can therefore be a professional whose career has been enriched by experience in companies of different sizes. Interim managers are expected to be immediately available and operational, to be highly mobile and versatile, and to be able to integrate quickly into any team.

What are its missions?

The new challenges of digital transformation have led to changes in the role of the CIO. In charge of the information system at a key moment in a company’s development, the manager can therefore carry out several types of mission that will contribute to its performance. These include:

• • the development or implementation of the company’s IT strategy based on its performance objectives ;
  • defining an action plan and steering projects for all the departments concerned;
  • data management, i.e. collecting, structuring, organising and analysing data for the purposes of adding value ;
  • analysis of the needs of business departments for the deployment of an agile, cross-functional IS, scaled to meet their issues ;
  • anticipating risks in cybersecurity ;
  • the definition of a common schedule and support for all employees ;
  • coordinating the work of the IT team and uniting staff around common objectives ;
  • Technological mastery of IT systems, operating systems and security standards, through constant monitoring.

How can I find a tailor-made interim manager?

Are you looking to overhaul your internal processes or implement new software solutions? Are you looking for support to help you make the transition to dematerialisation? Are you recruiting to bring a fresh perspective to your company’s situation? Or even a structural change in your company? Call on Procadres to rapidly recruit a responsible and operational interim manager, whatever your sector of activity.

Calling on Procadres International

With Procadres, find the transitional digital director with the profile best suited to your issues. Whether you need to implement IT synergies, analyse the situation of your IT assets, modernise them or support your teams in your digital transformation, with Procadres, you will find the professional who is immediately operational to help you.

How can Procadres help you find the right professional?

The Procadres transition solution offers 2 major advantages:

• Firstly, the speed of its recruitment process, as Procadres International can present you with candidates in less than 72 hours. The transitional CIO assignment takes place when you want it to ;
• the experience of the candidates, as all Procadres interim managers have already worked in this role, in one or even several companies in France and internationally before joining our management consultancy. They can therefore take on the role of manager within your IT department for the duration of your projects, whatever your sector of activity.

Do you have the experience, skills and profile to be an IT transition leader? Join Procadres to find challenges in France and abroad. Contact us for any request for information about the interim CIO’s salary, the profiles sought, or the duration of interim CIO management assignments.