An IT Manager leads the people, systems and strategy that keep an organisation's technology running and improving.
Role overview
IT Managers balance hands-on technical understanding with leadership: managing teams, budgets, vendors, security and projects. Broad fundamentals plus strong communication and organisation define the role.
Typical responsibilities
- Lead and develop an IT team.
- Own budgets, vendors and service levels.
- Set technology strategy and manage projects.
- Oversee security, risk and compliance.
Required technical skills
- Broad IT fundamentals (support, networking, security)
- Service management (ITIL concepts)
- Security & risk awareness
- Project and vendor management
- Budgeting and reporting
Required soft skills
- Leadership and people development
- Communication with the business
- Decision making under constraints
- Prioritisation and delegation
- Commercial awareness
Recommended learning paths (vendor-neutral)
Understand a core concept
The CompTIA Troubleshooting Methodology
The six-step method every A+ technician is expected to know by heart.
Tap or hover a part to learn more.
Gather the facts.
Question the user, back up data before making changes, identify what changed recently, and reproduce the issue if you can. Never skip the backup step.
Check your understanding
1. What must you always do before making changes when identifying a problem?
2. What is the final step of the methodology?
Concepts to master — your readiness map
Work through these interactive Academy guides, marking each complete to build your Job Readiness Score for this role:
Recommended certifications
- CompTIA A+
- CompTIA Security+
- ITIL 4 / PRINCE2 — on the Academy roadmap
Technical interview preparation
- How do you prioritise competing IT projects with a fixed budget?
- How would you improve service desk performance?
- How do you approach IT risk and security governance?
Behavioural interview preparation
- Describe leading a team through a difficult change.
- Tell me about aligning IT with a business goal.
Career progression
IT Manager → Head of IT / IT Director → CIO/CTO, adding leadership, service management and strategy credentials.
Typical UK salary
Typically £40,000–£60,000 in the UK, rising to £70,000–£100,000+ for heads of IT and directors.
Prepare with Missiora
- AI Interview™ — run a scored mock interview for this exact role.
- Career Coach™ — get a personalised path from where you are to this role.
- Career Passport™ — evidence your skills and earn shareable achievements as your readiness grows.