Tech Exec Jobs UpTech Exec Jobs Up

Good news for technology executive wannabes: Openings for new CIO and IT-management jobs were up slightly in the third quarter, according to executive search firm ExecuNet.

ExecuNet's new job listings for CIOs were up 3%, while other IT-management job listings grew 5% in the third quarter, ended Sept. 30, compared with the second quarter, ended June 30.

While the uptick is modest, the growth represents more than just a few hundred new jobs across the country, says ExecuNet founder and CEO David Opton. "These [job openings] don't just represent investment in human capital, they mean also hardware, systems, products" and other technology investments that had been put on the back burner at many companies over the last few years, Opton says. "Companies had been holding back a lot," he says. "Now there's more steam."

Opton says that smaller and midsize companies are among those in particular searching for new CIOs and other IT managers. Recent open IT job postings include a VP of IT for a tech company in Arizona paying $100,000 plus bonuses; a CIO job at a nonprofit organization paying about $95,000; and a chief technology officer position at a manufacturing firm paying $300,000, plus bonuses, stock options, and other incentives.