A lack of strategic influence is causing unrest in the senior IT professionals job market

A lack of strategic influence is creating record levels of job movement amongst senior IT professionals.

One in ten senior IT professionals find their role becoming less strategic, says recruitment consultancy Harvey Nash's annual survey of over 650 UK chief information officers (CIOs).

And over half expect to change jobs in the next two years.

Restlessness amongst senior IT staff is a worry, said Harvey Nash managing director John Whiting.

“This year alone has seen a 15 per cent increase in the number of technology leaders occupying their current role for less than a year,” said Whiting.

“The most effective and satisfied CIOs will remain those embraced by main boards, and those in environments which fully comprehend the critical influence of IT upon a company’s success,” he said.

The survey, conducted in partnership with PA Consulting, revealed that only 46 per cent of CIOs have a board position. And just 35 per cent report directly to the chief executive.

Belief in the strategic value of IT is also dropping. Only 61 per cent of respondents think the role of the CIO is becoming more strategic, down 15 per cent on last year. And board-level peers share the loss of confidence: half of chief financial officers view IT solely as a support function with no need for executive representation.

A perceived failure to deliver on innovation is to blame. Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of businesses have no structured approach to IT innovation and, when they do innovate, 78 per cent report only reasonable or limited success.

The result is senior IT professionals increasingly changing jobs. More than a quarter claim they would leave their current role in order to have more hands-on involvement in business strategy. And almost a third are already actively looking.