Next Role
What do I do?
I’m a technologist that loves solving extremely complex problems utilizing technology. I have many billion dollar ideas that I am incubating (https://wizdumb.io) but I haven’t found my “Jobs” (Steve Jobs) to complement my “Woz” (Steve Wozniak).
What am I looking for in my next role?
Titles are ambiguous and not clear. Take a look at this article regarding the various types of responsibilities that a CTO may perform in an organization. Based on the article referenced earlier I would identify myself best as the “chief innovation guru”.
Culture Fit
I never consider myself to be under the “IT” banner. What I mean by that is that IT is a shared service. I generally would only work at an organization such that the technology is not merely a shared service, rather the major focus of the company.
Responsibilities
Interested
- I am most typically involved in developing the technology vision of the organization, product, etc..
- I can be involved during sprint planning providing design reviews, architectural oversight, and general technology guidance.
- I enjoy solving complex problems whether they are process related, business efficiency, or truly technical in nature.
- I create a strong technology culture with understanding of technical debt, while setting a clear strategy to modernize.
- An expert in legacy, current, and emerging technologies.
- Humble enough to know when to say “I don’t know”, and seek the answer or solution.
- An open source evangelist, strong supporter and contributor to the open source community.
- Not a yes man. I am not hired to agree with the CEO. I will do my best to provide my best advice for the given context.
- A pragmatist who will always favor moving forward even when I may not agree with the decision.
- I preach best practices and have high expectations while I will always be happy with at least the best effort.
Not Interested
- I am not a project manager.
- I am not a scrum master, agile coach, etc. .
- I will always roll-up my sleeves and do what is needed. However, if I am being assigned a JIRA ticket on a constant basis, that is probably not the right role for me.
Titles
Interested
- Chief Technology Officer, Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Chief Innovation Officer
- Chief Architect, Chief Software Architect, Enterprise Architect, Principal Architect, Principal Software Architect, Senior Software Architect, Software Architect
- Chief Technologist, Technologist
- Chief Scientist
- Distinguished Engineer
- Technology Lead, Technology Advisor, Thought Leader, Technology Specialist, Technology Consultant
- Chief Evangelist
- Chief Software Engineer, Principal Software Engineer, Principal Engineer
- Director of Enterprise Architecture
- Director of Advanced Technology, Director of Research and Development
- Director Of Engineering
- Senior Director Of Engineering
- Vice President Of Engineering
- Senior Vice President Of Engineering
Not Interested
- Project Manager
- Scrum Master
- Software Engineer