How to become an iT manager

Official title: IT managers

Also called: Manager, It manager, Ux manager, Cad manager, Gis manager, Ict manager, Mis manager, Team manager, Test manager, Field manager, Network manager, Product manager

IT managers plan, organise, manage and coordinate the provision of IT and telecommunications services and functions in an organisation.

Main tasks

• Plans, coordinates and manages the organisation’s IT and telecommunications provision or a specialist area of IT activity
• Liaises with users, senior staff and internal/external clients to clarify IT and telecommunications requirements and development needs
• Takes responsibility for managing the development of an aspect of IT and telecommunications provision such as user support, network operations, service delivery or quality control
• Supervises the technical team and coordinates training
• Plans and monitors work and maintenance schedules to ensure agreed service levels are achieved
• Reports on IT and telecommunications activities to senior management

How to become one

Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification, although entry with other academic qualifications and/or significant relevant experience is possible. There is a variety of vocational, professional and postgraduate qualifications available.

Ways in

• Apprenticeship (England): Information manager (level 4). England. Typically 24 months. Skills England standard ST0762.
• University: Computing & IT degrees, Offered by 26 universities in the UK

Pay · Outlook

• Median full-time pay: £56,438 a year The middle half earn £44,372 to £73,901.
• About 211,300 people work in this job now, and about 234,800 are projected by 2035. (+11.1%)

Related jobs

• IT project managers
• IT business analysts, architects and systems designers
• Programmers and software development professionals
• Cyber security professionals
• IT quality and testing professionals
• IT network professionals

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Questions people ask

How do I become an iT manager?

Entrants usually possess a degree or equivalent qualification, although entry with other academic qualifications and/or significant relevant experience is possible. There is a variety of vocational, professional and postgraduate qualifications available.

How much does an iT manager earn in the UK?

Median full-time pay is £56,438 a year (Office for National Statistics). The middle half earn £44,372 to £73,901.

Is an iT manager a growing career in the UK?

Yes. Employment is projected to grow 11% by 2035, from about 211,300 to about 234,800 people (Department for Education).

Do you need a degree to become an iT manager?

Usually. 61% of people in this job hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

Sources

• Office for National Statistics: Annual Population Survey: employment by occupation (April 2025 to March 2026), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: SOC 2020 Volume 1: structure and descriptions (2026-08-27 edition), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Department for Education: Skills Imperative 2035: employment projections by occupation (2021 to 2035 (Warwick IER / Cambridge Econometrics)), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03
• Office for National Statistics: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (2025 provisional), OGL v3.0, retrieved 2026-10-03

Updated 2026-10-03

Graduate outcomes: Discover Uni dataset, HESA (www.hesa.ac.uk), licensed under CC BY 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0). Aggregated by subject and adapted by Peernovo.