The 15 most in-demand tech jobs for 2024 — and how to hire for them – CIO

As we head into 2024, businesses are dialed in on hiring for cloud, DevOps, digital transformation, security and privacy, development, AI, automation, system upgrades, and data integration and analytics, according to Robert Half Technology’s 2024 IT salary report. Recruiting in the tech industry remains strong, according to the report, with job gains outpacing losses in the tech sector. Of those surveyed, 61% of managers said they plan to hire for new roles in the coming year and 34% said they planned to hire for vacated roles.

There will also be an increased focus on retention in the new year, with nearly 64% of tech workers saying that they’re planning to look for a new job in the coming year. Additionally, 90% of technology managers also said that it’s challenging to find and recruit top talent, and they’re speeding up the recruiting process as a response. For organizations pushing for RTO, the survey found that 89% of tech professionals would come back to the office full time if offered the right salary.

While many factors will impact the starting salary for any given role, including competition, location, corporate culture, and budgets, there are certain things you can look for to make sure you land the talent you want. Here are 15 jobs expected to be in high demand for 2024, the skills and experience you should look for when hiring, and the salary ranges you’ll want to pay to stay competitive in the marketplace — ranked by average pay.

The 15 most in-demand tech jobs for 2024

• 25th percentile: new to the type of role, still acquiring relevant skills
• 50th percentile: average experience, has most of the necessary skills
• 75th percentile: above average experience, has all needed skills

Systems security manager

Systems security managers are tasked with ensuring that the company’s networks, data, and systems are safe from cybersecurity threats by ensuring that there’s a security strategy in place and keeping up to date on compliance and policies.

Requirements: Candidates should have experience working in cybersecurity roles, along with a strong foundation of best practices for compliance and security protocol. This role typically requires a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, IT, computer science, or a related field, along with experience working in cybersecurity roles.

Certifications: Relevant certifications to look for include Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), Certified Information Security Manager (CISM), CompTIA Security+, and Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH).

Skills and experience to look for:

• Team leadership skills to oversee a team of security professionals
• Knowledge of compliance regulations, standards, and best practices
• Expert-level knowledge of cybersecurity principles and threats
• Understanding of risk management, incident response, and risk assessment and mitigation practices

Network/cloud architect

Network/cloud architects oversee the design, implementation, and maintenance of network and cloud infrastructure in an enterprise, with a focus on developing secure and scalable solutions to suit business needs.

Requirements: Candidates should have experience with designing systems, selecting the right technology for each project, and ensuring security measures and protocols are followed to secure networks, cloud environments, and company data. Hiring managers typically look for a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, or related field, along with a strong foundational knowledge in network and cloud technologies.

Certifications: Relevant certifications include the Cisco CCNA, CCNP, and CCIE certifications, along with cloud certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect and the Microsoft Azure certification.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Strong communication and problem-solving skills
• Experience with network engineering, cloud computing, and security
• Knowledge of network design and implementation, automation and scripting, and best practices around firewalls, encryption, security compliance, and risk management

Applications architect

Applications architects are tasked with overseeing the design, development, and implementation of software applications in a business setting. They are responsible for identifying requirements based on business needs and building applications that support business goals and objectives.

Requirements: Depending on the role, candidates need at least a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, software engineering, IT, or a related field along with experience in systems architecture, software development, and the ability to solve complex problems. Certifications: Relevant certifications for this role include AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect, along with certifications for relevant frameworks such as TOGAF and Zachman.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Experience with networking and application development
• Knowledge of various coding languages such as Java, HTML, and CSS
• Skills around database management, APIs, Scrum, PHP, UI, GIT, and more

IT director

As a senior-leadership position, the IT director is responsible for overseeing an organization’s IT operations, while ensuring that IT goals align with business goals, and keeping the team on track to help solve any technological needs in the business.

Requirements: When hiring an IT director, you’ll want to look for experience with team leadership, budgeting and resource allocation, infrastructure management, vendor management, and compliance and security. It’s a high-level role that requires at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, business administration, or a related field — some roles may require a master’s degree, depending on the company.

Certifications: Relevant certifications for an IT director include Project Management Professional (PMP), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL).

Skills and experience to look for:

• Strong leadership skills along with technical knowledge
• Communication and problem-solving skills
• Knowledge of budgeting and financial management
• Understanding of security, compliance, and risk management

ERP integration manager

An ERP integration manager oversees the integration of software systems and applications in an organization, maintaining the flow of data and ensuring interoperability across the organization.

Requirements: Candidates for this role should have strong ERP knowledge, experience integrating technologies in an enterprise setting, and strong technical expertise. It’s a role that typically requires at least a bachelor’s degree in IT, computer science, business administration, or a related field, along with experience in ERP implementation and integration project management.

Certifications: Relevant certifications include Project Management Professional (PMP), Six Sigma certification scheme, Oracle SaaS ERP certifications, and SAP certifications.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Project management, data management, and problem-solving skills
• Strong technical knowledge of programming languages, databases, and integration tools such as SQL, ETL tools, and web services
• Experience working closely with vendors, third-party providers, and working with cross-functional teams for successful integrations

Big data engineer

Big data engineers are responsible for building, designing, and maintaining the tools and software required to analyze and process large data sets in the enterprise. It’s an important role for maintaining data in a business, with a focus on ensuring data tools are scalable, reliable, and secure across the organization.

Requirements: Candidates will typically need to have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, computer engineering, mathematics, or a related field — more senior roles may require a master’s degree. Look for experience with data processing, software development, database management, and cloud-based data processing.

Certifications: Hiring managers will also want to keep an eye out for relevant certifications such as AWS Certified Data Analytics, Cloudera Data Platform Generalist, and Google Professional Data Engineer.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Experience with multi-cloud computing, data visualization, machine learning and AI, and NoSQL
• Knowledge of programming languages such as Python, Ruby, Apache Spark, and Rust
• An understanding of automation, scripting, and enterprise architecture

Data security analyst

Data security analysts are tasked with overseeing the security of the organization’s data, assets, and information systems, protecting the organization from potential breaches, hacks, and threats.

Requirements: Candidates for this role should have a strong background in cybersecurity, data processing, security monitoring, and incident response. The role requires skills such as vulnerability assessment, security implementation, and security documentation. The role typically requires at least a bachelor’s degree in information security, computer science or a related field, along with experience in security, incident response, and with popular security tools.

Certifications: Relevant certifications for a data security analyst include Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH), Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and CompTIA Security+.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Knowledge of security tools and technologies such as SIEM, IDS/IPS, antivirus software, and vulnerability scanners
• Experience with incident response, digital forensics, risk assessment and management
• Understanding of compliance and regulations, along with security best practices

Data scientist

Data scientists are analytical data experts who use data science to discover insights from large sets of structured and unstructured data to help shape or meet business needs and goals.

Requirements: Candidates for this role should have experience analyzing data using software tools, creating visualizations that help stakeholders understand the data, and translating business needs into effective data analysis. This role typically requires an advanced degree — a master’s or Ph.D. in computer science, statistics, mathematics, or a related field, although some roles may only require a bachelor’s degree.

Certifications: Relevant certifications for this role include Certified Analytics Professional (CAP), Cloudera Data Platform Generalist, IBM Data Science Professional, and Open Certified Data Scientist.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Knowledge of programming languages such as Python or R for data manipulation
• Experience with data visualization, data wrangling, and statistical analysis
• Understanding of machine learning, database, and SQL
• Strong problem-solving skills, data analysis experience, and strong industry knowledge

DevOps engineer

DevOps engineers develop and improve IT systems and work as a go-between for development teams to ensure a flow between coding and engineering. This role is vital for improving and maintaining IT and cloud infrastructure, ultimately boosting productivity in the business. DevOps engineers must be able to deploy automated applications, maintain applications, and identify the potential risks and benefits of new software and systems.

Requirements: The role typically requires at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field as well as experience with automation, deploying infrastructure, and developing services on cloud platforms such as AWS.

Certifications: Certifications to look for include the Docker Certified Associate (DCA), Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA), AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, and Microsoft Azure DevOps Engineer Expert.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Knowledge of coding languages, including C++, Java, Perl, Python, and Ruby
• Understanding of agile software development methodologies
• Ability to implement and work with IT automation tools such as Ansible, Chef, Puppet, and SaltStack
• Analytical, problem solving, and collaboration skills

Network security engineer

Network security engineers are tasked with deploying and maintaining corporate WAN, LAN, and server architecture. These IT pros help steer the organization on the right path with network security by enforcing corporate network security policies, ensuring overall compliance, and managing external security audits and recommendations.

Requirements: The role requires implementing and administering network security hardware and software, identifying security policies and communicating them to the organization, and an eye on emerging trends in network security technologies. The role typically requires a four-year college degree in a technology field, and candidates should have at least five years of experience with installing, monitoring, and maintaining network security solutions.

Certifications: You’ll also want to keep an eye out for candidates with security-related certifications.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Analytical skills to evaluate network security needs
• Ability to design, integrate, and install hardware and software
• Knowledge of how to maintain firewalls, risk detection systems, and other security systems
• Experience testing, monitoring, and troubleshooting network security systems

Senior web developer

A senior web developer takes the lead on designing, developing, and maintaining web applications, overseeing teams that take on the task of building these tools.

Requirements: The role requires strong technical leadership skills, knowledge of architecture and design, strong problem-solving skills, and an understanding of coding and implementation. Candidates typically have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field, along with several years of experience in web development.

Certifications: Relevant designations for this role include Google UX Design Professional Certificate, W3Cx Professional Certificate in Front-End Web Developer, and the MIT xPro Professional Certificate in Coding: Full Stack Development.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Proficiency in programming languages such as JavaScript, Python, PHP, and Java
• Experience testing, debugging, and problem-solving web applications
• Knowledge of database management, back-end development, front-end technologies, and security best practices
• A strong portfolio with a proven track record of building complex web applications

Database developer

Database developers are responsible for developing and maintaining new servers, identifying business needs to better understand technology requirements, and troubleshooting servers. These candidates will be skilled at troubleshooting databases, understanding best practices, and identifying front-end user requirements.

Requirements: Database developers should have experience with NoSQL databases, Oracle Database, big data infrastructure, and big data engines such as Hadoop. The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field and three or more years of experience as a database developer or related field.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Ability to design database systems based on user requirements
• Ability to write SQL code
• Experience managing, developing, and maintaining new servers
• Knowledge of NoSQL databases, Oracle Database, big data infrastructure, Hadoop or other big data engines, the .NET framework, HTML, JavaScript, and PHP

Software engineer

Software engineers are responsible for designing and creating software programs and applications to suit business needs. It’s a role that requires cross-collaboration and communication skills, as well as the ability to work in a team environment. Software engineers are tasked with producing quality source code that is well-documented and organized, and they work closely with quality assurance to ensure software is properly tested.

Requirements: The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering or a related discipline.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Programming languages, including C#, C++, and Java
• Experience with the .NET Framework
• Ability to collaborate across teams to test hardware and software integration
• Create documentation for software specifications

Network/cloud engineer

Network/cloud engineers are responsible for overseeing an organization’s network and cloud infrastructure along with developing and implementing network and cloud applications and migrating existing applications to the cloud.

Requirements: Network/cloud engineers should have experience debugging cloud stacks, securing apps in the cloud, and creating cloud-based solutions. They should also have experience with security implementation, network infrastructure, troubleshooting, analytical skills, and knowledge of SysOps, Azure, AWS, GCP, and CI/CD systems. The role also requires soft skills such as strong communication, collaboration, and client management skills. The role typically requires a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field and at least three years of experience in cloud computing.

Certifications: Keep an eye out for candidates with certifications such as AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, Google Cloud Professional, and Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Experience identifying and implementing optimal cloud and network solutions
• Knowledge of cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, and GCP
• Programming skills in languages such as Python, Java, and R
• Understanding of DevOps, APIs, and web services

Help desk support manager

Help desk support managers oversee a team of help desk and support technicians who provide technical assistance to clients, customers, and internal employees.

Requirements: Candidates for this role should have experience with managing teams, providing technical support, and a strong background in customer service. The role typically requires at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, or a related field, along with experience in management and help desk support.

Certifications: Relevant certifications include Google IT Support Professional Certificate, CompTIA A, and CompTIA Network+.

Skills and experience to look for:

• Leadership, teamwork, collaboration, and communication skills
• A strong knowledge and understanding of service-desk tools such as ServiceNow, Zendesk, and Jira Service Desk
• Experience working on a service desk or in a help desk role
• A background in customer service, technical support, and team management