13 Roles Every Tech Department Should Have on Staff

In today’s world full of technology, tech departments are the ones who push companies forward. So, it’s no surprise that companies want to invest in this team and have a strong department with different roles and skills.

Although it might take some time to hire all the positions you need for your tech department, there are a few important roles that every business should prioritize. That’s why a group of members from the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) shared their thoughts on the following question:

When you’re setting up your company’s tech department, what’s one role you should definitely have? And what does this role bring to the business?

I’ve got some great suggestions for the top roles you should consider. Check them out!

1. Success Manager

So, here’s the deal. In my experience, having a dedicated success manager is super important if you want to make sure a technology gets adopted at a high rate. When a tech department has a success manager, it makes it easier for the whole organization to take responsibility for putting it into action. Why, you ask? Well, because there’s someone there to answer questions and show demos. It’s like having an ambassador for the technology! One person who can help everyone else understand and use it. Pretty cool, right? David Hunter from Epic Web Studios thinks so too!

2. Platform Cybersecurity Expert

Now, listen up. Cybersecurity is no joke. It’s a big deal for any company’s tech department, and it should be a top priority. You need someone on your team who knows their stuff when it comes to keeping your platform secure. Don’t just hire anyone though; make sure they have experience in this area. Having a secure platform brings all sorts of benefits to your business, like better insurance coverage, keeping your customers happy, and reducing risks overall. Jordan Edelson from Appetizer Mobile LLC knows what’s up!

3. Technical Project Manager

You know, there’s this one really important job called a technical project manager. It’s their job to plan and complete projects on time and within budget. They work closely with the boss to make sure the project fits with the company’s goals. They’re like the superheroes who make sure projects get done right and fast! ~ Olufemi Shonubi, EduTech Global

4. The Big Idea Boss

Job Title: Front-End Developer

Being a front-end developer is a really important job in a tech team. It’s like having super skills in coding and design, allowing me to create the awesome parts of a business that customers see and use. I’m like a magician who can make the website or app look and work amazing!

Job Title: Liaison for Third-Party Vendors

My company is small, and when Covid came, we needed help from tech companies to work online. But we made a mistake by not having someone to talk to the tech company and figure out what we needed. It’s like having too many people in the kitchen and no one knows who’s cooking what. So it’s really smart to have one person responsible for talking to the tech company and making sure everything gets done on time.

Job Title: Quality Assurance Engineer

You know, a quality assurance engineer is really important for us technical teams. They do so much behind the scenes that often goes unnoticed. These QA specialists cover every angle of an application and act on behalf of us users. See, us engineers and designers can’t predict every single use case, so we rely on these QA folks to test everything extensively. And let me tell you, when we delegate this testing to them, it really affects how fast we can work and how satisfied we are with our jobs. ~ Mario Peshev, DevriX

8. IT Business Liaison

Did you know that there is a ton of technical information and data out there that influences business decisions? It’s true! But here’s the thing, all that data is only useful if us non-technical folks can understand and use it. That’s where an IT business liaison comes in. These awesome people bridge the gap between the technical and business worlds. They get it, you know? They can take complex technical info and turn it into useful knowledge that us non-technical folks can actually use to make decisions. ~ Tonika Bruce, Lead Nicely, Inc.

9. Business Intelligence Analyst

10. Technology Leader

Every IT department needs someone who leads the way in technology. This person helps with any upgrades that are needed for a digital transformation or to protect against cyber attacks. They can also teach employees how to use new software or programs to make things easier and prevent any problems. By doing this, IT becomes more accessible and the whole company works better together. – Duran Inci, Optimum7

11. Chief Technical Officer

Every tech department should have a Chief Technical Officer, also known as the CTO. The CTO is in charge of the company’s technology plan, design, and overall performance. They make sure the company is using the latest technology and tools to be creative and work efficiently. This job is important for the company because it helps them stay ahead and do things better. – Thomas Griffin, OptinMonster

12. UX/UI Designer

If you want your tech department to succeed, you need a UX/UI designer. This job is really important because people want products that work great and are easy to use. Without someone to figure out the best way for users to move through your product and where to put all the different parts, your product might not be as valuable to people as you want it to be when it first comes out.- John Turner, SeedProd LLC

13. Solutions Architect