P6P6 — Principal Professional
Principal/Head
Act as principal architect or head of IT infrastructure, setting vision for systems strategy.
What this level means
Top individual contributor; recognized authority with strategic impact, equivalent to a low executive level
- Scope
- Organization-wide architecture and the hardest problems
- Autonomy
- Defines direction; minimal oversight
- Complexity
- Strategic, open-ended problems shaping the technical future
- Impact
- Organization-wide
- Decision rights
- Sets technical strategy for a major area
- Leadership
- Recognized authority; multiplies many teams
- Typical experience
- 12–18 yrs
What you'd do
- Manage relationships with senior stakeholders
- Responsible for budgeting and governance
- Set vision for IT systems strategy
- Lead IT infrastructure at the organizational level
- Ensure alignment of IT with business objectives
- Drive organizational change through IT initiatives
- Oversee IT governance and compliance
- Represent IT in strategic decision-making
- Set vision for IT systems strategy
- Manage senior stakeholder relationships
- Oversee IT governance
- Drive organizational IT change
- Represent IT in strategic decisions
Skills, knowledge & tools
- Visionary leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Governance
- Change management
- Compliance
- Strategic decision-making
- Executive presence
- Vision
- IT strategy and vision
- Stakeholder management
- Governance and compliance
- Change management
- Strategic decision-making
- Executive communication
- Visionary leadership
- IT infrastructure management
- Executive presence
- Vision
- Strategic Leadership
- Stakeholder management
- Governance
- Change management
- Compliance
- Decision-making
What good looks like
- 12+ years
- Extensive expertise in all relevant technologies
- Master's degree in IT or related field
- Executive leadership experience
Common titles
IT Systems Administrator VIIT Systems Administrator 6Principal IT Systems AdministratorPrincipal/Head
What it pays
Market-pay benchmarks for this family × level are being recalibrated across all survey sources and will return shortly.
O*NET / SOC: 15-0000 — Computer & Mathematical Occupations (inferred)