Up to half of all marketing hires in 2014 could require a technical background
The hiring scene is changing for tech pros. Marketing departments are bolstering their technical ranks to help with big data, cloud, SEO, and mobile development initiatives.
The hiring scene is changing for tech pros. The IT department isn’t the only group that’s looking to recruit top talent. Increasingly, marketing wants to bolster its own technical ranks.
In 2014, up to 50% of all marketing hires will have a technical background, predicts Mondo, an IT staffing provider. Demand for digital marketing pros will rise 38% this year, the firm adds.
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Marketing departments are grappling with major initiatives that require serious tech skills. The most pressing, according to Mondo, are: big data, cloud computing, marketing automation, search engine optimization, and mobile development.
“CMOs and marketing executives must shift their focus to the world of digital marketing and expand their teams with the … resources necessary to support the latest web, mobile, automated and integrated marketing technologies,” says Laura McGarrity, vice president of marketing for Mondo.
There’s a direct tie-in between these marketing activities and a company’s bottom line. “Without the skilled resources to create, test, and execute these marketing strategies, companies will get left behind,” McGarrity says.
Today, some of the hottest technical titles in the marketing department include: database analyst, business analyst, project manager, UI/UX, mobile developer, SharePoint developer, systems administrator, and marketing automation manager.
At the top of the pay scale is vice president of e-commerce, a role that can command $179,000, says Mondo. Other top-paying positions in the digital marketing world are: vice president of merchandising ($160,000), director of digital and interactive ($148,000), director of marketing ($144,000), and director of social media ($105,000).
Mondo’s research is based on its placement of thousands of contract IT and marketing pros between 2012 and 2014.
Ann Bednarz covers IT careers, outsourcing and Internet culture for Network World. Follow Ann on Twitter at @annbednarz and reach her via email at abednarz@nww.com.
