Technical officers are employed in various fields like engineering, information technology, construction, education, etc. The profession of a technical officer is well-suited to people with excellent technological skills.
While the particular job responsibilities of technical officers differ from one industry to another, they are generally tasked with looking after the working of facilities and systems at the workplace. Technical officers play an important role in the planning and coordinating activities of the organization.
Given below is the detailed job description and duties of a technical officer:
Resolving Technical Issues
Technical officers need to have good problem-solving and analytical prowess to tackle different technical problems. For example, if an organization’s system or computer network happens to crash, its IT officer must examine the issue and choose the best technique to fix it.
Further, technical officers are required to be proficient in testing, diagnosing, and repairing a variety of technological devices. They work along with professionals like system analysts and maintenance technicians to resolve the technical issues effectively. This calls for great teamwork skills and effective communication abilities.
Coordinating Activities
The exact coordinating role of a technical officer is determined by his specific job position. For instance, a maintenance officer who is responsible for the supervision of the organization’s facilities will inspect its buildings for safety, check the work carried out by the electrical contractors, and arrange for the repair and maintenance of HVAC equipment.
Likewise, an IT officer will plan out for the configuration, updation, and installation of computer software, hardware, system, and networks. He/she also manages the software-related documentation as well as oversees the junior engineers and technical staff.
Extending Support Services
Though the main tasks of the technical officers include coordinating activities and resolving technical issues, they also provide hands-on support to other employees. For instance, if an employee faces an issue with some new software, he/she may ask for help from an IT officer. Similarly, if there occurs any fault in the electrical connections while the maintenance contractor cannot be reached, the employer would ask the maintenance officer to replace or repair the defective electrical component.
Technical officers make use of a maintenance management system for storing the maintenance data of the organization.
Becoming a Technical Officer
To apply for the job post of a technical officer, it is incumbent to have at least a bachelor’s degree in the related specialization. For example, if you wish to become a maintenance officer, you should pursue a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering or construction science. Likewise, the aspiring information technology officers opt for a bachelor’s degree in information technology or computer science.
Advanced career options can be availed by technical officers who have advanced educational degrees or requisite work experience. For instance, if a maintenance officer holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering, he may get the post of chief maintenance engineer. Similarly, information technology officers can be promoted to the position of the chief technical officer if they have a master’s degree in computer science.