How To Become A Senior Information Technology Administrator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior information technology administrator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

As companies and industries rely almost solely on digital systems to execute, record, and protect their products and services, the Senior Information Technology Administrator has become the beating heart of the workplace. Senior information technology (IT) administrators oversee and maintain all aspects of a company's computer infrastructure and technology systems.

In the capacity of Senior IT Administrator, you will maintain all computer systems within a company and manage network security. You will facilitate and complete system installations and upgrades, and you will oversee data storage and retrieval systems. You lead a team of IT professionals, providing guidelines and goals to your team to ensure that they meet their deadlines.

You need at least a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related discipline, but a master's degree will prove advantageous on the job market. Work experience of more than five years is usually required, and company's look for leaders with good communication and interpersonal skills as well as technical and troubleshooting savvy.

Across the United States, new opportunities for senior IT administrators will likely increase in the near future. The average hourly pay for this position is $50, more than $105,000 annually.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Information Technology Administrator?

Matthew Liotine Ph.D.

Clinical Professor and Director of Master of Science in Supply Chain and Operations Management, University of Illinois at Chicago

Most employers tell me that soft skills are equally, if not more important, than technical skills or domain knowledge. This translates into external/internal customer-facing skills, such as communication, team collaboration, writing, presentation, problem-solving, and being resourceful. (Many graduates overlook writing as a vital skill, but they fail to realize that in the course of their jobs, they will likely be required to write lots of memos and tons of emails.) The need to perfect these skills within the confines of a virtual world has become even more challenging and amplified with COVID. I teach in the information systems discipline, and when you view student resumes, many people look the same on paper. The soft skills will make a candidate stand out head and shoulders above the rest. That's why the candidate should pay attention to the screening interviews that they will undergo during the hiring process since employers will use these interviews to vet these skills.

ScoreSenior Information Technology AdministratorUS Average

Salary

7.7

Avg. Salary $105,357

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 5%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.31%

Asian 12.00%

Black or African American 8.48%

Hispanic or Latino 12.18%

Unknown 5.05%

White 61.97%

Gender

female 13.85%

male 86.15%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

7.2

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.1

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior information technology administrator

Explore senior information technology administrator education requirements

Most common senior information technology administrator degrees

Bachelor's

59.2 %

Associate

19.8 %

Master's

11.9 %

Start to develop specific senior information technology administrator skills

Skills	Percentages
Linux	6.63%
SAN	5.78%
Unity	4.24%
Windows Server	4.15%
Troubleshoot	4.12%

Complete relevant senior information technology administrator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior information technology administrators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior information technology administrator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior information technology administrator resumes.

Research senior information technology administrator duties and responsibilities

Maintain accurate VOIP phone inventory to manage costs.
Manage installation of SharePoint farm OS security patches and SharePoint & SQL CUs and SP updates.
Network administration utilizing Dell/ Force10 manage switches, as well as Aruba and FortiNet wireless devices.
Manage SharePoint permissions and configuration of SharePoint accounts and sites.

Get senior information technology administrator experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior information technology administrator. The most common roles before becoming a senior information technology administrator include systems administrator, information technology administrator team lead and network administrator.

Prepare your senior information technology administrator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior information technology administrator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior information technology administrator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Information Technology Administrator Resume templates

Build a professional Senior Information Technology Administrator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Senior Information Technology Administrator resume.

Apply for senior information technology administrator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior information technology administrator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

Average senior information technology administrator salary

The average Senior Information Technology Administrator salary in the United States is $105,357 per year or $51 per hour. Senior information technology administrator salaries range between $82,000 and $135,000 per year.

Average Senior Information Technology Administrator Salary

$105,357 Yearly

$50.65 hourly

How do senior information technology administrators rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

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1 Star

Senior Information Technology Administrator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Pros

talking to people

Cons

outside weather, I work as a network technician and the main problem I always encounter is the cold weather.

A zippia user wrote a review on Sep 2019