Highest paying

IT jobs in Australia

We’ve put together information on the highest paying IT jobs in Australia based on the findings from the latest Hays Salary Guide. With over 12,000 respondents – many from the world of technology – it is the authority for employers and employees on what salaries to expect in which roles.  
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While Sydney is usually home to the highest average salaries across many sectors, the top earners in IT are not all located in Sydney but spread out across the country. Canberra understandably offers high salaries for IT specialists. We've listed the highest reported salaries for each role across a range of Australia's IT industry verticals. 

The Chief Information Officer (CIO) remains the highest paying job in the IT sector in Australia, with salaries up to $375k in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra. A typical Sydney salary is just over $300k at $306k, and it’s just under in Melbourne and Canberra at $290k.

In today's complex and changing technology landscape, effective CIOs are relied on more than ever to spearhead digital transformations and deliver business value. This is reflected in their generous remuneration packages. 

Australia's leading CIOs are not only skilled in IT strategy but also have excellent business acumen, people management skills and the ability to navigate complex organisational politics. As their organisation's chief guide into future tech applications and trends, CIOs need to maintain a deep understanding of the latest innovations and how they can be applied to solve business problems. 

Workforce transformation has also put other IT leadership roles in the spotlight. Currently, chief technology officer (CTO) follows closely behind CIO as the second highest paying IT job in Australia, earning up to $370k in Melbourne with a typical salary of $275k. In Sydney the typical salary is higher at $306k, but peaks at $357k.
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In contrast to CIOs, CTOs focus mainly on the technical aspects of their organisation's digital transformation strategy and play a key role in driving innovation.

​Another leadership position worth highlighting is the CISO manager (Chief Information Security Officer) which is becoming more and more important as cyber security becomes further under the spotlight. A CISO Manager can earn up to $360k in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, with a typical salary of $255k in all three states.

Finally, a Chief Data Officer can earn up to $350k in Sydney and Melbourne, although this drops to an upper limit of $280 in Queensland and the ACT.

There is a drop in salary then to a standard IT Manager, who has an upper limit of $220k in Sydney and Melbourne, $210k in Canberra and $200k in Perth.

The constant demands of digital transformation have created the need for robust project management capabilities within organisations. Within the discipline of projects and change management, Project and Transformation Directors have emerged as vital in ensuring the successful planning and execution of complex digital transformation projects, many of which involve multiple stakeholders and large budgets.

In recognition of their importance, Project Directors are the highest paid professionals in projects and change management, earning up to $350k in Sydney and $300k in Melbourne, Perth and Canberra.

Other high paying roles include Perth-based program managers (up to $235k) and PMO Managers (up to $220k in many states) and Senior Change Managers (up to $230k in Canberra).

Cyber security salaries have grown significantly in the past 12 months. Along with the CISO Managers mentioned previously, there are several other roles in the world of cyber security that have become valuable as the need for digital protection increases. Cyber Security Architects can earn up to $340k in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra, which is a huge jump on last year’s results. The typical salary of $280k is now higher than last year’s upper limits of $250k.

In addition, Operational Technology Cyber Managers can earn up to $300k in all Australian states, bar Tasmania and the NT, where it drops to $240k. Head of Information Security can earn up to $260k in most states and there are a whole range of roles with an upper limit past the $200k mark, these include: Cyber Security Manager, Penetration Tester, IAM Manager, Application Security Engineer, Cloud Security Engineer, Threat Intelligence Officer, Threat Intelligence Manager, Cyber Security Architect, and Operational Technology Analyst.

A strong IT infrastructure is the backbone of many organisations and as such, various architect roles, who can design, implement, and manage complex networks earn high salaries as a result. In Canberra the salary can reach up to $275k for a Cyber Security Architect, and there are many other roles earning up to $250k.

Data Architects, Enterprise Architects and Network Architects are the main roles in demand, with $250k salaries achievable in many Australian states.

Big data is here to stay, and it's been driving plenty of growth in the tech industry over the past few years. Not surprisingly,  data-related roles  are some of the highest paying in Australia. Artificial Intelligence Engineers and Machine Learning Engineers can earn up to $250k in most major states, while Data Scientists can also earn up to $250k in Sydney, Melbourne, and Canberra.

The last few years of digital transformation have not just pushed organisations onto existing platforms but necessitated the creation of new software to support business needs. Software development teams are in overdrive as they attempt to meet these demands. Development managers can earn up to $250k in Sydney and Canberra.

It can pay to stick with a particular operating system, with plenty of roles paying up to $220k in the state capital cities. These roles tend to be for Architects, Consultants, and Functional Consultants.

For more information on the highest paying IT jobs in Australia, download our Hays Salary Guide.