To think "Head of Digital" is a nonsense job title

[wiggn]

Surely it needs a noun on the end, e.g. "Head of Digital Services" or "Head of Digital Communications" or "Head of Digital Media"! Otherwise it is pretty ambiguous. Just me?

I don't know how common it is, but in the organisation where I work, it seems to be the title of the relatively non-technical person who liaises with the third-party contractor that maintains the website.🙄 They reside in the Communications team, rather than in the IT Services department (which looks after many complex systems with digital content). So their job title seems to be a bit incongruous to me. Aibu?

I’m a head of digital. I work in a marketing agency and I’m responsible for all digital marketing channels, the web development team, the digital insight team and the ad ops/ tagging team.

My role is pretty clear - if it’s digital, it’s mine!

I have around 300 indirect reports and I don’t know if anyone in my industry with my title who has any sense of over inflated titles etc. it’s a very standard role you find in most businesses.

Aren't they the boys who put the powder on the noses of the faces of the ladies of the harem of the court of King Caractus?

Hi, Head of Digital here for a visitor attraction! Obviously every company is different in the responsibilities that the role covers, but my job is to run the website, booking systems, and all social media channels, plan ads, make content, create and send mailing lists, manage customer details, monitor online spend for tickets, oversee the e-commerce platform, and lots of other stuff that goes along with it all like communications, copywriting, SEO, etc! It's quite a lot of responsibility all in; I'm in the middle of gentle arguments with my boss that I need a hand, but it's quite a new role for my workplace and it turns out a very much needed one as everything is online now!

Hope this helps clarify some of the responsibilities involved but of course I can't speak for every head of digital.

Reminds me of the Head of Better in the BBC's W1A.... with the job description:

The Establishment of a Director of Better represents a turning point for the BBC by placing the idea of betterness at its core going forward and beyond.

Working with a range of internal placeholders at a senior level, this is an opportunity to re-set the dial for the Corporation either by shining a new light on that dial or by shining the old light but with a new bulb so that no-one can be in any doubt about where the dial is or can have any excuse for not being able to read what it says.

I think some organisations give people titles instead of pay rises! I’ve noticed ‘head of’ ‘director of’ ‘lead’ for people who were quite low level managers and the jobs don’t seem to have changed really.

Yes

We have a ‘ Head of People’ ‘ head of community investment’

Why do you dislike them?

I was about to type that Microsoft used to have Evangelists, but it would appear they still do...

careers.microsoft.com/professionals/us/en/c-evangelism#:~:text=Evangelism%20Evangelists%20engage%20with%20technical%20audiences%20to%20influence,turn%20audiences%20into%20Microsoft%20advocates%20within%20their%20communities.

I'm old enough to remember when "Head of Digital" just meant you were the one in the org who knew how to change the text on the website.

I work with lots of them now and the meaning varies widely!

I have a friend who is Head of Digital, we call him Head of Fingering....

I'm a Head Of. I encompass the full spectrum within my function. I manage teams providing narrower services. A Head Of Digital is the same. They're in charge of all the different elements within the Digital arm of the business. The strategy, IT and comms teams you mention.

I always find it so very interesting how much people are keen to criticise jobs/titles they have never done and know nothing about. It makes you sound a little bit ignorant.

Yes sounds like a lot to cover, but it also sounds like you are on your own.

"Head of" suggests you are running a department and have managers reporting to you as it will do in many organisations. There is a world of difference between having a wide ranging job role and having to manage a department of people.

I've been a "Head of" as well but I was running a function with 45 employees managing managers some of whom had team leaders under them as well. This is the problem with job title inflation really it implies organisational responsibility (for people, etc.) that doesn't necessarily exist.

It is like all the "CEOs" running startups out of the spare bedrooms. Doesn't make what they are doing any easier, but they aren't leading a an organisation of a few hundred people or more with directors who are managing multiple departments under them reporting to them for example. It is a false equivalency.

Some of those titles are because an organisation wants to save money on giving the job to two people.