Information Technology Jobs in Tucson, AZ

Tucson IT work runs from hospital help desks in midtown to cleared network jobs at Davis-Monthan AFB, with Pima Community College's East Campus training much of the local talent. The guides below cover every information technology role in Tucson, who is hiring, and what it pays.

Why Information Technology Work Is Different in Tucson

Defense shapes the top of the local IT market. Raytheon is the metro's largest private employer, and contractors on Davis-Monthan AFB on the southeast side hire network administrators, PC technicians and system administrators for Air Force programs. Peraton's base postings list active TS/SCI clearances and pay up to $138,000, and GDIT staffs IT programs in Tucson and Sierra Vista. That cleared work needs U.S. citizenship, which splits the market in two.

The other half is enterprise IT that never asks for a clearance: hospital desktop teams at Tucson Medical Center on Grant Road, the Federal Public Defender's Tucson office, and Tucson manufacturers such as high-altitude balloon maker World View, which hires its own software engineers. Pima Community College's IT, networking and cybersecurity programs at East Campus on Irvington Road feed both halves, so a help desk start here can lead almost anywhere.

Top Information Technology Employers in Tucson

These Tucson employers have posted IT roles on their own careers sites:

• Peraton - network administrators and PC technicians on an Air Force IT contract at Davis-Monthan AFB; active TS/SCI required.
• General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT) - system, Active Directory, SharePoint and network administrators on defense programs in Tucson and Sierra Vista.
• Tucson Medical Center - desktop computing analysts supporting the midtown hospital's computers and users.
• Federal Public Defender, District of Arizona - computer systems administrators for its Tucson office, at federal court pay scales.
• World View - software engineers at the Tucson company that builds and launches high-altitude balloons.

Information Technology Career Paths in Tucson

• Support and entry - Help Desk Technician, Desktop Support Technician and IT Support Specialist. The starting seats at hospitals, schools and base contracts.
• Infrastructure - Network Administrator, Systems Administrator, Database Administrator and Cloud Engineer. The jobs that keep networks, servers and data running, many of them cleared at Davis-Monthan.
• Development - Software Developer, Web Developer and DevOps Engineer. Product and internal software work at manufacturers, agencies and remote-friendly firms.
• Data and leadership - Data Analyst and IT Project Manager, plus the Information Technology overview guide for anyone mapping the field.

How to Start an Information Technology Career in Tucson

• Pima Community College IT certificates - the IT Support Specialist and IT Support Technician certificates take under a year full time at East Campus; an IBEST version includes CompTIA A+ exam prep.
• PimaFastTrack IT - an online noncredit course of up to four months that prepares students for CompTIA A+.
• Pima associate degrees - AAS degrees in Networking, CyberSecurity and Programmer Analyst at East Campus, about two years full time.
• University of Arizona College of Information Science - bachelor's programs on the main campus, including a BAS in Cyber Defense.
• DoD 8140 certifications and a clearance - CompTIA Security+ and similar certifications, plus U.S. citizenship, for defense contract IT jobs.

Arizona has no state license for IT support, network or systems work. Certifications, degrees and clearances are employer requirements, and only the clearance is out of your hands: the employer and the government grant it.

Information Technology Salaries in Tucson

• Entry - about $20 to $26 an hour ($42,000 to $54,000) for help desk, desktop and IT support roles.
• Mid - about $55,000 to $80,000 for administrators, analysts and developers with a few years in.
• Senior - about $80,000 to $120,000 or more for senior administrators, engineers and project managers, higher for cleared seats.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics put Tucson's median at $26.95 an hour for computer user support specialists and $42.59 for network and computer systems administrators in May 2023. Posted ranges show the clearance premium: Peraton listed $51,000 to $82,000 for a cleared PC technician and $86,000 to $138,000 for a network administrator, while the Federal Public Defender listed $68,545 to $118,569 for an assistant systems administrator. Federal and hospital jobs add retirement plans and benefits; contractor pay tracks the contract. These are estimates that vary by employer and experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you get into IT in Tucson with no experience?

Earn CompTIA A+, through Pima Community College's IT Support certificates or the online PimaFastTrack course, and apply for help desk and desktop support jobs. Hospitals such as Tucson Medical Center and base contractors hire at that level, and the next step is networking or systems work.

Do you need a degree to work in IT in Tucson?

Not for most support jobs, where certifications and experience carry the weight. Software, senior systems and federal roles more often ask for a degree or equivalent years. Pima's two-year AAS degrees in networking and programming are a middle route.

Do Tucson IT jobs require a security clearance?

Only the defense jobs. Peraton's Davis-Monthan postings require an active TS/SCI, and GDIT's programs need cleared staff. Hospital, court, manufacturing and most private IT jobs in Tucson do not ask for a clearance.

Is there an IT license in Arizona?

No. Arizona does not license help desk, network or systems administrators. Employers ask for certifications such as CompTIA A+, Network+ or Security+, and defense contractors require DoD 8140 qualifying certifications.

How much do IT jobs pay in Tucson?

Entry support jobs run about $42,000 to $54,000, mid-level administrators and developers about $55,000 to $80,000, and senior and cleared roles $80,000 to $120,000 or more. Peraton's cleared network administrator posting at Davis-Monthan went to $138,000.

Ready to get started? Browse all current information technology job openings in Tucson, AZ on TucsonHIRED and apply today.