The role of a DevOps Engineer

DevOps is the collaboration, communication, and integration among IT operations and software developers. Instead of looking at the two groups, DevOps sees them as a unit to help the organisation provide IT and software services rapidly.

As companies seek to stay ahead of their competition through DevOps-related technologies, the demand for DevOps professionals is growing. DevOps is amongst the ten top skills to learn in 2023. We’ve put together some information about the role of a DevOps Engineer, including the skills, qualifications, and salary expectations of the role.

What is a DevOps Engineer?

A DevOps Engineer is responsible for bridging the gap between development and operations teams by implementing processes and tools to help automate and streamline the software development lifecycle.

They work closely with developers, system administrators, and other stakeholders to ensure that applications are deployed efficiently and reliably, and that infrastructure is managed effectively.

What qualifications do you need to be a DevOps Engineer?

Whilst a degree in computer science or a similar field is beneficial it is not essential. As long as you can display the relevant skills for the role employers will consider you.

Typically, a lot of DevOps Engineers have started their careers in software development, systems engineering, or systems administration. DevOps Engineers require hands-on experience with tools like Git, Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, and AWS.  You will need at least five years of experience in previous roles before applying for DevOps Engineering roles.

What skills do you need to be a DevOps Engineer?

Below are some of the main skills needed for DevOps Engineering, however, due to the DevOps teams working in an ever-changing world where the common expectation is that quality and speed need to improve, DevOps Engineers need to be self-motivated and passionate about continued learning as they will need to constantly need to improve their way of working and adapt to changed circumstances.

• Coding and scripting
• Development applications including Jenkins, Git and GitLab
• Knowledge of cloud computing software including AWS and Azure
• Knowledge of Linux
• Continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment. (CI/CD)
• Security skills
• Testing skills
• Automation skills
• Communication and collaboration skills
• Proactivity
• Organisation
• Leadership
• Problem-solving skills

What is the average salary of a DevOps Engineer?

DevOps professionals are often paid more than developers because they have a broader set of skills and responsibilities that are in high demand in today's software development industry.

• The average starting salary of a DevOps Engineer is £46,000
• The average mid-level salary of a DevOps Engineer is £68,000
• The average high-level salary of a DevOps Engineer is £100,000

What are the responsibilities of a DevOps Engineer?

• Developing and maintaining automated build and deployment pipelines
• Implementing continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) processes
• Monitoring and managing applications and infrastructure in production
• Optimizing infrastructure for performance, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Troubleshooting and resolving issues in production environments
• Collaborating with developers and other stakeholders to identify and address issues and improve processes

What industries do DevOps Engineers work in?

DevOps was first used in the IT industry when the companies implementing it realised, they could accomplish projects more efficiently when the development and operations teams collaborated and communicated with each other instead of working separately.

However, DevOps and its practices now go beyond the tech sector and is popular among many other industries including:

• Finance
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Manufacturing
• Ecommerce

As a DevOps Engineer, you need to have excellent communication skills, as well as excellent leadership skills. You need to ensure you have an inquisitive mind and that you are passionate about keeping up to date with the latest automation tools and processes.