DevOps engineer job description.

What does a DevOps engineer do?

 

A DevOps engineer builds and manages the infrastructure and automation systems that allow development and operations teams to deliver software efficiently and reliably. They focus on CI/CD pipelines, deployment tooling, system monitoring, and environment provisioning.

 

Key responsibilities include automating processes, managing cloud infrastructure (e.g. AWS, Azure), configuring servers, and ensuring systems are secure and scalable. They work closely with developers, QA, and IT teams to reduce bottlenecks in delivery.

 

In startups, DevOps engineers often handle both infrastructure and tooling from scratch. In larger businesses, they work within platform or SRE teams, maintaining service uptime and delivery speed at scale.

 

Key responsibilities of a DevOps engineer.

 

DevOps engineers typically manage the automation, infrastructure, and deployment pipelines that support software delivery. Their responsibilities include:

• Building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines to support rapid deployments

• Managing infrastructure using Terraform, Ansible, or Kubernetes

• Monitoring application uptime, performance, and system health

• Collaborating with developers to integrate code into scalable environments

• Handling configuration management and environment provisioning

• Implementing logging, alerting, and observability practices

• Maintaining cloud infrastructure in AWS, GCP, or Azure

• Troubleshooting deployment failures or infrastructure issues

• Supporting rollback and disaster recovery procedures

• Ensuring DevOps processes align with security and compliance standards

This role combines platform reliability with automation and delivery efficiency.

 

Skills and requirements for a DevOps engineer.

 

DevOps engineers build and maintain infrastructure and tooling for software delivery. Employers typically look for:

• 2–5 years of experience in DevOps, infrastructure, or cloud engineering

• Strong scripting skills in Bash, Python, or PowerShell

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and deployment automation

• Familiarity with tools like Docker, Kubernetes, Jenkins, and Terraform

• Knowledge of cloud services such as AWS, Azure, or GCP

• Understanding of infrastructure as code and configuration management

• Ability to monitor system performance and respond to incidents

• Comfortable working with developers and QA teams

• Experience with version control, logging, and alerting systems

Most DevOps engineers have backgrounds in software development or systems administration, focusing on speed, stability, and scale.

 

Average salary for a DevOps engineer.

 

In the UK, the average salary for a DevOps engineer typically ranges from £50,000 to £75,000, depending on automation experience, cloud environment expertise, and deployment scale.

• Mid-level DevOps engineers tend to earn between £50,000 and £62,000

• Senior DevOps professionals with CI/CD pipeline ownership or Kubernetes experience can earn between £63,000 and £75,000

• Organisations moving to cloud-native architecture often offer additional compensation tied to infrastructure uptime or deployment success

Higher salaries are common in SaaS, fintech, and large-scale enterprise environments, particularly in London and remote-first roles.

 

Career progression for a DevOps engineer.

 

A DevOps engineer bridges development and operations, streamlining deployment, monitoring, and infrastructure. It’s a high-demand technical role with strong upward mobility. A typical career path includes:

 

Systems administrator / Junior DevOps engineer

 

Manages basic infrastructure tasks, deployment scripting, and monitoring setup.

 

DevOps engineer

 

Owns CI/CD pipelines, automation, cloud provisioning, and environment reliability.

 

Senior DevOps engineer

 

Leads infrastructure-as-code adoption, observability, and scaling strategies.

 

DevOps architect / platform lead

 

Designs and governs cloud environments and deployment frameworks.

 

Head of DevOps / infrastructure

 

Oversees teams, strategy, tooling, and collaboration between development and operations functions.