DevOps manager job description.

What does a DevOps manager do?

 

A DevOps manager leads a team of DevOps or platform engineers and is responsible for the processes, tools, and culture that support continuous integration and delivery. Their goal is to ensure fast, reliable, and secure deployment of software products.

 

They oversee infrastructure design, automation strategies, cloud architecture, monitoring solutions, and cross-team collaboration. They also manage hiring, budgeting, and delivery timelines within the engineering function.

 

In smaller companies, they may be hands-on with infrastructure. In larger organisations, the role is more strategic, focusing on scaling platforms, team performance, and collaboration between engineering and IT functions.

 

Key responsibilities of a DevOps manager.

 

A DevOps manager leads the DevOps function and ensures delivery, uptime, and scalability goals are met. Their responsibilities typically include:

• Managing and mentoring DevOps and infrastructure engineers

• Defining standards for deployment pipelines, monitoring, and tooling

• Overseeing production environments and ensuring system reliability

• Leading automation efforts across build, test, and release pipelines

• Coordinating with development, QA, and SRE teams on delivery processes

• Ensuring security best practices are followed across infrastructure

• Managing incident response, platform KPIs, and escalation processes

• Supporting infrastructure cost control and vendor management

• Reporting on environment health, delivery timelines, and DevOps impact

• Driving DevOps maturity and adoption of infrastructure-as-code principles

This role blends team leadership with platform oversight and cross-functional coordination.

 

Skills and requirements for a DevOps manager.

 

DevOps managers lead teams focused on infrastructure, automation, and deployments. Employers typically look for:

• 5–8 years of experience in DevOps or platform engineering roles

• Experience leading technical teams or cross-functional squads

• Strong knowledge of cloud infrastructure, automation, and delivery tooling

• Confidence managing infrastructure projects and system upgrades

• Experience defining SLAs, monitoring standards, and incident processes

• Skilled in budgeting, team development, and performance management

• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, IaC, and container orchestration

• Ability to align platform reliability with business goals

• Comfortable working across engineering, QA, and product functions

Most DevOps managers come from senior engineering roles, improving systems at scale, reporting to Heads of Engineering or CTO.

 

Average salary for a DevOps manager.

 

In the UK, the average salary for a DevOps manager typically ranges from £75,000 to £110,000, based on team size, tech stack leadership, and strategic platform delivery.

• Mid-level DevOps managers typically earn between £75,000 and £92,000

• Senior managers responsible for multi-cloud strategies or mission-critical systems can earn between £93,000 and £110,000

• Incentives may include availability bonuses or project-based performance rewards

Top-paying roles are found in cloud-first organisations, digital infrastructure firms, and technology scale-ups.

 

Career progression for a DevOps manager.

 

A DevOps manager leads the DevOps team and ensures scalable, secure deployment processes. This role is both technical and strategic. Common progression includes:

 

DevOps engineer

 

Implements CI/CD workflows, cloud provisioning, and automation tools.

 

Senior DevOps engineer

 

Takes ownership of platform reliability and cloud infrastructure. Mentors engineers.

 

DevOps manager

 

Leads team performance, manages vendor tools, and defines delivery processes.

 

Head of infrastructure / SRE

 

Manages enterprise environments, oversees platform SLAs, and defines uptime targets.

 

Director of engineering / CTO

 

Owns all aspects of platform architecture, security, and DevOps strategy.