DevOps Job Descriptions: Who’s on a DevOps Team?

Key takeaways

DevOps is a process that brings together development and operations in order to deliver software (or another kind of product or service) faster and more efficiently. 

• A DevOps manager commands a median total salary of $142,000 [1].

• Each role on a DevOps team works concurrently to ensure the continuous delivery of a software product. 

• You can develop key DevOps skills through certifications and professional certificates to find your role on the team. 

Learn about the roles that you can find on most DevOps teams, as well as the salaries and skills for each position. If you’re ready to build in-demand DevOps skills, try the IBM DevOps and Software Engineering Professional Certificate to gain these core skills in as little as 6 months. 

What is a DevOps job description?

Since DevOps represents a broader ethos, emphasizing a culture of collaborative information technology (IT), a DevOps team can include professionals in development, operations, quality assurance (QA), and cybersecurity. DevOps roles often include software developers, DevOps engineers, security and compliance professionals, and release managers. Comparing DevOps job descriptions can help you identify which roles you're best suited for and which areas of expertise to focus on growing.

DevOps job descriptions

Although the methodology and tools often remain the same, DevOps job descriptions, qualifications, and responsibilities vary from role to role. You can use the following sections to compare five DevOps job descriptions ranging from DevOps engineers to DevSecOps managers. You'll also learn how much you can earn and how to qualify for each position. Understanding the nuances of DevOps roles from DevOps manager to DevSecOps engineer can help you better understand the career path you want to pursue. This list outlines select DevOps job roles and their median salaries.

All salary information represents the median total pay from Glassdoor as of March 2026. These figures include base salary and additional pay, which may represent profit-sharing, commissions, bonuses, or other compensation.

1. What is a DevOps engineer job description?

This versatile role in DevOps engineering requires technical skills like implementing new technologies and testing and analyzing code, as well as workplace skills like overseeing workflows and sprint planning. Though parallels exist between DevOps and software engineering roles, they differ in skill set. While software engineers concentrate on writing and managing code, DevOps engineers also have knowledge of software development life cycle (SDLC) management methodologies.

Qualifications:

Seventy-five percent of DevOps engineers have a bachelor's degree, 20 percent have a master's degree, and two percent have an associate degree [1]. The most common majors for this role include computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information technology.

Experience:

• Experience building and supporting continuous integration, continuous delivery (CI/CD) workflows

• Knowledge of cloud infrastructure (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and DevOps tools

• Understanding of Agile software development methodology

• Proficient in automating and updating processes

Median annual US salary: $139,000 [2]

2. AWS DevOps engineer job description

An Amazon Web Services (AWS) DevOps engineer specializes in the AWS platform and, therefore, cloud computing technology. This is a DevOps engineering role for someone with plenty of experience implementing, migrating, and updating systems on the AWS platform.

Qualifications:

Seventy-five percent of DevOps engineers have a bachelor's degree, 20 percent have a master's degree, and two percent have an associate degree [1]. The most common majors for this role include computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information technology.

Experience:

• Ability to design and document technical systems and solutions using AWS technology

• Understanding of container technologies such as Kubernetes or Docker

• Experience with open-source web service environments such as Java

• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and processes

Median annual US salary: $139,000 [2]

3. DevOps manager job description

As a DevOps manager, you will supervise and lead DevOps teams. Having previously worked as a developer or technical project manager, you will use your technical expertise to design and upkeep a robust infrastructure for software service delivery. Additionally, you may use DevOps management tools to work towards streamlining collaboration among operations team members during the development and testing phases.

Qualifications:

Sixty-three percent of technical service and product managers have a bachelor's degree, 17 percent have a master's degree, and 14 percent have an associate degree [3]. The most common majors for this role include business, electrical engineering, computer science, and project management.

Experience:

• Strong knowledge of cloud technologies and DevOps automation and configuration management tools

• Ability to define and meet service level objectives (SLO) for implementation and automation initiatives

• Proficient in DevOps, Agile, and CI/CD methodologies

• Experience leading and managing collaboration between development and operational teams

Median annual US salary: $198,000 [4]

4. DevOps security engineer job description

As a development, security, and operations (DevSecOps) engineer, you help introduce and automate cybersecurity into every stage of the software development life cycle (SDLC). Programming, threat management, and communication are among your critical skills. Also within your purview is identifying and resolving any vulnerabilities found during development.

Qualifications:

Sixty-seven percent of information security engineers have a bachelor's degree, 15 percent have a master's degree, and 15 percent have an associate degree [5]. The most common majors for this role include computer science, computer information systems, information technology, and business.

Experience:

• Advanced knowledge of CI/CD methodology and cloud infrastructure platforms and services like AWS and Azure

• Extensive experience with DevOps and DevSecOps automation and security management tools and techniques

• Strong containerization, automation, and scripting skills

• Proficient in cross-functional communication, collaboration, and coordination

Median annual US base salary: $272,000 [6]

5. DevOps release manager job description

As a release manager, you will supervise the release of a product from start to finish. Specifically, you will handle tasks that fall outside of the scope of a traditional project manager. Your everyday work duties include tracking and analyzing DevOps key performance indicators, facilitating continuous delivery through Agile processes, and developing automation pipelines for smooth code transition.

Qualifications:

Seventy percent of information security engineers have a bachelor's degree, 19 percent have a master's degree, and 8 percent have an associate degree [7]. The most common majors for this role include computer science, business, electrical engineering, and computer information systems.

Experience:

• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, artifact maintenance, and version management

• Experience with cloud computing platforms, software testing tools, and containerization

• Proficient in scripting and using automation tools

• Ability to develop and execute deliverables for various initiatives in development, production, and quality assurance (QA)

Median annual US salary: $180,000 [8]

What skills are required for DevOps?

Key skills for DevOps professionals focus on technology, including basic programming, Linux and Unix fundamentals, cloud platform use, and networking basics. Important workplace skills for DevOps professionals include troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, as well as operations, management, innovation, and collaboration skills. 

Explore free DevOps resources

Join our Career Chat newsletter on LinkedIn to get career insights, explore new skills, and find networking opportunities. Then, discover our free resources for DevOps:

• Watch on YouTube: Breaking Down SRE and DevOps: Which One Fits You Best?

•  Hear from a fellow learner: Meet the Software Engineer Looking to Be a More Competitive Job Candidate

• Take the quiz: Which DevOps Course Should You Take? Find Out in 1 Minute

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