Everything you need to know about hiring DevOps engineers on OfferZen

10 January 2024, by Josh Nel

DevOps engineers are responsible for introducing processes, methodologies and tools that make the software development cycle run more smoothly. In addition, they need the technical and interpersonal skills to cut across company silos and foster collaboration. That makes making the right hiring decision particularly important. A poor hiring decision can lead to setbacks, low-quality code, and wasted time. Here we unpack everything they want from their next job.

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What skills does a DevOps engineer need?

DevOps engineers play a role in helping development teams become more productive and improve the software development process. Here are the core skills to look out for when looking for top DevOps engineers:

Deploying applications and services using containerisation and orchestration technologies, such as Docker and Kubernetes.
Creating continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines with tools such as Gitlab and Github Actions.
Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools such as Terraform, Ansible or Chef, or directly with the cloud providers such as AWS CDK, Azure Resource Manager, and Google Deployment Manager.
Cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Service, Google Cloud Platform and Microsoft Azure.
YAML
Sysadmin fundamentals.
Mastery of *nix (Linux, macOS, FreeBSD) and/or Windows shells.
Version control systems, such as Git.
Networking and security principles.
Agile methodologies

DevOps engineers on OfferZen typically have at least 4-6 years of experience, and 43.7% are at the senior level.

DevOps engineers’ level of experience on OfferZen

What does it cost to hire a DevOps engineer?

We gathered data from 140 DevOps engineers to better understand what they can expect to earn over the course of their careers.

Key salary trends and insights:

Years of experience	Average salary	Salary increase
0-2	R24,727	-
2-4	R40,415	63.4%
4-6	R57,011	41.1%
6-10	R70,903	24.4%
10+	R93,131	31.3%

The highest salary increases for DevOps occur in the early stages of their career.
It is one of the best-paying roles for juniors in South Africa.
As a result of their early salary increases, senior DevOps with 10+ years of experience see lower increases but still command high salaries due to the high demand for DevOps skills at this experience level.

What else should you consider when looking at what it costs to hire DevOps engineers?

Salary is just one part of a standout compensation package. A great set of benefits can make a world of difference when it comes to landing top DevOps engineers.

Let’s first take a closer look at the industries that Java developers commonly find themselves working in. The data shows that South African DevOps engineers tend to work for companies based in FinTech, SaaS development or Cloud Tech.

Industries where DevOps engineers commonly work

The FinTech, SaaS and Cloud sectors typically have larger tech and enterprise companies, so it’s normal for developers to receive generous benefits packages.

So what benefits are common for developers working in these sectors?

Bonuses (with around half of developers receiving them at their current jobs)
Medical aid contributions
Retirement or pension contributions

Developers are also likely to get education budgets to support their career development, as well as allowances for things like home internet expenses.

Most common monetary benefits for DevOps engineers in these industries

When you’re looking at potential DevOps engineers for your team, it also helps to consider other factors they consider when evaluating an offer. This way you know what to highlight in your interviews so you don’t lose the best people in the process.

What are DevOps engineers looking for from their next role?

While a great compensation package can give you an edge when it comes to hiring DevOps engineers, your non-monetary benefits also play a key part in getting the best people on your team.

When weighing up an offer, here are the top three things DevOps engineers in South Africa prioritise:

Growth opportunities
Remote work options
Language frameworks

This means during the interview process, you need to show potential team members the career growth opportunities you provide. At the same time, if you’re not offering remote work, you run the risk of losing out on top DevOps engineers.

Factors DevOps engineers consider when assessing a role

Hire DevOps engineers

Are you hiring software developers? OfferZen is the curated developer hiring marketplace that connects job-seeking developers with exciting opportunities at over 2000 companies in Europe and Africa.

Hiring teams can make unlimited hires across all the roles on OfferZen, saving up to 50% compared to traditional recruitment costs.

Start your free trial here

Keep in Mind

The salary and benefits data in this article is taken from OfferZen’s 2023 State of the Software Developer Nation Report. In this article, ‘salary’ refers to the gross monthly salary (before tax) provided by more than 4500 survey respondents. It excludes other incentives like equity or bonuses.

Last but not least, it is always important to keep in mind that every individual’s context is different. At the end of the day, salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer and should consider the nature of work, perks and other contextual factors like tech stack or industry.

Ready to find your next DevOps engineer? On OfferZen, you’ll get notified weekly about new candidates and receive recommended matches.

Hiring teams can make unlimited hires across all the roles on OfferZen, saving up to 50% compared to traditional recruitment costs.