Senior Dev Ops Engineer Must Wear Many Hats

When a company is looking to transition to a cloud-based platform, having the right people on staff is integral. One of the most important positions for such a big move is that of the senior dev ops engineer/build release engineer. This role will help automate server provisioning, code deployment, and management of server configuration, so the person who fills this job must have some specific experience under their belt and be flexible enough to change direction when necessary.

In our IT Downloads section, we provide several detailed job descriptions for your company to use when hiring for important positions, including one for a Sr. Dev Ops Engineer/Build Release Engineer. This download provides a sample job description that includes information that top dev ops staff should possess. It also gives details on the types of skills and experience that the right candidate will display.

For example, when hiring a senior dev ops engineer, remember that the candidate will need to work with the development team, quality assurance and product teams, so be sure the applicants have experience in cross-team relations. Of course, the most important skills the candidate must possess are those involved in development and operations, including:

• Version control systems (Perforce, syn, Git)
• Software building tools and integration tools (Maven, Jenkins)
• Cloud platforms (EC2, Rackspace, Open Cloud) and cloud automation tools (Chef, Puppet)

The document is in a generic format, with the intro written for a startup company. But the list of requirements works for a startup or a long-running enterprise company. It reiterates that the proper candidates should be self-starters, eager to learn new technologies when the need arises, and comfortable working in an agile environment.

By downloading this document, hiring managers or human resources staff can get a head start on hiring a strong senior dev ops candidate. The informative document can be posted as-is to job boards or can be customized with the company’s own specifications with very little upfront work.