A pretty good description of a DevOps position

The DevOps AnalemmaI received an invitation to interview for a DevOps position at a large, well-known Swiss firm that was very well-written and also happened to describe what I do at Uster Technologies quite well. As a few colleagues with whom I’ve spoken about what I do have said: “that sounds like much more than standard DevOps.”

My job certainly is more than what most people would consider to be standard DevOps—but I think that might be because most people think of the implementors of DevOps rather than the designers or architects of it. My role is very much about helping departments and teams figure out how they can integrate, benefit from, and leverage the services available from DevOps and the synergies they get from working more openly and more closely with other teams.

The Position Description

I’ve highlighted a few of the phrases that stuck out to me as especially relevant for what I do, but also perhaps not what people typically think of when they think of the DevOps role.

The perfect candidate

The position we are looking for is a DevOps Engineer with a deep understanding of CI/CD, automation, source control systems, packaging and deployments. […] The software in this area is written in C#/C++, therefore being able to read and understand code is needed. The candidate has to be communicative, engaged and shall be able to drive individual tasks to successful completion.

Tasks & Responsibilities

• Independent delivery of complex, broadly defined DevOps assignments Specification, planning, implementation, testing, and documentation of these assignments and drafting/definition of tasks for others
• Independent planning and implementation of complex internal and external sub-projects by involving several employees, or responsible for an area of technological activity
• Executes with high accountability to schedule and quality
• Participates actively in detailed design, code reviews, bug/issue triage, and supports well-informed decisions towards business and engineering goals
• Review expert for other project groups
• Internal and external knowledge transfer
• Defines overarching concepts for the entire product area
• Responsible for driving new technology inputs in the projects

Must Haves

• Min. Bachelor degree in Computer Sciences or similar
• Min. 5+ years of experience as DevOps Engineer, preferred in [a] regulated industry
• Hands-on experience of DevOps, CI/CD, automation (pipeline, infrastructure), source control systems, packaging and deployment
• Hands-on experience and strong knowledge of Docker and GIT
• C# experience from the last two years (recently)
• Experience in Microsoft Azure DevOps, Kubernetes, LxC and LxD / IaC, Linux experience (Debian or Ubuntu) and Debian packaging and Debian configuration management
• Fluency in English (spoken and written)
• Proactive personality
• Solution-oriented and ability to work in a team