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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. This makes it one of the best-paid roles in South Africa. In this article, we'll look at average salaries for South African DevOps engineers at each stage of their careers.
Average entry-level and junior DevOps engineer salary
Entry-level DevOps engineers begin their careers with an average monthly salary of R24 727. They earn 9.2% (R2 498) less than entry-level backend developers at this stage. However, they earn 21.3% (R4 340) and 11.5%(R 2556) more than their frontend and full stack counterparts.
Once they've been in the profession for at least two years, DevOps engineers can look forward to their careers' most significant pay hike: Junior DevOps engineers can expect a 63.4% (R15 688) increase for an average salary of R40 415. This makes it the best-paying role for junior developers in South Africa.
Mid-career DevOps engineers with four to six years of experience can expect a 41.1% (R16 596) increase, giving them an average salary of R57 011 and making it the best-paying role at this career stage.
Average DevOps Engineer Salaries by Experience
Average Salary by Years Experience, showing 25th and 75th percentiles
| Years of Experience | 25th Percentile | Average | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-2 | R18,000 | R24,727 | R28,000 |
| 2-4 | R28,000 | R40,415 | R45,000 |
| 4-6 | R33,000 | R57,011 | R75,000 |
| 6-10 | R53,000 | R70,903 | R76,000 |
| 10+ | R76,000 | R93,131 | R110,000 |
Average senior DevOps engineer salary
Salary growth slows slightly once DevOps engineers reach the senior level, but that's not to say there's no growth at all. DevOps engineers with at least six years of experience bracket see their salaries rise by 24.4% (R13 892). This puts the average senior DevOps engineer salary at R70 903 per month. Despite this increase, their advantage over their backend counterparts has narrowed to a nominal 1.6% (R1 094).
Once they pass the ten-year mark, DevOps engineers see their salaries increase by 31.3% (R22 228) for an average monthly salary of R93 131.
Senior DevOps engineers should have a comprehensive understanding of customer requirements and KPIs and a background in operations, development and full stack implementations. These attributes are valuable to any modern business, so companies are willing to offer generous salary increases to attract candidates who possess them, making this a rewarding career for those who stick with it.
Keep in mind
The 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.
Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. It's expected that many respondents may earn significantly more or less than these averages. However, we hope to provide a picture of underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.
These averages should not be used to estimate what your actual salary will or should be.
Salaries depend on the industry, individual, perks and nature of work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are "fluent" in several languages, which will affect the final figures.
It's also important to remember that every individual's context is different. Ultimately, salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.
On OfferZen you can hire DevOps engineers and find DevOps engineer jobs.
Related resources:
- State of South Africa’s Software Developer Nation
- How to Negotiate a Job Offer That's More Than Just the Money
- How to Negotiate when Hiring Developers
- Developer Salaries 2022: Cape Town, Johannesburg and Pretoria
- Java Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Front End Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Full Stack Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Node.js Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Azure Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- TypeScript Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Go Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Ruby Developer Salary Trends in South Africa
- Kotlin Developer Salary Trends in South Africa