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Digital / data / automationDigital / data / automation
DevOps Engineer
IT consultants help businesses choose and use the right technology to work better. They solve tech problems, advise on what software and systems a company should buy, and guide them through big changes in how they use technology.
No degree needed for many routes
AI impact: high£££ payDirect entry route
62
AI impact
how much AI is reshaping it
Robin · your guide
Curious about being a devops engineer? Here's the honest picture - what you'd really do, what you'd earn, and every way in. No need to decide anything yet.
What you'd actually do
As an IT consultant, you work with different businesses to understand their technology problems and find solutions. You start by learning how they work now, what is not working well, and what they want to improve. Then you plan new systems or changes that will help them, and oversee the work to make sure it gets done right. You spend time both in offices and meeting clients face-to-face.
The job means you need to understand both technology and how businesses work. You explain technical things to people who are not tech experts, so clear communication is important. You also need problem-solving skills and the ability to manage projects and people. No two days are quite the same - you might be advising a bank one week and a hospital the next, which keeps the work interesting.
1Conduct thorough assessments of clients' IT systems and infrastructure to identify areas for improvement.
2Develop tailored IT strategies that align with clients' business goals and operational needs.
3Collaborate with cross-functional teams to implement technology solutions and ensure seamless integration.
4Provide training and support to clients on new systems and technologies to empower their workforce.
5Stay updated on the latest industry trends and emerging technologies to offer informed recommendations.
6Manage project timelines and deliverables to ensure successful implementation of IT initiatives.
7Prepare detailed reports and presentations to communicate findings and propose solutions to stakeholders.
Career progression & pay
01
Getting in
Junior DevOps Engineer
£25,000 - £35,000
BSc in Computer Science or related field
As a Junior DevOps Engineer, you will assist in the automation of deployment processes and support senior engineers in maintaining system performance. This role is ideal for recent graduates looking to gain hands-on experience in a collaborative environment.
02
Building up
Mid-level DevOps Engineer
£40,000 - £55,000
3-5 years experience + relevant certifications (e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer)
In a mid-level position, you will take on more responsibility, leading projects and mentoring junior team members. You will be expected to design and implement complex CI/CD pipelines and optimise cloud infrastructure.
03
At the top
Senior DevOps Engineer / Head of DevOps
£65,000+
10+ years experience, chartered status with BCS or equivalent
At the peak of your career, you will oversee the entire DevOps function, driving strategic initiatives and ensuring alignment with business goals. You will lead a team of engineers and be responsible for the overall performance and security of the software delivery process.
Degrees that lead here via Digital & Technology
Degree options are mapped from subjects - explore the buckets to find related courses.
Apprenticeships that lead here
No apprenticeship standard maps directly yet - the university or college route is the main way in.
Who hires - top UK employers
BBC
The BBC is a leading broadcaster that values innovation and technology, providing a dynamic environment for DevOps Engineers to thrive.
Sky
Sky is a major player in the media industry, offering exciting opportunities for DevOps professionals to work on cutting-edge projects.
ThoughtWorks
ThoughtWorks is a global software consultancy that champions agile practices and offers a collaborative culture for DevOps Engineers.
FDM Group
FDM Group is a leading provider of IT and business services, providing excellent training and career progression for aspiring DevOps Engineers.
Capgemini
Capgemini is a global leader in consulting, technology services, and digital transformation, offering diverse opportunities for DevOps talent.
AI & the future of this job
IT consultancy sits in a genuinely turbulent spot right now. AI tools are rapidly absorbing the diagnostic and research work that used to justify junior consultant billing rates, and clients increasingly expect faster, cheaper assessments than a human-led process alone can deliver. That said, the strategic advisory layer, stakeholder trust-building, and organisational change management remain distinctly human territory. The role is not disappearing, but it is contracting at the junior end and shifting upward in the value chain faster than most expect.
Within 5 Years
Significant junior role contraction
Over the next five years, AI-assisted diagnostic platforms will handle infrastructure audits, gap analyses, and vendor comparisons at a fraction of current consulting costs. Junior and graduate roles will shrink as firms need fewer people to produce the same volume of initial assessments. Mid-level consultants who can translate AI-generated findings into boardroom-ready strategy will remain in demand, but the entry ladder is getting shorter and steeper. Expect redundancy pressure in large consulting houses as utilisation models are restructured around smaller, higher-skill teams.
Within 10 Years
Specialist advisory survives
By the mid-2030s, commoditised IT consulting, the kind that follows a standard methodology and produces a templated report, will be largely automated end-to-end. What survives is genuine specialisation: cybersecurity strategy, AI governance consulting, legacy-to-cloud transformation in highly regulated sectors, and organisational change leadership. Consultants who have built deep domain expertise in industries like healthcare, defence, or financial services will command premium rates, while generalists face a very difficult market. The workforce in this field will likely be 30 to 40 per cent smaller than today, but the remaining roles will be better paid and more intellectually demanding.
Within 20 Years
Redefined, smaller profession
Two decades out, IT consultancy as a distinct job category may partially dissolve into broader roles combining technology, strategy, and sector expertise under a single title. The consultants who thrive will function more like trusted advisers embedded in client organisations rather than project-based outsiders. AI will be doing most of the technical heavy lifting autonomously, leaving humans to navigate ethics, culture, risk appetite, and political dynamics within client businesses. The profession will still exist, but it will be unrecognisable compared to today's associate-heavy, methodology-driven model.
How to stay ahead
Pick a sector and go deep
Generalist IT consulting is the most exposed part of the market. Choose a high-complexity, regulated industry such as NHS digital transformation, financial services infrastructure, or defence procurement and build domain knowledge that AI cannot easily replicate. Sector depth makes you the person clients trust with sensitive decisions, not just technical execution.
Learn to manage AI outputs, not just use them
The consultants who will matter in five years are those who can critically evaluate what AI diagnostic tools produce, spot where they are wrong, and translate outputs into actionable client strategy. This means studying AI governance, prompt engineering, and data quality assessment alongside your core technical training. Clients will pay for someone who knows when to trust the machine and when to push back on it.
Build genuine change management skills
Technology implementation fails far more often because of people and politics than because of technical flaws, and that dynamic is not going away. Formal training in organisational change management, stakeholder engagement, and facilitation will differentiate you sharply from technically-minded peers who struggle to get buy-in. Qualifications like Prosci or Agile change frameworks are worth pursuing alongside any technical certifications.
Pursue certifications over broad degrees alone
In this market, a targeted stack of recognised certifications, think AWS Solutions Architect, CISSP, TOGAF, or Microsoft Azure credentials, signals immediately usable value to clients in a way that a generic computing degree does not. Pair your undergraduate study with at least two credible industry certifications before you graduate. Consulting firms and clients hiring in 2026 and beyond are increasingly filtering by demonstrated, up-to-date technical capability rather than degree classification.
How to get in - your routes
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