DevOps engineers keep your product online, fast and safe to update. They set up the servers and hosting, automate how new versions go live, watch for problems and make sure your data is backed up.

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No tech background needed. This guide explains the role in plain English: what it is, when you need it, what to expect and how to choose the right Volunteer.

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In plain English

What does a DevOps Engineer do for you?

“

Think of the ground crew at an airport.

Pilots fly the plane. The ground crew fuel it, check it, load it and get it back in the air safely and on time, flight after flight.

Keeps you online

Hosting, monitoring and alerts so problems are spotted fast.

Makes releases safe

Automated steps to put new versions live without drama.

Protects your data

Backups, recovery plans and sensible access controls.

When you need one

Signs it is time to bring one in.

If two or more of these sound familiar, add this role to your Product team.

Bring one in when

✓Releasing a new version is manual, slow or scary
✓Your product has gone down and nobody noticed for hours
✓You do not know where your data is backed up
✓Hosting bills are rising and nobody knows why
✓Only one developer knows how to deploy

You can wait if

…You are hosting a simple prototype on a managed platform with few users

What they own

Four areas a DevOps Engineer takes off your plate.

Infrastructure

Servers, cloud hosting and environments for testing and live.

CI and CD

Automated building, testing and releasing of new versions.

Monitoring and incidents

Alerts, uptime checks and responding when things go wrong.

Backups and costs

Data backups, recovery and keeping hosting bills under control.

What to expect

Across a 60 Volunteer day term.

Volunteers give up to three hours a day, Monday to Friday, over three months or more. Daily and weekly updates keep you informed, and rapid feedback from you in the first two weeks makes the biggest difference.

✦

Weeks 1 and 2

Reviews your current hosting and release process and lists the biggest risks, such as missing backups.

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By mid term

Automated releases, monitoring with alerts and backups tested.

★

By day 60

A documented setup, a recovery plan and a handover so the next engineer can run it.

Choosing the right Volunteer

What to ask, and what to look for.

You do not need to be an expert to recruit well. Use these questions at interview and listen for the signs below.

Questions to ask

?How would you find out if our product went down at 2am?
?How would you release a new version safely?
?How would you reduce our hosting bill?
?How do you make sure backups actually restore?

Good signs

✓Automates repeat tasks
✓Documents everything
✓Thinks about cost as well as speed

Red flags

✕Keeps access and passwords to themselves
✕Has no plan for backups
✕Proposes complex tools a small team cannot run

Your part as a Tech Founder

Give them this, and they deliver from Day 1.

✓Hosting and cloud accounts owned by your company
✓A budget for hosting and tools
✓Contact details for who to alert out of hours
✓Agreement on how quickly outages need fixing
✓A signed Volunteer Agreement before they start

Who they collaborate with

The roles around your DevOps Engineer.

Solution Architect

Chooses the technology. A stack that suits your product, budget and the skills available.

Read the guide →

Software Engineers

Build the product. Screens, features and the logic behind them.

Read the guide →

Security and Pen Testing

Finds weak spots. Before attackers or customers do.

Read the guide →

FAQ

Questions Tech Founders ask.

Do I need DevOps if I use a cloud provider? +

Cloud providers give you the building blocks, but someone still needs to set them up well, automate releases and watch for problems.

Who should hold the passwords? +

Your company. Use a password manager and shared accounts in the company's name, and remove access when a Volunteer Term ends.

Is DevOps the same as IT support? +

No. IT support looks after staff computers and tools. DevOps looks after the product your customers use.

How much does it cost to recruit this role? +

Volunteers give their time for experience, not pay. You subscribe to the Product plan at £99 a month or £990 a year, which lets you recruit up to 25 Volunteer team members across every role. See the Product plan.

Build it ·
ship it ✦

Ready to recruit your DevOps Engineer?

Create your company account, list an Opportunity with the matching template and start meeting Volunteers this week.

Create account → Back to the Product team