Learn everything you need to know about DevSecOps – one of the fastest-growing specialisms with the cyber security sector. Find out how DevSecOps combines development, security and operations, plus explore key skills, certifications, salaries and career opportunities.
DevSecOps is fast becoming one of the most in-demand skill sets in cyber security. This offers a modern approach to building software that treats security as part of the process from the first line of code, rather than a box ticked once a product is almost ready to ship.
For years, most organisations relied on security teams reviewing software only near the end of development. That model no longer keeps pace with the demands of the modern environment. Releases now happen daily or hourly, while cyber threats have grown faster and more sophisticated than late checks can catch. Building security in from the start has become the practical response.
This is reflected in rising demand, with the global DevSecOps market set to be worth around $20 billion (£15.1 billion) by 2030, up from $8.8 billion in 2024. Tony Samuel of CyberSecurityJobsite.com notes: “DevSecOps, like many job titles in tech, was not here a few years ago but now is in high demand. The increase in cloud computing adoption has exploded the need for this skillset”.
DevSecOps stands for development, security and operations. It grew out of DevOps, the practice that broke down the wall between software developers and the operations teams running their code. While DevOps offered a faster solution for creating software, it left security as a separate, late stage. DevSecOps addresses this by integrating security into every phase of the software development lifecycle, from planning and coding through to testing, deployment and monitoring, rather than bolting it on at the end.
Central to the approach is shared responsibility. Security stops being the sole concern of a specialist team and becomes something developers, security professionals and operations staff own together. That shift matters in a landscape where attackers move fast, software ships constantly and breach costs keep climbing. By catching flaws early, when they are cheaper and simpler to fix, DevSecOps is reshaping how secure software gets built. In short, it means lower remediation costs, stronger compliance, improved collaboration and more secure software releases.
DevOps, SecOps and DevSecOps share the same foundation of automation, collaboration and continuous delivery. However, their priorities differ. DevOps is built to ship quality software quickly, streamlining the pipeline so code moves from development to production with minimal friction. In this model, security is typically handled separately, often reviewed only before release.
A DevSecOps process keeps that speed but adds security as a continuous thread woven through the pipeline. Automated security testing runs alongside the build, flagging vulnerabilities as code is written so every stage carries a security check. The workflow also changes who is involved. Whereas DevOps centres on developers and operations, DevSecOps brings security specialists into the same loop from the outset.
The result is software that is fast to release and secure by design. In practice, DevSecOps treats a security failure as seriously as a broken build.
| DevOps | DevSecOps | |
| Primary goal | Fast, reliable delivery | Fast, secure delivery |
| Security | Late-stage, separate | Continuous, built in |
| Pipeline | Build, test, deploy | Build, test, secure, deploy |
| Key roles | Developers and operations | Developers, security and operations |
| Mindset | Speed and stability | Speed with shared security |
Security in DevSecOps is not a single checkpoint, but a set of automated processes running continuously as code moves through the pipeline. Every commit should trigger checks, so any new vulnerabilities surface within minutes rather than during a final review.
Automation is what makes this practical: manual testing can’t keep up with code that ships many times a day, so security tools are wired directly into the build and deployment pipeline. Scans run automatically and feed results back to developers straight away, so risky code can be blocked before it reaches production.
Three testing practices sit at the core of the DevSecOps lifecycle:
Repeated with every change, these checks make vulnerability testing continuous rather than a one-off gate.
A DevSecOps professional keeps software secure without slowing down its delivery. The role is deeply collaborative, sitting between development, security and operations teams and making sure security is built into daily workflows rather than imposed from outside. Much of the work involves translating security requirements into automated checks developers can act on, so protection scales with the pace of releases rather than holding them back.
Day-to-day responsibilities commonly include:
DevSecOps is a hybrid role that combines three disciplines, so employers look for people with a wide breadth of knowledge. They seek candidates who can not only code, but who understand security and are able to work comfortably with operations and infrastructure. This combination of skills is demanding and hard to come by, which is why experienced DevSecOps specialists tend to be well paid. Few candidates arrive with every skill, but a strong grounding in software development plus security fundamentals is the usual foundation, with the rest built through experience.
Technical skills employers commonly look for include:
In addition to these, there are several key ‘soft’ DevSecOps skills that effective pros will be expected to have. Talents that set candidates apart include:
Having recognised industry certifications can also help you stand out. These matter in DevSecOps because the role spans several disciplines. They give employers verifiable proof that a candidate holds both security knowledge and practical software development skills. Recruiters frequently list them in job specifications, making the right credential a genuine advantage in getting to the interview stage.
Widely recognised DevSecOps certification options include:
DevSecOps pays well by cyber security standards. According to IT Jobs Watch, the median salary for a DevSecOps engineer role in the UK is £73,750, based on advertised vacancies over the six months to July 2026. Pay spans a wide range, from around £45,000 at the lower end to £95,000 for the highest earners, so there is considerable room to grow within the role.
Where an individual sits in that range depends on experience, location, certifications and depth of technical expertise. Roles in the south-east offer a median salary of £90,000, while there are also strong earnings to be made for home workers. Employers may also pay a premium for specialist skills in areas such as cloud and AI security.
The longer-term outlook is equally strong. Experienced professionals can progress into roles such as senior DevSecOps engineer, security architect, platform engineering lead or DevSecOps manager. The blend of development, security and operations experience also provides a credible route towards head of security or chief information security officer positions.
DevSecOps is rarely a first job. Most people move into it from a related role, typically software development, IT operations or a security position such as analyst, then build up the skill sets they’ll need to transition.
Hands-on experience counts for more than theory. Building a home lab, setting up a CI/CD pipeline with automated security scanning, contributing to open-source security tools or completing capture-the-flag challenges all demonstrate practical ability. Publishing this work on GitHub creates a portfolio that hiring managers can inspect directly.
On a CV, lead with pipeline and automation experience, named tools such as Jenkins, Terraform, Docker and Kubernetes, any security certifications held and measurable outcomes, for example vulnerabilities remediated or deployment processes secured. Tailor the emphasis to each job description, since individual employers may weigh the development and security aspects of the job differently.
The strongest DevSecOps career opportunities tend to sit on specialist platforms rather than general job boards. A dedicated site such as CyberSecurityJobsite lists security-focused roles from employers who understand the field, making it far easier to find vacancies that match DevSecOps skills, rather than sifting through unrelated listings elsewhere.
Industry events are just as valuable. Careers fairs like Cyber Security EXPOs, held across Bristol, Manchester, Cheltenham and London, put candidates directly in front of hiring employers.
Demand for people who combine security, cloud and automation expertise shows no sign of slowing. The right role is often closer than it looks. Browse the latest DevSecOps and cyber security vacancies today at CyberSecurityJobsite.com.
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