I still hear people saying that they do not care about their job titles.

Their argument: if you are getting the right pay your title does not matter.

This looks correct from a job satisfaction perspective.

But the job title matters when you are out in the job market. If you don't give yourself the correct job title in your resume, you are unlikely to be shortlisted even for a screening interview.

Job titles also matter within the team as the titles define the job scopes and create team structure. For people outside the team, the job titles help to identify the person to talk to regarding a particular matter.

So, you must have the right job titles in any tech team.

But, job titles are not standardized in DevOps (and most other IT teams). Often the job titles are created by HR people, who have no notion of what those job titles really mean.

But your job title matters to you. You need to have a job title that would be easily recognized by your next potential employer.

So, let's check out commonly used job titles and there job scopes in DevOps.

Junior Engineer

A junior engineers is a person, who is either awaiting to be graduated from college or who is still in the path of acquiring the skill set to become an engineer.

A junior engineer can complete a task under supervision. They need more guidance and hand-holding than engineers and may not be able to handle complex tasks.

Engineer (without any prefix)

Engineers are usually fresh graduates from college.

They cannot hit the ground running. You need to mentor and onboard them to the team. Once onboarded they can carry out tasks with little to no supervision. But they need guidance as and when required.

Senior Engineer

Senior Engineers can undertake complex projects and tasks. They have in depth knowledge and skills honed through practice. They can go into depth to resolve technical problems.

Also, a Senior Engineer has a clear vision of why things are done in a certain way. Senior Engineers can evaluate alternative solutions and make decisions. They can mentor engineers and junior engineers and also help them when things get too complicated.

Senior Engineers must also have an understanding about the business domain. They can explain technical matters to non-tech people. They can ask the right questions from the business teams to identify their requirements.

Lead Engineer:

A Lead Engineer sets the technical direction and make technical decisions on behalf of the team. This is similar to the role of a Tech Lead in a project team.

Lead engineers do not have people reporting to them but they lead the team from a technical perspective. Engineers and senior engineers will look to the lead engineer for guidance on technical matters and to prioritize tasks.

Lead Engineers also have influence over managers in technical decisions. The manager of the team will refer to the Lead Engineers for guidance related to decisions on matters such as product roadmaps, long-term plans, etc.

Lead Engineers play a key role in complex and transformative projects. They are responsible for improving efficiency and building sustainable architecture.

The role of a Lead Engineer also includes hands-on work. A Lead Engineer must be technically competent to help engineers and even senior engineers to resolve complex problems. In an emergency situation, the Lead Engineer must have the ability to quickly make decisions and guide the team to recover services.

Lead engineer's role is not purely technical. A lead engineer needs very good people skills to create a positive and collaborative work environment for the engineers and senior engineers in the team.

The lead engineer is also the primary point of contact for external teams. If the security team want to revise security compliances, they should be working with the Lead Engineer. If the QA team has a new requirement to implement, they should be talking to the Lead Engineer.

While one Lead Engineer is enough for a small team, there can be more than one Lead Engineer in a big team.

Staff Engineer or Principal Engineer

This is an optional role and may not exist in small DevOps teams.

A Staff or a Principal Engineer is responsible for undertaking high-stake projects that impact the entire organization. They also get involved in making strategic initiatives that demand deep analytical thinking and problem solving.

Staff Engineers also work in cross functional teams in the capacity of a TechLead or Program Manager.

Staff engineers work hands-on but may not do so as much as Lead engineers.

Distinguished Engineer

Distinguished Engineer is more of an honorary titles given to people who have made exceptional contributions in certain areas. For example, you may offer the title of Distinguished engineer to an author of an impactful open-source project.

A Distinguished engineer's job scope can be almost similar to that of a Staff Engineer.

On top of that a Distinguished Engineer will contribute to external organizations like standard bodies.

Wrapping up

Alright. What is your job title?

Your job title matters when you are searching for a job. Of course you can tweak your job title in the resume.

But, it's always better if you can have the same job title in your resume and in your reference letters.

Do you think you have the correct job title that matches your job scope?

If not, urge for the change within your organization.

Job titles are not just fluff, at least in DevOps.