If you’re in tech hiring, you’ve probably noticed the lines between “DevOps” and “Platform Engineering” getting blurrier by the week. And yet, the difference between the two is more important than ever.
As a recruiter deeply embedded in this space, I speak to hiring managers, engineers and CTOs daily, all trying to answer the same question: Are we looking for DevOps or Platform Engineers, and what’s the difference anyway?
What DevOps Really Means Today
DevOps, at its core, is a philosophy… a way of working.
It emerged to break down the silos between software development and IT operations, with the aim of shipping better software faster. DevOps engineers (or SREs, in some org) typically focus on:
- CI/CD pipelines
- Infrastructure automation
- Monitoring and incident response
- Enabling fast, reliable releases
DevOps is about speed, collaboration and operational excellence. It’s the mindset and tooling that help dev teams move quickly and stay stable.
Further Reading:
- The DevOps Handbook – foundational reading by Gene Kim, Jez Humble & co.
- What is DevOps? – AWS
- Google SRE vs DevOps – Site reliability Engineering often overlaps with DevOps practices.
How Platform Engineering Builds on DevOps
Platform Engineering, on the other hand, is a discipline that has grown out of DevOps principles, but with a product mindset.
Platform Engineers build Internal Developer Platforms (IDPs): a self-service system that standardizes and abstracts away the complexity of cloud infrastructure, CI/CD and compliance. They create reusable building blocks and guardrails so dev teams can move faster without needing deep infra expertise.
Platform Engineers are focused on:
- Building and maintaining IDPs
- Developer experience (DevEx)
- Standardization and governance
- Treating infrastructure as a product
Further Reading:
- Backstage by Spotify
- The Rise of Platform Engineering – ThoughtWorks Radar
Think of them as the backend engineers of the engineering organization.
Why the Difference Between DevOps and Platform Engineering Matters
Here’s why this isn’t just a semantic debate:
- Hiring the wrong profile creates friction
A DevOps engineer might not have the product-thinking or abstraction focus needed for a platform team. A platform Engineer may not want to firefight production issues daily.
- Career paths are diverging
DevOps engineers are often drawn to ops-heavy, systems-focused work. Platform engineers are often software engineers who enjoy building tooling for other engineers.
- Companies are maturing
As organizations scale, they need structured, consistent platforms, not just ad hoc DevOps support. Platform Engineering helps scale DevOps by treating infrastructure as a service.
Choosing the Right Role for Your Team
- Startups or smaller teams benefit from a strong DevOps engineer who can wear multiple hats
- Mid-size and scaling companies should start thinking about Platform Engineering to keep developers productive
- Enterprises often need both DevOps and Platform Engineers working in clearly defined roles, with a Platform Product Manager to tie it all together
Final Thoughts from a Recruiter
The market is catching up. I’m seeing more and more clients shift from “We need a DevOps Engineer” to “We need someone who can own our platform.”
My advice to hiring teams is to get clear on your goals first and hire accordingly. My advice to candidates is to know where you sit on the spectrum and be ready to explain how you can help a team scale.
The titles might overlap, but the mindset and responsibilities are evolving. If you’re unsure which you need (or which you are).
Need help hiring DevOps or Platform Engineers who actually fit your stage and needs? Please email me at merve.kizil@darwinrecruitment.com
Alternatively, if you are looking for a job, head over to our job search page to look at the jobs I currently have live.
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