Salary Guide

DevOps Engineer salary guide Australia 2026

The typical DevOps Engineer salary in Australia is $145,000, with pay ranging from $83,000 at entry level to $174,000 for senior professionals.

What does a DevOps Engineer earn?

The median salary of Software Developers – DevOps in Australia is $145,000. Early-career roles start near $83,000, while seasoned engineers commanding multi-cloud environments can reach $174,000. Most professionals fall within the typical range of $120,000–$174,000, depending on technical specialisation and industry experience.

Optional — pick a state first

$145,000

Median for DevOps Engineer, nationally across Australia.

Median $145,000
$100,000
10th
$120,000
25th
$145,000
50th (median)
$174,000
75th
$198,000
90th

Figures above update by state/city. For a full breakdown by seniority, see the table below.

Junior
$83,000/yr
Mid Level
$129,000/yr
Senior Level
$174,000/yr

DevOps Engineer salary by city

Sydney offers the highest DevOps Engineer salaries among Australia's major cities, with a median of $149,000. Professionals in Perth also see competitive rates, recording a median of $137,000.

Sydney Highest
$149,000
Perth
$137,000
Melbourne
$131,000
Brisbane
$131,000
Adelaide
$113,000

Factors that affect DevOps Engineer pay

Building modern cloud infrastructure requires specialised know-how that commands solid pay. Several key technical strengths and background factors shape what you can earn in the Australian market.

Multi-cloud architecture expertise

Fluency across multiple cloud platforms gives you strong bargaining power. Employers value engineers who can design and maintain distributed environments without vendor lock-in.

Site Reliability Engineering practices

Adopting Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) fundamentals helps teams protect uptime. Demonstrating proven incident response and observability skills pushes compensation towards the higher band.

Recognised industry certifications

Holding credentials like AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert validates advanced capability. These qualifications confirm you can handle complex architecture from day one.

Automation and CI/CD pipelines

Building clean Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines directly reduces development friction. Teams reward engineers who automate repetitive workflows and standardise release cycles.

Consulting and advisory experience

Consulting backgrounds help you translate complex infrastructure needs to non-technical leaders. Bridging this gap often unlocks higher-paying lead or advisory positions.

How DevOps Engineers compare to related roles

Specialising in deployment pipelines commands a premium over traditional infrastructure paths, with a DevOps Engineer typically outearning a Systems Engineer or Network Engineer due to the software automation skills required. Against a Data Engineer or Full Stack Software Developer, salaries align closely at mid-level, though senior DevOps specialists pull ahead when managing mission-critical delivery platforms.

Role Range Relative Median
DevOps Engineer You are here $120,000–$174,000
$145,000
Data Engineer $110,000–$160,000
$137,000
Full Stack Software Developer $103,000–$143,000
$122,000
Network Engineer $100,000–$151,000
$121,000
Systems Engineer $91,000–$142,000
$114,000

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Employment Hero Job Data

Salary figures are derived from Employment Hero proprietary data. All figures represent base salary only and exclude bonuses, superannuation and other benefits. Last updated October 2026.

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Salary details

Quick salary facts
Typical range$120,000–$174,000
Junior$83,000
Mid level$129,000
Senior level$174,000
Top citySydney ($149,000)
Data Engineer Full Stack Software Developer Network Engineer Systems Engineer