Superpower AI
Hiring for DevOps and cloud roles isn’t just about filling a job slot—it's about matching your company’s rhythm. At Get on Board, we’ve seen firsthand how the size and maturity of your engineering team dictate whether you need a jack-of-all-trades DevOps pro or a focused cloud architect. Choose wisely, and you’ll avoid costly detours.
Startups come in all shapes and sizes. Some operate with a handful of engineers wearing multiple hats, while others scale past thirty, demanding more structure. Each growth phase calls for a shift in hiring strategy, especially in roles that keep your infrastructure humming.
⚖️ Hiring ideas tailored to your team size
- 1-10 engineers: DevOps generalists rule. When your team is tight-knit, versatility is king. You want someone who can handle cloud setups, deployment pipelines, monitoring, and security without batting an eye. A specialist cloud architect at this stage might be like bringing an espresso machine to a camping trip — nice but overkill.Look for candidates who thrive amid change, know multiple cloud platforms, and can script automation that grows with you.
- 10-30 engineers: Start blending roles carefully. Once you cross the ten-engineer threshold, complexity sneaks in. It’s time to flirt with specialization—cloud architects focused on designing scalable, cost-effective infrastructure paired with versatile DevOps pros who keep things moving smoothly.This balance helps to tame chaos without sacrificing innovation. Interested? Check out our guide on complementary tech roles for a deeper dive.
- 30+ engineers: Lead with cloud architecture. Big teams mean bigger infrastructure headaches. Here, specialized cloud architects steer strategy — shaping security, compliance, and cross-team standards. Meanwhile, DevOps professionals become experts in executing CI/CD pipelines and deployment orchestration.The magic happens in coordination—multiple specialists working in sync to scale smoothly and avoid bottlenecks.
Matching your hiring approach to team size isn’t just smart—it’s essential to building efficient, scalable tech operations.
Whether you’re just getting started or scaling fast, aligning hiring decisions with your team’s stage cuts down on expensive mistakes and strengthens your infrastructure. That’s why we recommend using structured frameworks and real-world insights to inform your choices.
Need a tailored hiring game plan? We provide custom reports designed to fit your unique team size, growth goals, and market trends so you know exactly who to bring on, and when.
Scaling your startup’s tech team isn’t just about headcount; it’s knowing when to embrace versatility and when to call in the specialists who’ll build the foundations for your success.
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