DevOps Engineer labor category
DevOps Engineer is a government contracting labor category with levels I through IV. GSA ceiling rates run about $107–$270/hr depending on level. That's what the government pays the contractor, not your salary.
Updated Oct 21, 2026 · Data: GSA CALC+
What a DevOps Engineer does
These engineers manage infrastructure as code, build continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and monitor system performance to meet stringent government compliance and security standards. On federal contracts, this role is tiered based on professional experience and technical maturity. Junior levels (I-II) typically focus on maintaining existing environments and supporting pipeline troubleshooting under direct supervision. Mid-to-senior levels (III-IV) take ownership of architectural design, cloud migration strategies, and the implementation of complex automation frameworks. Transitioning service members often find this role aligns well with experience in communications systems, technical networking, or information assurance, provided they translate their background into modern cloud and containerization skills such as AWS, Azure, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Typical DevOps Engineer duties
- Design and maintain automated CI/CD pipelines to streamline software deployments and reduce manual configuration errors.
- Manage cloud infrastructure using infrastructure as code tools to ensure scalable and secure application hosting.
- Collaborate with software development teams to troubleshoot integration issues and optimize application performance.
- Implement monitoring and logging solutions to proactively detect system bottlenecks and ensure high availability.
- Maintain system security by integrating automated vulnerability scanning into the development lifecycle.
DevOps Engineer levels, requirements, and GSA CALC+ rates
Levels map to years of relevant experience. A degree can substitute for years (about 2 years per step).
| Level | Experience | Most common education | GSA ceiling rate, 25th–75th ($/hr) | GSA ceiling rate, median ($/hr) | Rough salary estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | 0–3 yrs | Bachelors | $107/hr – $147/hr | $125/hr | $108k–$144k |
| Level II | 4–7 yrs | Bachelors | $128/hr – $180/hr | $153/hr | $133k–$177k |
| Level III | 8–12 yrs | Bachelors | $160/hr – $207/hr | $185/hr | $160k–$213k |
| Level IV | 13+ yrs | Bachelors | $196/hr – $270/hr | $208/hr | $181k–$241k |
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $107/hr – $147/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $125/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $108k–$144k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $128/hr – $180/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $153/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $133k–$177k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $160/hr – $207/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $185/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $160k–$213k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $196/hr – $270/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $208/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $181k–$241k
GSA ceiling rate: what the government pays the contractor, not your salary. It includes overhead, benefits, and profit. Source: GSA CALC+, current contract year, synced Oct 25, 2026, 955 rates.
Clearance for this labor category
About 5% of DevOps Engineer GSA rates require a clearance. Put your clearance on the very first line of your resume, under your name and contact info. Level and status only. Never list program names, SCI caveats, or classified details. Use the free Clearance Formatter.
Sample DevOps Engineer resume bullets
Public-safe, quantified examples. Replace the numbers with your own.
- Engineered and automated CI/CD pipelines for a mission-critical web application, reducing deployment time by 60% and supporting 500+ active users.
- Managed a $2M cloud infrastructure budget by optimizing resource utilization, resulting in a 25% cost reduction over one fiscal year.
- Led the migration of legacy database systems to a secure cloud environment, ensuring zero downtime for a user base of 1,200 personnel.
What level DevOps Engineer are you?
Enter your years, education, certifications, and clearance. Get your likely level, the GSA rate range for that level, and what would move you up.
With 0 years of relevant experience and a no degree, your effective experience is about 0 years. Under the common GSA CALC+ rule that a degree step substitutes for roughly 2 years, that maps to Level I. Verify against the specific contract.
Move up · To reach Level II, add about 4 more years of relevant experience, or earn a certification the contract requires (e.g. Security+, PMP) that the contract requires.
GSA ceiling rate: what the government pays the contractor, not your salary. It includes overhead, benefits, and profit. Source: GSA CALC+, current contract year, synced Oct 25, 2026, 274 rates.
No account needed. Opens the free translator prefilled with DevOps Engineer. Share link encodes only your selections, no names.
DevOps Engineer labor category: quick answers
What is the difference between DevOps levels on a contract?
Levels are generally tied to years of experience and project scope. Level I roles are entry-to-junior tasks, while Levels III and IV involve architectural oversight and high-level decision-making for enterprise systems.
How does my military background translate to this role?
Experience with network administration, server management, or automated systems management is highly transferable. You should focus on how you maintained operational readiness and system uptime during your service.
Is a security clearance required for all DevOps positions?
While only a small percentage of general DevOps roles mandate a clearance, those on government contracts often require a Secret or Top Secret clearance. Check the specific job posting for clearance requirements.
Do I need a formal degree to be a DevOps Engineer?
While a bachelor's degree is common, many contractors accept industry certifications like AWS Certified DevOps Engineer or Kubernetes certifications in lieu of a degree, especially for candidates with significant hands-on experience.
Reviewed by the Good to Go team · Last updated 2026-10-21 · Sources: GSA CALC+, O*NET
More about this roleShow
These engineers manage infrastructure as code, build continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, and monitor system performance to meet stringent government compliance and security standards. On federal contracts, this role is tiered based on professional experience and technical maturity. Junior levels (I-II) typically focus on maintaining existing environments and supporting pipeline troubleshooting under direct supervision. Mid-to-senior levels (III-IV) take ownership of architectural design, cloud migration strategies, and the implementation of complex automation frameworks. Transitioning service members often find this role aligns well with experience in communications systems, technical networking, or information assurance, provided they translate their background into modern cloud and containerization skills such as AWS, Azure, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Each contract defines its own labor categories and levels, so confirm the fit against the posting. Pay figures here are estimates from GSA CALC+ ceiling rates, not a guarantee.
Find your DevOps Engineer level
Enter your years, education, certifications, and clearance. Get your likely level and the GSA rate range for it.
Open the Level Calculator