Given that Comscore reports mobile apps account for 69% of all digital traffic, it is no surprise that mobile app developers and mobile DevSecOps professionals are in high demand.
As mobile applications become increasingly critical to digital transformation, companies will pay a premium to attract mobile app developers and developers of all stripes. The CodinGame Developer Survey 2021 found that 64% of companies hope to hire up to 50 developers this year, while 14% plan to hire between 50 and 100 developers. Nearly another 14% of organizations look to add more than 100 developers to their ranks, with some 5% of those looking to hire more than 500 developers.
What’s more, there is evidence jobs in technology have higher overall satisfaction ratings. According to one study by Glassdoor, mobile and DevOps engineers ranked within the top 10 industries for satisfaction based on perception of quality of work culture, median salary and the number of job openings.
The following mobile DevSecOps-related job titles and skills will be hot in 2021 and beyond. While each comes with their own requirements, these roles also need skills in communication, collaboration and complex problem-solving.
Mobile Engineer
Mobile engineers design and build mobile software applications for smartphones, tablets, wearable and IoT devices. They may specialize in Android apps, iOS apps or cross-platform developer frameworks. These professionals are also responsible for troubleshooting problems and ensuring apps perform to requirements. Mobile engineers may also port mobile apps to multiple platforms and create upgrades to incorporate innovative new technologies such as biometrics or augmented reality.
Most mobile engineers have a university degree in computer science or computer programming. They may also be required to have a postgraduate degree and must know multiple programming languages and frameworks: Xcode, Swift, Objective-C, Android SDK, Flutter, Java, JavaScript, SQL, React Native, Xamarin, Ionic, Angular and more
Mobile app engineers must also possess soft skills such as oral and written communications, attention to detail, patience, analytical thinking, and problem-solving.
Mobile DevOps Engineer
Mobile DevOps engineers work closely with Dev, Ops and security team members to build and run pipeline infrastructure that enables a smooth development through release lifecycle. DevOps engineers partner with security and QA to find functional and security bugs early in the lifecycle and ensure they are fixed by development before release. Automated tools to detect security issues in the dev pipeline play an important role, so DevOps engineers should have a good understanding of them.
Mobile DevOps engineers need a broad set of skills. For starters, they need the technical skills of an IT ops professional, the coding skills of a developer and knowledge of the DevOps approach. Many DevOps engineers have security skills as well. Other requirements include knowledge of DevOps culture and principles; familiarity with programming languages such as Ruby, Perl, Java, Python and PHP; and common CI/CD platforms and DevOps toolchain components such as AWS, Chef, Cloudbees Jenkins, Docker, Kubernetes, Jira, Github, GitLab, Microsoft Azure, Puppet and more.
In addition, mobile DevOps engineers on DevSecOps teams should possess strong teamwork and communication skills; knowledge of threat modeling and risk assessment techniques; ongoing knowledge of the most recent cybersecurity threats, best practices and the latest security software tools.
Mobile App Security Analyst
This person assesses the security of mobile applications and other software through pen testing techniques and partners with developers to ensure data and code are secure. Other required job skills include the ability to develop mobile security strategies and documentation; continuously improve processes and procedures so they include report exceptions/risk acceptance for further review; lead vulnerability assessment and monitoring services across several mobile apps; resolve technical issues that escalate from the security operations center (SOC); and contribute to the development of mobile security policies and standards.
Most mobile app security analysts come from an app developer background or web pen testing background and may have experience working in a SOC or a security function.
Software engineers and team leaders can also feel confident finding roles in a difficult job market. The unemployment rate for IT professionals declined to 2.4% in March, almost half the 6% unemployment rate for all occupations. Technology postings rose 28% between the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, including a 12% increase between February 2021 and March 2021. Key open job titles include Software Engineer, Senior Software Developer and Software QA Engineer.
Regardless of your job title, it’s clear that mobile application security is critical to producing quality apps. Gain foundational knowledge or sharpen your existing skills in the Mobile App Security 101 Cybrary course presented by NowSecure.
