The 10 most in demand IT jobs and what you can get paid for doing them

Since the beginnings of the digital revolution around 30 years ago, the pace of change in technology has continued to increase. From the birth of the World Wide Web in 1989, to the first ever text sent in 1992 and the launch of Facebook in 2004, this era of information technology has forever changed the world we live in.

Along with the benefits of global connectivity, these technologies have also inspired a new generation of IT jobs. From people who manage and analyse data to people who protect systems from cyber threats and those who design and implement platforms in the cloud, many IT jobs today did not exist 10 years ago.

For anyone working in IT or considering a career within it, here are 10 of the most in-demand jobs now and the approximate rates and salaries you could earn.

1. DevOps Engineer

DevOps is a blend of ‘development’ and ‘operations’ and describes a software development and delivery method which encourages development and operations functions to work together through the entire service lifecycle.

A DevOps engineer merges the skills of a business analyst with the technical knowhow to build a solution. Understanding how a business works and the impact different actions might have on the organisation is key to being a successful DevOps engineer.

Permanent: £55,000 to £80,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £650 per day

Skills & experience required:

• Ability to code and script
• Experience with systems and IT operations
• Process re-engineering
• Data management
• Strong understanding of automation tools
• Strong focus on business outcomes
• Ability to use a wide variety of open source technologies and tools including Terraform, Chef, Puppet, Saltstack, Ansible, Juju, Jenkins, Vagrant, Docker and New Relic

2. Data Scientist

Data scientists deliver analytical solutions based on machine learning, predictive modelling and statistical analysis techniques which includes building models and creating compelling visualisations. Most employers looking to hire a Data Scientist will expect them to have a Masters or PhD in a related discipline like Computer Science/Mathematics/Science/Statistics/A.I.

Permanent: £55,000 to £80,000 per annum

Contract: £500 to £700 per day

Skills & experience required:

• Experience of using modern Machine Learning, Statistical Analysis and Data Mining techniques.
• Ability to gather requirements from and present results to business stakeholders.
• Skills R, Python, Spark, Hadoop, SQL, NoSQL.

View our latest Data Science jobs

 

3. Lead Security Architect

A Lead Security Architect designs, builds and overlooks the implementation of the network and computer security of an organisation. They will often manage multiple projects simultaneously and will be expected to interact and influence people across the business. Typically, a Lead Security Architect will have worked as an Enterprise Architect, building knowledge on architecture frameworks like MODAF and TOGAF.

Permanent: £90,000 to £110,000 per annum

Contract: £550 to £800 per day

Skills & experience required:

• MODAF/TOGAF certified
• CISSP or CISM qualified
• ISO27001, ITIL management, ISMS
• Good working ability within network, cyber or information security (e.g. SIEM tools, IDS/IPS and penetration testing) will also be expected.
• Ability to lead and sign off on works and lead junior staff within the architecture domain.

View our latest Cyber Security jobs

 

4. Information Security Manager

Information security managers are responsible for protecting an organisation's computers, networks and data against security breaches, computer viruses or attacks by cyber-criminals. They are also responsible for establishing and maintaining organisational policies, procedures and methods to protect sensitive data and information from being compromised. Acting as the subject matter expert for information security, the Information Security Manager will be able to advise on the latest security policy and propose which changes to implement across a business.

Permanent: £50,000 to £80,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £650 per day

Skills & experience required:

• CISA/CISM/CISSP
• ISO27001 experience
• Good understanding of information security tools, infrastructure, platforms and methodologies
• Ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders

View our latest Information Security jobs

5. Cloud Architect

Generally speaking, a Cloud Architect evaluates a company’s computing needs and deploys appropriate cloud rather than traditional solutions to meet them. The cloud architect is expected to deliver a future cloud platform from initial design through implementation and then facilitate tasks such as automated metrics collection and analysis.

Permanent: £75,000 to £100,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £600 per day

Skills & experience required:

• 15+ years in developing high-performance ‘big data’ platforms
• BS, MS, or PhD in a computer related field
• Expert knowledge of programming languages and application deployment use cases
• Multi-threading and analytics
• Ability to interact with and lead a diverse team
• Outstanding communication, leadership and project management skills

View our latest Cloud jobs

 

6. Machine Learning Engineer

Due to the nature of the job, employers looking to recruit machine learning engineers often seek people with a Masters or ideally a PhD in applied Computer Science, Mathematics, Physics, Engineering or Statistics.

A Machine Learning Engineer analyses and models structured data using advanced statistical methods and implements algorithms and software needed to perform analysis. This includes performing classification, collaborative filtering, association rules, time-series analysis, regression, statistical inference, and validation methods. Designing and developing novel algorithms to mine through massive volumes of generic data is also part of the role, as is performing explanatory data analysis, generating and testing working hypotheses, preparing and analysing historical data and identify patterns.

Permanent: £50,000 to £77,500 per annum

Contract: £400 to £600 per day

Skills & experience required:

• Experience in Machine/Deep Learning and the implementation of algorithms for real-world problems
• Excellent understanding of computer science fundamentals, data structures, and algorithms 
• Outstanding coding skills in Java, python, C++, C# or similar.
• Expertise in data mining, information retrieval, text mining, graph theory, and signal processing is also highly desirable by employers.

View our latest Machine Learning jobs

 

7. IoT Developer

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a phenomenon which is here to stay. According to a report by Gartner,  the number of connected devices around the world is expected to reach 20.4 billion by 2020. With this in mind, the need for people to programme and develop devices and the connections between them is growing.

IoT developers can specialise in different areas of development, from the programming of a device to the programming of the server that receives and stores data from the device and developing how the data displays on the device, to the end user.

Permanent: £50,000 to £80,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £650 per day

Skills & experience required:

• Background in computer science
• Knowledge of different development languages like PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, MySQL, Java Python

 

8. Big Data Engineer

Big data engineers develop, construct, test and maintain architectures like databases and large-scale processing systems, with the ultimate aim of providing clean, usable data. Data engineers may be tasked with creating custom software components as well as integrating new data management technologies and software engineering tools into existing structures. They will look for new ways of using existing data and research ways to acquire new data.

Permanent: £60,000 to £100,000 per annum

Contract: £600 to £850 per day

Skills & experience required:

• Experience in designing, building and implementing complex Big Data ecosystems
• Skills include Spark, Hadoop, Scala, Cassandra, MongoDB, Hive, Pig

View our latest Big Data jobs

9. Salesforce Developer

Salesforce is a market leader in the Cloud Application space, historically seen as a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, they have now expanded their portfolio of apps into other areas. According to Burning Glass research, Salesforce is now the seventh most in-demand software skill ahead of IT skills such as Python, .Net, and C++. Development skills such as Integration Architecture, Visualforce, Apex Code, and Heroku are particularly in high demand.

A Salesforce Developer is responsible for deploying the platform and extending its functionality through the use of Apex & VisualForce code. Apex is the backend development language and VisualForce is the frontend.

Permanent: up to £70,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £600 per day depending on experience

Skills & experience:

• Salesforce certifications: Salesforce Advanced Administrator, Platform Builder & Platform App Builder 

View our latest Salesforce jobs

10. Full Stack Developer

A Full-Stack Web Developer can work on both the front-end and back-end elements of an application. Rather than being an expert at every aspect of development, they will have a solid understanding at every level.

Permanent: £50,000 to £80,000 per annum

Contract: £400 to £650 per day

Skills & experience required:

• HTML/CSS, JavaScript
• Back-End language such as Java, Ruby, Python
• Databases & web storage such as SQL and NoSQL
• HTTP & REST
• Web application architecture
• Git – Version Control System
• Basic algorithms & data structures

View our latest Development jobs