Question 1

DevSecOps Engineer vs Security Engineer - what is the actual difference?

Accepted Answer

DevSecOps Engineers focus on integrate security into ci/cd pipelines. Security Engineers focus on embed security into the sdlc and ci/cd. The two roles are often confused because they sit next to each other in modern delivery teams, but the day-to-day work, the success metric and the interview rubric are not the same.

Question 2

Which is easier to hire - a devsecops engineer or a security engineer?

Accepted Answer

Both pools are active on Haystack. First shortlists land within 24 hours of kick-off for either role. Compensation varies by sector and seniority; we benchmark every offer against live UK, DE and US data.

Question 3

Can the same person cover both devsecops engineer and security engineer work?

Accepted Answer

Often partially. Senior generalists carry one as their primary discipline and one as supporting, but expect a 60/40 split rather than 50/50 - the deep work in either role rarely happens in the same week. If the workload sustains, hiring one of each is almost always the better long-term call.

Question 4

What skills should I screen for in a devsecops engineer interview?

Accepted Answer

Anchor the rubric on AWS, Terraform, SAST. We surface every Haystack profile with the specific tooling, levels and shipped-work examples so you can shortlist against a real skills bar, not buzzwords.

Question 5

What skills should I screen for in a security engineer interview?

Accepted Answer

Anchor the rubric on AppSec, Cloud security, Threat modelling. As with the devsecops engineer role, the easiest way to compare candidates is a 90-minute paid take-home that mirrors real work - never a trivia quiz.

Question 6

Do you cover senior and lead-level devsecops engineers and security engineers?

Accepted Answer

Yes - the full ladder from junior through staff/principal in both. The kick-off call captures the level and shipped-work bar you need, and shortlists are filtered accordingly.

Dimension	DevSecOps Engineer	Security Engineer
Category	DevOps	Engineering
Mid-level UK base	£80k–£108k	Tailored
Senior UK base	£115k–£155k	Tailored
Primary focus	Integrate security into CI/CD pipelines	Embed security into the SDLC and CI/CD
Core skills	AWS, Terraform, SAST, DAST	AppSec, Cloud security, Threat modelling, OWASP
First shortlist	24 hours	24 hours

DevSecOps Engineer vs Security Engineer

DevSecOps Engineer

Security Engineer

DevSecOps Engineer vs Security Engineer - at a glance

DevSecOps Engineer vs Security Engineer - common hiring questions

Brief Haystack on devsecops engineers or security engineers - or both