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What IT Engineers Do You Need For Your Team?

Hiring for your IT team can be challenging—even if you have a basic level of understanding of the department. IT engineers are not too difficult to find, but you want to ensure you’re hiring the right type of engineer who can fulfill the requirements of the role.

Software engineering is a broad term used to describe a person who creates programs, software, and operating data for computers using the principles of engineering. They are responsible for:

  • Working with programmers to execute designs
  • Using their specialized knowledge to predict project capabilities and outcomes
  • Ensuring programs run efficiently and without hiccups

However, various software engineers often handle different parts of software development. These various functions have very specific duties that all fall under the umbrella of software engineering.

How do you know what type of developer you need? Download Insight Global's Software Developer Hiring Guide

Types of IT Engineers

Many types of IT engineers are responsible for any number of aspects of software. Here are some of the most in-demand types of engineers and what they can do.

Front-end engineer

In restaurants, staff use the term “front-of-house” to describe what the customers see. This usually includes the dining area(s) and/or bar(s).

Similar to this, a front-end engineer focuses on what the user sees. This includes everything from the layout to the functionality of a site or software. Front-end workers have HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript knowledge, as well as a strong grasp of the principles of design.

Back-end engineer

“Back-of-house” in a restaurant refers to the kitchen, where chefs and line cooks work tirelessly to ensure the front of house staff can give the customers a good experience. Back-end engineers do this too, but with software. They work on a software’s infrastructure on the server side, ensuring that everything functions as it should.

Back-end workers are proficient in different coding languages, such as Java, Python, or others. They can write code in a scalable way and have soft skills that include client relations and collaboration.


Related: Top 8 Critical Skills for Software Engineers


Full Stack Engineer

A full stack engineer can and does address both the front-end and the back-end of a software. They are responsible for the look and feel of the software as well as the infrastructure behind it. While they may not have as much in-depth bandwidth as an individual front-end or back-end role, they can often work on applications alone.

Because they can work with both front-end and back-end, they must have knowledge of coding languages and HTML, CSS, and/or JavaScript. They should also, similarly to a back-end engineer, be able to write scalable code.

QA Engineer

Quality assurance (QA) engineers are essential to software development because they are in charge of testing and debugging software. In short, they ensure the product meets the standards of quality before it’s launched. They help identify bugs and issues the developers may have missed. QA engineers should be well-versed in bug-tracking tools such as TestRail, Jira, and QAComplete, just to name a few.

DevOps Engineer

A DevOps engineer is similar to a QA engineer in that they also work on QA and testing, but they have other duties as well. They’re also usually in charge of maintaining the infrastructure of the software. They work with developers to code but also monitor performance after software has been released or updated.

Sometimes, software developers go on to work in DevOps. They must have deep knowledge of coding, scripting, integration, and testing.

Security Engineer

As their name suggests, security engineers are responsible for security of your web infrastructure. They ensure the data of the individuals who use the software is safe and secure. These types of employees implement and test new security features while maintaining existing ones. They must be familiar with various compliance frameworks, such as HIPAA, as well. These roles help lay a foundation for your cybersecurity efforts.

Security engineers should be familiar with cloud security, programming languages, and should possess strong problem-solving skills.

Text: Pros and cons of outsourcing your cybersecurity needs

Data Scientist

Data scientists are highly in demand these days, largely due to the nature of their work. These roles are in charge of using predictive models to help organizations use big data to make large and difficult decisions.

They are highly proficient in math and analytical thinking, playing the roles of mathematician and computer scientist. They must also be highly skilled in programming languages, machine learning, and communication.

Operations System Engineer

This role is responsible for managing an organization’s software systems. This includes everything from implementation to maintenance to troubleshooting and even sunsetting a software.

A person in this role should be proficient in programming languages such as Python and Java, as well as cloud and architecture.

Artificial intelligence (AI) Engineer

While artificial intelligence (AI) engineers are relatively new (compared to the other types listed here), the rise of language models and other AI applications has shown us that this frontier will be thoroughly explored in the coming years.

These roles, similar to data scientists, must be highly proficient in math and analytical thinking. They must also be familiar with AI algorithms and techniques.

Which Type of IT Roles Do You Need?

Software engineers will always be in demand. The one you need depends solely on what challenges your IT team faces or what problems you are trying to solve.

If you’re not sure of what kinds of roles you need to bring into your organization, contact us for a free consultation! Fill out the form below to get started.

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