The world is coming to expect instant results and automation, especially from technology. Software developers need the right tools to produce those outcomes, and Jenkins is a powerful tool. Tools are only as good as those who wield them, though, so you need highly skilled developers to utilize Jenkins to its best advantage.
However, sourcing top Jenkins developers can be challenging if you do not know how and where to find them. Learn how to hire Jenkins developers with the information in this guide.
In a two-year period ending with June 2023, the number of jobs defined on Jenkins grew by 45% to an incredible 73,746,418 jobs monthly. That dramatic increase, coupled with continued demand, means that hiring top Jenkins developers is becoming more difficult.As the potential uses increase, the talent pool will decrease. Building a strong development team now puts you at the forefront and makes it much more likely that the world will beat a path to your door rather than your competition’s.
Learn more about Jenkins developers, then check out the top 15 sites in this guide to hire your team.
| Vetting | If you are trusting a site to vet Jenkins developers, be sure you understand the vetting process, assessment areas, and how exclusive vetted candidates are. |
| Guarantees | Some platforms offer risk-free guarantees. Verify the terms, duration of the trial period, and how the site fulfills its guarantee. |
| Timeframes | Some sites allow for faster hiring than others, so be sure that the site’s timeframe matches yours. |
| Pricing | Some platforms submit pricing proposals that include fees, while others might charge additional fees. Be sure that you know the entire cost of hiring Jenkins developers through the site. |
| Tools and Features | Most platforms offer features and tools to assist you throughout the hiring process. Find out what they are and how much they cost to utilize. |
| Talent-Matching Services | If you choose this sourcing option, find out how accurate the site’s service is, if there’s an additional charge, how quickly you can expect a candidate shortlist, and what methods determine the best matches. |
Hiring a Freelance Jenkins Developer
Your project’s requirements help determine how many developers you need and for how long. There are many hiring options, including contract-to-hire, part-time, full-time, hourly, and freelance workers. In many cases, your best option is to hire a freelance Jenkins developer because of the many benefits:
- You will have access to a worldwide talent pool, making it easier to hire developers quickly and find those with unique skill sets that are unavailable locally.
- Freelancers work on a contract basis, providing flexibility and eliminating the indefinite commitment that comes with hiring employees.
- Freelancers usually do not charge as much per hour, plus you will not have associated payroll taxes, overhead, or benefits costs.
- It can take several weeks to fill open roles using traditional hiring models, but it is possible to identify, interview, and hire freelancers in only 48 hours.
Some freelance hiring platforms provide additional flexibility by offering no-risk trial periods that allow you to evaluate a developer’s performance and fit.
What Do Jenkins Developers Do?
Even the best programmers need to test their coding. Prior to Jenkins, developers had to manually test daily builds before adding them to a repository.
Kohsuke Kawaguchi worked for Sun Microsystems as a Java developer; in 2004, he designed an automation server for and written in Java. Originally called Hudson, Jenkins became an open-source software used for automating processes. This system enables developers to combine almost every source code repository with any language in a continuous integration or continuous delivery environment using pipelines.
Although using Jenkins still requires developers to provide instructions through scripts, it enables them to quickly build and integrate test, build, and deployment tools in a structured, robust environment. Automating processes saves time and money while reducing errors and improving quality.
Developers can use over 1,800 plugins to automate a wide variety of development tasks. Plugins are available for build management, administration, platforms, source code management, and UI. These tools:
- Confirm stable coding, which provides value to clients
- Enhance predictability through identifying and solving problems promptly
- Reduces the likelihood of faulty code creating conflicts when merged
CI servers automatically alert developers about changes and generate reports.
Along with other cloud tools, Jenkins is widely used to support DevOps, which is a popular software development methodology. DevOps encourages collaboration, transparency, continuous communication, visibility, and integration to increase product reliability through automation and acceleration.
What does all of that mean to business owners, and why hire Jenkins developers? When you hire dedicated Jenkins developers, they can use automation to:
- Work faster and more efficiently, which reduces expenses
- Build resilient and reliable software products
- Decrease development time, allowing you to launch your product sooner
- Increase productivity
- Reduce errors and maintenance requirements
Higher-quality software with faster delivery times can increase sales, improve operations, and strengthen your brand’s value.
Jenkins developers for hire can utilize Jenkins automations in conjunction with many platforms to build and test a wide range of software products. Businesses just need to find the right hires.
How To Hire Jenkins Developers
Before you can bring on professionals for any role, you need to clearly define the project and the purpose for the position. Determine your project’s:
- Budget
- Goals
- Nature and scope
- Timeframes
- The number and types of hires you will make
What roles will your Jenkins developers fill? Will they focus only on Jenkins-related tasks, or will they be responsible for other areas of your development project? Larger projects likely need bigger teams, with each person bringing specialized skill sets. If you will hire only a small team or single developer, each person probably needs to wear multiple hats and possess a more diverse skill set.
Next, you need to decide if you will hire part-time, full-time, or freelance Jenkins developers. You may choose to use a combination. Will you require your team to work on site, or will you allow remote work? Businesses in many industries benefit from utilizing remote workers, and today’s technologies provide many ways to collaborate from multiple locations.
When you begin your search for candidates, you will find junior-, mid-, and senior-level developers for hire. One skill level is not necessarily better than another. Many junior developers have the required skills and knowledge to perform reasonably advanced tasks.
As with most businesses, people in entry-level positions often receive more mundane assignments due to their lack of experience. Senior-level developers likely have management skills or a broader knowledge base gained through years of experience.
Your budget might not allow you to hire senior-level candidates, and your project might not require them. Choose candidates with the requisite skills, a solid understanding of your project and goals, and who have the right attitude and personality to mesh well with you and your team.
Sites like Toptal allow you to hire freelancers on a trial basis with no risk so you have time to see if you made the right choice.
What Skills Should You Look For When Hiring a Jenkins Developer?
Depending on the scope and responsibilities of each developer’s role, they may need multiple skills in addition to their Jenkins skill sets. For more information about specific technical skills, see our other hiring guides.
Business owners do not always have the in-depth knowledge to accurately gauge a developer’s technical skills. Toptal and many of the other sites on our top-15 list vet developers thoroughly, judging technical and soft skills and accepting only those who pass. Hired includes role-based skill test results in each developer’s profile.
At minimum, your Jenkins developers technical skills should include:
- Extensive knowledge about Jenkins and its integration processes
- Proficiency with Java and other relevant programming languages
- Experience using DevOps and applying various technologies
- Thorough understanding of software development processes
They may need various other technical skills, depending on the scope of their role and the type of project you are undertaking. It is often advisable to hire developers who have experience working on projects similar to yours.
Technical skills and knowledge are vital for any developer, but they must also possess many crucial soft skills, such as:
- Active listening and communication skills
- Proficiency in written and spoken English (or another language of your choice)
- The ability to perform well when under pressure
- A strong work ethic and self-motivation
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Time management and prioritization skills
- A teamwork mentality
- Creative problem-solving and critical thinking skills
- Confidence and a positive attitude
Cultural fit and personality are also key factors when you are assembling a team.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire Jenkins Developers?
The average annual salary for Jenkins developers in the U.S. is $115,265 or $55 per hour. Yearly wages range from $41,000 to $170,000, depending on factors like location, skill levels, years of experience, and project complexity. You often will not pay as much if you hire freelancers.
Tips for Writing a Jenkins Developer Job Description
Since the demand for Jenkins developers is high, you need to write a compelling job description that entices candidates. Include company and brand details such as cultural environment, achievements, and your mission statement. Role-based information should highlight:
- A description of your project, including timelines
- Desired and required technical qualifications
- Crucial soft skills
- Work location
- Responsibilities
- Hiring classification (freelance, etc.)
Companies need to use fair hiring practices that ensure diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Decide how you will score and weigh each applicant’s technical and soft skills during interviews to achieve unbiased decision-making.
Common Interview Questions To Ask When You Are Looking To Hire a Jenkins Developer
It is understood that a candidate’s technical qualifications likely landed their interview. When you source candidates through sites like Toptal that pre-vet talent, you know those qualifications are valid. However, it is still advisable to require each applicant to complete an exercise to demonstrate their Jenkins and other development skills.
Most hiring managers use interviews to gauge soft skills. Compose a list of questions that you will ask every candidate; also create a consistent scoring model to ensure impartiality.
Soft skills are intangible, so accurately evaluating them is challenging. An excellent method of gauging multiple soft skills simultaneously is to create an open-ended scenario and ask the candidate how they would handle it. Purposefully omit at least one crucial piece of information, making it impossible to craft a satisfactory response without filling in those details.
Candidates who do not ask for clarifications before presenting an answer are probably not the right developers for your team. This method also allows you to assess communication and problem-solving skills, technical knowledge, and work practices.
Be sure to ask about topics such as:
- Explain Jenkins processes and what drew you toward them.
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Do you prefer to work independently or as part of a team?
- Describe your contributions to a recent project.
Candidates should provide knowledgeable, straightforward answers. Look for clear communications and personality traits as well.
How To Find Freelance Jenkins Developers for Hire
Our comprehensive list of the 15 best sites to hire Jenkins developers includes job boards, freelance marketplaces, talent-matching services, and outsourcing agencies. How do you know which option to choose?
Compare:
- Hiring speed
- The amount of work you will need to do to find Jenkins developers
- Screening and vetting practices
- Quality assurance
- Risk-free trial periods
- Pricing options
- Sourcing methods
- Flexibility and scaling
Toptal is our top choice because you can find and hire vetted talent quickly, its talent-matching service takes care of the legwork, and you get a risk-free guarantee.
Jenkins developers make valuable contributions to any software development project, and sourcing the best developers for your team is vital. Use our strategic hiring tips and the sites listed in this guide to simplify the hiring process so your team can begin your project.
Hiring Jenkins developers - FAQs
- How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Jenkins Developer?
If you choose to hire part-time or full-time employees, you will have to pay benefits, overhead expenses, and payroll taxes in addition to salaries. Salary calculators typically consider:
- The complexity of your project
- Hiring and completion timelines
- Developer skill sets and levels
- Location
You will usually save money by hiring freelance Jenkins developers.
- Why Should You Hire a Jenkins Developer?
Hiring Jenkins developers is a wise investment for many reasons. Utilizing the Jenkins methodology provides value through:
- Reductions in time spent, costs, risks, and effort
- Improved productivity, efficiency, and quality
- Faster product launches
Jenkins developers are well-versed in automating various development functions. They understand which technologies to deploy for each task and how to achieve measurable goals.
- Where Can I Hire Jenkins Developers?
- Toptal, Coders.dev, Proxify, Arc.dev, and Turing are excellent sites for hiring Jenkins developers. Check out the other 10 sites in this guide for more options.
- Are Jenkins Developers In Demand?
As of September 2023, Jenkins holds a 47.34% share of the continuous integration market. This market includes 55 competitors, with Jenkins ranking at #1.
The top industries utilizing Jenkins are software development, machine learning, and big data. Each of these industries continues to expand. Combined, this data indicates that the high demand for Jenkins developers will continue to grow.
- How To Hire Jenkins Developers
Follow these steps for simplified hiring:
- Define your project and the Jenkins developer’s role.
- Determine the hiring structure you will use.
- Create an appealing job description and listing.
- Choose which site(s) you will use to find qualified candidates.
- Create your own shortlist or receive one if you are using a talent-matching site.
- Interview top applicants and make your hiring decisions.
Talent-matching services like Toptal save time and money while reducing stress.