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Cloud infrastructure companies offer top pay for developer relations, survey says

Developer relations employees in the US are paid higher than those in other countries, according to a poll from Common Room.

Cloud Infrastructure companies offer the highest salaries to developer relations employees when compared to organisations in other sectors such asfintech, data analytics and machine learning, and B2B SaaS, according to a report from Common Room.

Developer relations, often referred to as DevRel, is a marketing strategy to engage developer communities in order to upsell products. 

As part of the strategy, developer relations employees not only get developers to adopt a platform or product but help them succeed in using them, thereby creating a more lasting impression for word of mouth marketing or influencing a purchase decision.

Some of the responsibilities of developer relations staff include creating educational content and resources, delivering in-person talks and workshops, building brand awareness and affinity, and building and managing community programs.

The 2022 Developer Relations Compensation Report is based on an online survey of 147 developer relations professionals, mostly from the US, undertaken by Common Room, a provider of technology designed to enhance and analyse customer engagement, community relations and product usage. 

The survey shows that cloud infrastructure companies are paying US$218,000 (pre-tax) to developer relations employees, much higher than the median total gross compensation (pre-tax), which stood at $180,000. This is despite cloud infrastructure companies offering fewer developer relations roles when compared to organisations in other sectors.

The fintech, data analytics and machine learning, and B2B SaaS sectors are currently offering developer relations staff compensation to the tune of $205,000, $185,000 and $180,000 respectively.

Some other sectors offering developer relations roles include research and education, and Web3 or crypto.

Highest pay for developer relations is in the US

Developer relations staff in the US are being offered $208,000 annually, $28,000 higher than the median gross compensation of $180,000, according to the survey. Developer relations employees working out of Canada and Europe are being paid $148,000 and $124,000 respectively, according to the report.

In addition, developer relation employees with previous software engineering experience receive higher compensation than those with other backgrounds, by at least 26.3 per cent, the report says. More than 71 per cent of survey respondents said that they have previous software engineering experience.

Developer relations employees who participated in the survey said that their organisation value their work. Almost 61.2 per cent respondents believe that their organisation sees their work as being “mission critical,” the report shows.

Developer relations is male-dominated

Developer relations as a profession is dominated by males, the responses from participants of the survey show.

Nearly 66 per cent of respondents identified as male with the gender-identification gap starkly evident at more senior levels within the developer relations field, the survey shows.