What about those obscure developers?
The Phantom One Size Fits All
Most teams will have frontend and backend developers. At least one DevOps engineer and a manager. As platforms grow more complex, the need for specialized roles emerges—not just for scaling, but for maintaining clarity, security and speed.
Software Architect
Responsible for designing how a whole system is structured. Working at a deeper level of abstraction than ordinary Engineers. Implementing large-scale refactors to move code to more modular practices. High-priority, complex features such as authentication or database migrations will be their responsibility. Will write documentation on the core architecture and define the style and structure that the rest of the team writes code in. If they are designing a system from the ground up, they’ll choose which platforms to deploy code to, the monitoring platforms to implement and which framework to use and how it’s implemented.
Security Engineer
Scared to explain this lest I get attacked. Here goes.
Security Engineers are responsible for protecting the system from threats, both internal and external. They review code for vulnerabilities, set up firewalls and security tools, and ensure compliance with data regulations. Their reputation depends on the application’s record against attacks. This includes PenTests, where the application is purposely attacked to expose weaknesses. They may be dormant for long periods once the bases are covered. But they need to be available at any time to pounce on threats.
Mobile Developer
Develops for iOS and/or Android. Similar to a Frontend developer with more on the nuances of those platforms. Requires knowledge of multi-threading and local application storage. They’re in high demand as the learning curve is steep and the time of development can be frustratingly slow, keeping many busy. For iOS, they’ll write code in either Objective-C or Swift. Android uses Java or Kotlin. In recent years, frameworks like React Native and Flutter have emerged that allow developers to write a native application in one language and release it to both platforms.
Data Scientist
Big players in the AI space. Currently in high demand for obvious reasons. Many companies still won’t meet the cost/benefit threshold to hire one, though. Writes code but is also heavily focused on data sets. Not the expert if you’re trying to build something that users can interact with. The code they write is an isolated module that doesn’t have as many dependencies or edge cases. Their knowledge of how to interact with computers will be less, as many of their tasks can be performed within a website.
There are many types of developers. Many will prefer to define themselves by the language they prefer to write in as well as their speciality.
As your product evolves, these needs will become more apparent. It’s important to be mindful of the nuances between and within the roles. Having all-rounders on your team will help determine the right person for the role.