The appreciation of technical communities, the focus on developer experience, and the popularization of APIs, SDKs, and platforms as a service (PaaS) have placed the Developer Advocate at the center of product and innovation strategies. Although not new, the digital role has gained a lot of momentum in the tech world and has established itself as one of the best-paying in the sector.

Global companies like Microsoft, Google, and AWS have been investing in DevRel (Developer Relations) to build active and engaged communities. That is where the Developer Advocate comes in. But after all, how does this role work? And why has it become one of the most promising nowadays? In this article, you will understand the role of the Developer Advocate, as well as learn about the profile, skills, salary range, and 5 tips to start your journey in the field. 

What does a Developer Advocate do?

The Developer Advocate — or "advogado do desenvolvedor" in a literal translation to Portuguese — is a technical professional with communication skills, chosen to represent the interests of the developer community within the company and help that community succeed with their tools.

In a practical way, they act to:

• Educate and empower developers
  Creating tutorials, technical articles, videos, workshops, and code examples that help other devs use products or APIs more easily.
  
  
  

• Promote the company and its products
  Participating in events, conferences, and forums to share technical solutions transparently, with credibility and empathy.
  
  
  

• Bring strategic feedback inside the company
  Gathering valuable insights from the community to inform product, engineering, and support teams about bugs, real pain points, and suggestions for improvement.
  
  
  

The Developer Advocate is, therefore, a bridge between the external and internal worlds, connecting users, devs, communities, products, engineering, marketing, and sales. 

A professional who drives companies and the tech community

For companies, the Developer Advocate is a key player in building more relevant products and strengthening the brand among the technical audience. They improve the adoption of solutions like APIs, SDKs, and low-code platforms by facilitating developers' understanding and use of these tools. Furthermore, they contribute to reducing churn, ensuring users know how to extract real value from what is being offered. Their work also increases the company's visibility in events and communities, helps define the product roadmap based on real feedback, and promotes open innovation by encouraging collaborations with external developers.

For the tech community, this professional facilitates learning by producing clear and accessible content, in addition to opening direct channels of dialogue with large companies. Their active presence in forums, events, and technical social networks strengthens the sense of belonging and creates more engaged and collaborative environments. The Developer Advocate also plays an important role in representation: giving a voice to developers, bringing their demands and pain points inside companies, ensuring that solutions evolve according to the real needs of the community.

Ideal profile and main skills

A Developer Advocate does not need extensive experience to start in the field, but they do need a solid technical foundation and to know the pain points and daily lives of other developers. The differentiator is not only career length but the ability to translate complex concepts into accessible content, teach clearly, communicate with empathy, and engage communities authentically.

Many professionals begin the transition to DevRel (Developer Relations) after working as devs for a few years, but it is already possible to start in the role with intermediate experience — especially if the person is already involved with open-source projects, publishing tutorials, participating in technical events, or being active in specialized communities and forums.

The ideal profile of a Developer Advocate combines solid technical abilities with well-developed soft skills. From a technical standpoint, practical experience with programming, APIs, cloud computing, DevOps, or mobile development is essential, along with the ability to understand and test technical products in-depth. Familiarity with documentation tools, Git, and collaboration in open-source projects is also highly valued. Among interpersonal skills, clear oral and written communication, empathy, and active listening stand out — essential for understanding the real needs of the community. Also indispensable are teaching skills and patience to explain accessibly, as well as curiosity for continuous learning and proactivity with self-organization, since the Developer Advocate usually deals with several projects and audiences at the same time.

Salary range in Brazil

The remuneration for this professional has been growing in Brazil, especially in companies with technical products aimed at devs, APIs, or SaaS platforms.

In Brazil, a Developer Advocate's salary can vary widely depending on experience level, company size, and hiring model (CLT or PJ contract).

Based on data from Indeed and Glassdoor, the remuneration for this professional ranges from BRL 10,000 to BRL 25,000 per month. The figures can be even higher in multinational companies or tech startups, especially for more senior positions or with an international scope of action, where remuneration can exceed BRL 29,000 per month. In addition to the salary, there are often bonuses, profit sharing (PLR), and allowances for travel or national and international events.

5 tips for pursuing a career in this role

If you are interested in this area, here are some practical tips to start your journey as a Developer Advocate:

1. Build technical authority

You can do this by creating and maintaining open-source projects, writing about topics you master, or making tutorials about best practices or tool usage examples.

2. Share your knowledge

Record videos or do live streams teaching something technical, and give talks (even small ones) at meetups or online events. You can also use social networks strategically to create content about bugs you solved, useful libraries, or tips.

3. Participate in communities

Get involved with local tech groups, answer questions on Stack Overflow or GitHub Discussions, and participate in forums like Dev.to, Reddit, Discord tech, and technical LinkedIn.

4. Build a public portfolio

Use GitHub, Notion, or a personal website to showcase articles, videos, talks, projects, and technical social networks.

5. Follow references in the field

The CodeBlog always brings the best news about the technology world. Besides following it, you can count on study sources like Dev.to, freeCodeCamp, and Orbit. Participating in fairs and technical events is also a great way to stay on top of the market and track updates.

It is worth noting that the Developer Advocate is much more than a technical person or a content creator. They are a connector, a facilitator, a professional who joins technical vision, empathy, and communication skills to bring companies and communities closer.

In a scenario where technical products gain more and more prominence, this role is a direct bridge to business success and the development ecosystem evolution. If you are a technical person with a passion for sharing knowledge, maybe this is the next step in your career.