[kokken]

I’ve been thinking about that move. What do you think are the main skills that a SE should refine if they want to transition to a sysadmin role?

[davidgerard]

It's a high level support role with a view to systemic reliability and enabling others. You're a roadie, and now you help others be Eric Clapton. Once you understand what ops is for, skills can be acquired.

I'm not sure how to show a transition on your CV - but emphasising the "ops" side of "devops" to claim experience will probably help.