Technology
A network engineer designs, builds and maintains the routers, switches, firewalls and wireless systems that connect a company’s people, offices and applications. The role matters because network outages and weak segmentation can stop operations and expose sensitive data.
Median pay
$99,130a year
Network and computer systems administrators, U.S. BLS, May 2025
The role
Companies hire one when opening or moving offices, replacing aging network equipment, adding cloud connectivity, or fixing recurring outages and slow performance.
Typical responsibilities
Core skills
Tools and systems
Related titles
Typical background
Typically 3 to 8 years in network operations, with CCNA or CCNP certification and a degree or equivalent experience.
At a glance
The essentials for planning the hire: level, background, how you can hire and what the role typically pays.
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FAQ
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A network engineer designs, builds and maintains the routers, switches, firewalls and wireless systems that connect a company’s people, offices and applications. The role matters because network outages and weak segmentation can stop operations and expose sensitive data. Typical responsibilities include: design and configure LAN, WAN and wireless networks; install and maintain routers, switches and firewalls; monitor network performance and resolve outages and bottlenecks.
Look for routing and switching, firewall configuration, TCP/IP, VPN and SD-WAN, network monitoring and wireless networking. Experience with Cisco IOS, Palo Alto Networks, Fortinet, SolarWinds and Wireshark is common in this role.
Yes. A network engineer is one of the roles employers most often hire on contract, for projects, busy periods, leave cover and vacancies. Contract-to-hire is also an option if you want to work together before making a permanent offer.
An administrator handles daily operation, monitoring and basic changes. An engineer designs networks, plans upgrades and solves complex faults. Hire an engineer for projects such as redesigns, new sites or security changes, and an administrator to keep a stable network running.
Match your equipment. Cisco CCNA and CCNP are widely recognized, while Palo Alto, Fortinet, Juniper and Aruba credentials matter if you run those platforms. Hands-on experience with your vendor often outweighs the certificate itself.
Related roles
Every role in the practice is recruited by the same specialist team.
