What does a communications systems engineer do?
Communication systems engineers are engineering professionals who are responsible for developing communication systems and general electrical designs for their clients. These engineers are required to prepare communication designs, including diagrams, instructions, and the cost of materials for large-scale telecommunications projects. They must undergo certification training so that they can perform maintenance on communication and navigation systems. Communication systems engineers must also work with the development and test engineering to select for proper communication system components and to ensure that features are working properly.
Communications systems engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real communications systems engineer resumes:
- Manage the day-to-day operation of a large-scale military airfield RF communications-electronics planning, integration and maintenance facility.
- Develop and integrate software that drives flight control system hardware and achieves product requirements for an international avionics customer base.
- Lead person in evaluating, researching, and testing of LAN communications Software/Hardware.
- Design premise wiring to support both voice and data during new facilities installations and LAN upgrades.
- Conduct documentation, PBX cutover vendor coordination and initial site turnover and signoff of (UAT) user acceptance testing.
- Perform communications interference analyses involving various customer spacecraft and NASA assets, including characterization of communications degradation due to co-channel interferers.
- Set up and install all software applications into PC and laptop for testing lab.
- Develop and integrate software that drives flight control system hardware and achieves product requirements for an international avionics customer base.
Communications systems engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 21% of Communications Systems Engineers are proficient in RF, Communications Systems, and C++. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Communications Systems Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- RF, 21%
Acted as site liaison and Spectrum (Frequency) Manager for government RF communications in a foreign-deployed environment.
- Communications Systems, 13%
Developed US Army standard communications systems designs and general electrical designs in accordance with government and military standards.
- C++, 7%
Developed end-to-end performance simulator based in OPNET and Microsoft Visual C++ that optimized UMTS/HSDPA networks.
- DOD, 5%
Related DoD Occupational Subgroup: 198.
- Engineering Support, 4%
Provided engineering support to numerous programs in drafting, assembly, quality control, fabrication, proposals, and purchasing.
- Design Reviews, 4%
Key role in preliminary/critical/production design reviews and test readiness review.
Common skills that a communications systems engineer uses to do their job include "rf," "communications systems," and "c++." You can find details on the most important communications systems engineer responsibilities below.
Leadership skills. The most essential soft skill for a communications systems engineer to carry out their responsibilities is leadership skills. This skill is important for the role because "many computer network architects direct teams of engineers, such as computer hardware engineers, who build the networks they have designed." Additionally, a communications systems engineer resume shows how their duties depend on leadership skills: "created new hierarchial tcp/ip address structure to scale local tactical communication to higher command to give leadership situational awareness. "
Organizational skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling communications systems engineer duties is organizational skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "computer network architects who work for large firms must coordinate many different types of communication networks and make sure they work well together." According to a communications systems engineer resume, here's how communications systems engineers can utilize organizational skills in their job responsibilities: "provided project management and participated in organizational disaster recovery and strategic planning. "
Detail oriented. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of communications systems engineers is detail oriented. This skill is critical to many everyday communications systems engineer duties, as "computer network architects create comprehensive plans of the networks they are creating with precise information describing how the network parts will work together." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "frequent sales-oriented presentations to vips from nsa, osd, dod and military from other countries. "
Analytical skills. communications systems engineer responsibilities often require "analytical skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "computer network architects have to examine data networks and decide how to best connect the networks based on the needs and resources of the organization." This resume example shows what communications systems engineers do with analytical skills on a typical day: "defined and analyzed transceiver and antenna requirements for aero systems. "
The three companies that hire the most communications systems engineers are:
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Compare different communications systems engineers
Communications systems engineer vs. Lead data architect
Lead Data Architects are experienced employees who manage the data architecture needs of the company. They also manage the data architects who fulfill these needs. They are in charge of creating data management systems based on the requirement of the company. They work hand in hand with data engineers and information technology professionals to create these systems. Lead Data Architects design data systems based on the internal and external data sources of the company. They would then create a blueprint to centralize these systems to streamline the different processes of the company.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a communications systems engineer are more likely to require skills like "rf," "communications systems," "c++," and "dod." On the other hand, a job as a lead data architect requires skills like "analytics," "data management," "data governance," and "data quality." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Lead data architects earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $114,504. On the other hand, communications systems engineers are paid more in the telecommunication industry with an average salary of $121,454.The education levels that lead data architects earn slightly differ from communications systems engineers. In particular, lead data architects are 5.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a communications systems engineer. Additionally, they're 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Communications systems engineer vs. Network planner
A data center analyst is an information technology expert in charge of overseeing program teams and developing strategies to optimize operations. They serve as the client's point of contact, answering their inquiries and providing them with the needed assistance. As a data center analyst, it is their duty to perform extensive research and analysis to attain the best practices, gather and analyze data to identify areas needing improvement, produce proposals, and implement solutions in problem areas.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, communications systems engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "communications systems," "c++," "engineering support," and "design reviews." Meanwhile, a network planner has duties that require skills in areas such as "ip," "project management," "network operations," and "network infrastructure." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, network planners earn a lower salary than communications systems engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, network planners earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $104,917. Whereas communications systems engineers have higher pay in the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $121,454.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Network planners tend to reach similar levels of education than communications systems engineers. In fact, they're 4.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Communications systems engineer vs. Design team member
There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a communications systems engineer is likely to be skilled in "rf," "communications systems," "c++," and "dod," while a typical design team member is skilled in "strong work ethic," "team-oriented environment," "wordpress," and "solidworks."
Most design team members achieve a lower degree level compared to communications systems engineers. For example, they're 10.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Communications systems engineer vs. Data center analyst
Even though a few skill sets overlap between communications systems engineers and data center analysts, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a communications systems engineer might have more use for skills like "rf," "communications systems," "c++," and "dod." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of data center analysts require skills like "escalate," "data analysis," "sql," and "customer service. "
The technology industry tends to pay the highest salaries for data center analysts, with average annual pay of $63,878. Comparatively, the highest communications systems engineer annual salary comes from the telecommunication industry.data center analysts reach lower levels of education compared to communications systems engineers, in general. The difference is that they're 12.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.2% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of communications systems engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
