Director of network engineering vs network engineer

The differences between directors of network engineering and network engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a director of network engineering, becoming a network engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a director of network engineering has an average salary of $140,813, which is higher than the $83,557 average annual salary of a network engineer.

The top three skills for a director of network engineering include cisco asa, network engineering and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a network engineer are switches, troubleshoot, and network infrastructure.

Director of network engineering vs network engineer overview

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Engineer
Yearly salary	$140,813	$83,557
Hourly rate	$67.70	$40.17
Growth rate	16%	5%
Number of jobs	86,874	72,346
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	47	43
Years of experience	8	2

What does a director of network engineering do?

The director of network engineering is someone who designs and installs network infrastructure within the company. Their prime objective is to create an efficient inter-company communication method vital for businesses that rely on speedy relay of information, such as telecommunication companies. The director of network engineering works alongside the company's tech team to install a viable network that will potentially increase productivity. Aside from this primary task, the network engineer will also monitor, inspect, and evaluate all existing networks in the company.

What does a network engineer do?

A network engineer is responsible for managing a network system, monitoring its performance, and upgrading its features to optimize performance and boost efficiency. Network engineers also create new systems, designing them based on clients' specifications and business needs. They also check network defects, perform troubleshooting, improve data security systems, and install security updates. A network engineer must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a broad understanding of system codes, programming languages, and network configurations.

Director of network engineering vs network engineer salary

Directors of network engineering and network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Engineer
Average salary	$140,813	$83,557
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $199,000	Between $62,000 And $111,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between director of network engineering and network engineer education

There are a few differences between a director of network engineering and a network engineer in terms of educational background:

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	California State University - Long Beach

Director of network engineering vs network engineer demographics

Here are the differences between directors of network engineering' and network engineers' demographics:

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Engineer
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8%	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 13.7% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	9%

Differences between director of network engineering and network engineer duties and responsibilities

Director of network engineering example responsibilities.

Create and manage RFP outsourcing global conferencing solution saving $250K annually.
Manage remote staff across London and Tokyo, ensuring fully-functional, up-to-date switches.
Design, manage, and troubleshot core campus routers, Internet connections, firewalls, and VPN servers.
Manage consolidation and transformation of processes to deliver infrastructure services through a streamline process that provide better integration with all platforms.
Spearhead development and launch of ITIL framework.
Deliver 24/7 full support of all the VPN's from remote location to corporate servers.

Network engineer example responsibilities.

Manage UCCE deployments which include CUCM, IPIVR, CVP , 3rd party reporting and CUIC.
Manage UNIX's projects to meet project dateline while solving daily network crisis.
Perform the tasks of designing, implementing, supporting, and managing networking and telecommunication infrastructure.
Manage all domain registrations, SSL certificate management.
Create locally manage and centrally manage gateways on checkpoint firewall.
Manage and administrate security policy and procedures for all VPN network connectivity and accounts.

Director of network engineering vs network engineer skills

Common director of network engineering skills

Cisco Asa, 14%
Network Engineering, 10%
Network Infrastructure, 9%
Switches, 8%
OSPF, 7%
BGP, 7%

Common network engineer skills

Switches, 7%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
BGP, 4%
OSPF, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Director Of Network Engineering
Director Of Network Engineering vs Network Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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