Director of network engineering vs network manager

The differences between directors of network engineering and network managers 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 manager takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a director of network engineering has an average salary of $140,813, which is higher than the $97,578 average annual salary of a network manager.

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 manager are customer service, fault management, and network infrastructure.

Director of network engineering vs network manager overview

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Manager
Yearly salary	$140,813	$97,578
Hourly rate	$67.70	$46.91
Growth rate	16%	5%
Number of jobs	86,874	36,831
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
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 manager do?

A network manager is responsible for monitoring the efficient network connection of the company's technology systems, analyzing system designs, and overseeing installation processes and programs. Network managers inspect the efficiency of existing network management systems, upgrading network data to boost optimal performance and communication transportation. A network manager must have excellent knowledge of technology disciplines and should always be updated with the recent technology trends, guiding the network staff on their tasks and immediately resolving system defects and discrepancies.

Director of network engineering vs network manager salary

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

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Manager
Average salary	$140,813	$97,578
Salary range	Between $99,000 And $199,000	Between $71,000 And $132,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Menlo Park, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	Media	Technology

Differences between director of network engineering and network manager education

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

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 63%
Most common major	Electrical Engineering	Business
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	Stanford University

Director of network engineering vs network manager demographics

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

	Director Of Network Engineering	Network Manager
Average age	47	43
Gender ratio	Male, 90.2% Female, 9.8%	Male, 83.3% Female, 16.7%
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, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	11%	9%

Differences between director of network engineering and network manager 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 manager example responsibilities.

Negotiate and manage customer SLA's.
Manage a remote nationwide team of database Sr.
Manage vendor for all PBX move add and changes.
Manage environment in support of define CDRL's and SLA's.
Lead the architecture design for PCI (payment card industry) compliance.
Manage iRules and VIP setup on F5's and juniper load balance.

Director of network engineering vs network manager skills

Common director of network engineering skills

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

Common network manager skills

Customer Service, 12%
Fault Management, 6%
Network Infrastructure, 5%
Switches, 4%
Network Hardware, 4%
Project Management, 4%

Director Of Network Engineering vs. similar jobs

Director Of Network Engineering related careers

Director Of Network Engineering related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Executive Management Industry
Director Of Network Engineering
Director Of Network Engineering vs Network Manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse executive management jobs