Network architect vs senior network engineer

The differences between network architects and senior network engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a network architect and a senior network engineer. Additionally, a senior network engineer has an average salary of $111,707, which is higher than the $105,375 average annual salary of a network architect.

The top three skills for a network architect include architecture, BGP and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a senior network engineer are switches, BGP, and OSPF.

Network architect vs senior network engineer overview

	Network Architect	Senior Network Engineer
Yearly salary	$105,375	$111,707
Hourly rate	$50.66	$53.71
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	96,500	35,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a network architect do?

A network architect is an information technology expert specializing in designing and developing network systems for a company. Their responsibilities typically include performing research and analysis to identify and understand the network needs of a company, planning and performing installations and implementation, establishing guidelines and timelines, upgrading systems, and developing strategies to enhance network operations. Moreover, a network architect must implement security policies and regulations, conduct regular maintenance checks, and perform repairs and modifications to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow.

What does a senior network engineer do?

A senior network engineer is responsible for managing the organization's network infrastructure, handling advanced network issues, upgrading the system's design for optimization, configuring network features, and ensuring the network's highest security measures to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities. Senior network engineers work with network architects to implement network designs, run diagnostic tests, and create network solution reports for review and recovery reference. A senior network engineer must have excellent communication and organization skills and broad knowledge of the technology industry, programming languages, and system codes.

Network architect vs senior network engineer salary

Network architects and senior network engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Architect	Senior Network Engineer
Average salary	$105,375	$111,707
Salary range	Between $75,000 And $146,000	Between $85,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Anaplan	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Professional	Finance

Differences between network architect and senior network engineer education

There are a few differences between a network architect and a senior network engineer in terms of educational background:

	Network Architect	Senior Network Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Computer Science	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	-

Network architect vs senior network engineer demographics

Here are the differences between network architects' and senior network engineers' demographics:

	Network Architect	Senior Network Engineer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 92.7% Female, 7.3%	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 8.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 12.3% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 8.2% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.9% Asian, 13.5% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network architect and senior network engineer duties and responsibilities

Network architect example responsibilities.

Design, manage and troubleshoot EIGRP and BGP routing environment.
Manage Linux base systems in private cloud with emphasis on LinuxHA, and security.
Manage and maintain servers running various flavors of Linux including RHEL, CentOS, and Ubuntu.
Design the OU hierarchy, manage DNS naming schemes, and create forests' for efficient domain management.
Manage several projects including a 300 person PC move complete over one weekend with a staff of five persons.
Excele at managing major network-wide upgrades; improve speed and predictability of multicast and order-routing data.

Senior network engineer example responsibilities.

Manage check point firewall logs using check point tracker and splunk.
Manage network / systems security, implement policies, processes PCI, HIPAA compliance.
Manage the SAN base storage environment consisting of EMC CX3-80's and CX700's.
Design and build Cisco Meraki cloud manage firewall, switch, and wireless access points for new facility of marketing firm.
Manage network security processes using ASA firewalls.
Manage, operate and analyze results from Sourcefire detection systems.

Network architect vs senior network engineer skills

Common network architect skills

Architecture, 8%
BGP, 4%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Firewall, 4%
Switches, 4%
Emerging Technologies, 4%

Common senior network engineer skills

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

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Network Architect vs Senior Network Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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