How to hire a network operations center manager

How to hire a network operations center manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step network operations center manager hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a network operations center manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new network operations center manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the network operations center manager you need to hire. Certain network operations center manager roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A network operations center manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, network operations center managers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents network operations center manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Network Operations Center Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Network Operations Center Manager	Computer networks are critical parts of almost every organization. Network and computer systems administrators are responsible for the day-to-day operation of these networks.	$38-89
   System Technician	A system technician is a professional responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members... Show more	$12-32
   Systems Administrator	Systems administrators are employees who oversee information technology infrastructures in the office. They are skilled information technology professionals who are knowledgeable about the company's network systems and other technology-related infrastructures... Show more	$28-48

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Windows
   • ITIL
   • Incident Management
   • Switches
   • Network Infrastructure
   • Linux
   • SolarWinds
   • Customer Service
   • TCP/IP
   • SLA
   • Level Agreements
   • Network Operations Centers
   • Network Troubleshooting
   • VoIP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Racked new server / SAN hardware including stacking, wiring, managing cables and labeling devices.
   • Implement storage management practice - this lead to proactive analysis of mainframe and mid range storage systems.
   • Manage Unix system administrator team responsible for NOCC alarm applications and infrastructure.
   • Supervise data center security and integrity; monitor HVAC and manage data center space planning.
   • Administer and train new technicians regarding RF network issues isolation process.
   • Develop basic UNIX / Linux commands in order to retrieve alarming data and identify hierarchy of outages.

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your network operations center manager job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A network operations center manager salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, network operations center managers' average salary in florida is 43% less than in new hampshire.
   • Seniority. Entry-level network operations center managers earn 56% less than senior-level network operations center managers.
   • Certifications. A network operations center manager with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a network operations center manager's salary.

   Average network operations center manager salary

   $123,001yearly

   $59.14 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level network operations center manager salary

   $81,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

4. Writing a network operations center manager job description

   A network operations center manager job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a network operations center manager job description:

   Network operations center manager job description example

   As the Senior Network Operations Center (NOC) Manager you will manage the performance and activities of network and cybersecurity operations to maintain 24x7x365 operational availability of critical networks and systems at various classification levels. You will leverage your expertise and provide oversight during the development of SOPs, knowledge base, and troubleshooting guides. The Senior Network Operations Center (NOC) Manager will serve as the subject matter expert for all NOC activities and provide daily oversight, guidance, training, mentoring, and performance management to all team members.

   This position is contingent upon contract award.

   What you’ll do:

   The Senior Network Operations Center (NOC) Manager will be responsible for the following, but not limited to:

   • Responsible for designing and configuring environments and implementation plans for hosting complex application workloads.
   • Provides critical operational insight current workload and upcoming requirements validate infrastructure can support mission.
   • Maintains STIG/harden/patch virtual environment as required
   • Monitors environment for issues and remediate problems
   • Troubleshoots, diagnose, and resolve hardware, software, and other network and system problems
   • Coordinates computer network access and use
   • Designs, configures, and test networking software, computer hardware, and operating system software
   • Configuring firewalls, routing, and switching to maximize network efficiency and security
   • Maximizing network performance through ongoing monitoring and troubleshooting
   • Report network status.

   Required Qualifications:

   • Master’s Degree in Computer Science, IT, Systems Engineering, or a related field
   • Minimum 20+ years’ experience
   • US Citizenship and a current active DoD TOP SECRET Clearance; with SCI ELIGIBILITY
   • Certified in ITIL 3 framework with willingness to obtain ITIL 4
   • Experience that includes Cisco, Juniper, and Equinix

   Desired Qualifications:

   • Current SCI Clearance
   • Possess ITIL 4 certification
   • Formal Agile training and Certifications
   • PMP

   Peraton drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world’s leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted and highly differentiated national security solutions and technologies that keep people safe and secure. Peraton serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies across the intelligence, space, cyber, defense, civilian, health, and state and local markets. Every day, our employees do the can’t be done, solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers.

   An Equal Opportunity Employer including Disability/Veteran.

   Colorado Salary Minimum: $92,900
   Colorado Salary Maximum: $225,400
   
   The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position, and is just one component of Peraton's total compensation package for employees. Other rewards may include annual bonuses, short- and long-term incentives, and program-specific awards. In addition, Peraton provides a variety of benefits to employees.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find network operations center managers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your network operations center manager job on Zippia to find and recruit network operations center manager candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   During your first interview to recruit network operations center managers, engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. During the following interview, you'll be able to go into more detail about the company, the position, and the responsibilities.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a network operations center manager applicant. In those cases, having candidates complete a test project can go a long way in figuring out who's the most likely to succeed in the role. If you aren't a technical person and don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new network operations center manager

   Once you've decided on a perfect network operations center manager candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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