How to hire a network operations manager

How to hire a network operations manager, step by step

Here's a step-by-step network operations 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 manager job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new network operations manager
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a network operations manager do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your network operations manager job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a network operations manager for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   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 manager's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, network operations 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 manager salaries for various positions.

   Type of Network Operations Manager	Description	Hourly rate
   Network Operations 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.	$34-65
   Network Security Engineer	A network security engineer is responsible for maintaining the safety and security of all the organization's network systems, conducting regular configuration and maintenance to avoid unauthorized access and suspicious activities that may pose risks for the company's integrity. Network security engineers manage security threats and strategize resolutions to mitigate the reoccurrence of security issues... Show more	$30-57
   Manager	Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department... Show more	$17-44

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Network Operations
   • Project Management
   • Network Infrastructure
   • Customer Service
   • Switches
   • NOC
   • ITIL
   • Lan Wan
   • Network Services
   • Network Performance
   • Level Agreements
   • Network Security
   • Disaster Recovery
   • VoIP

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage replacement of outdate phone system with state of the art PBX system, implement voicemail and ACD functionality.
   • Manage all voice and data contracts as well as configuration, maintenance, and support of VPN connectivity to remote sites.
   • Generate RFP s, accept bids, negotiate contracts, manage contractors, and scrutinize invoices with the authority to approve.
   • Develop windows batch scripts to automate system administration tasks.
   • Lead vendor negotiations for worldwide computer network, and telecommunication contracts.
   • Manage large-scale SharePoint installation which manage SOX audit documentation for global organization.

   More network operations manager duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the network operations manager job description is a good way to get more applicants. A network operations manager salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a network operations manager in Michigan may be lower than in California, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level network operations manager. Additionally, a network operations manager with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average network operations manager salary

   $98,658yearly

   $47.43 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level network operations manager salary

   $71,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average network operations manager salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$145,387	$70
   2	Washington	$124,405	$60
   3	Nevada	$113,320	$54
   4	New York	$112,736	$54
   5	Texas	$110,411	$53
   6	Arizona	$108,120	$52
   7	Georgia	$105,895	$51
   8	Illinois	$105,072	$51
   9	Massachusetts	$103,562	$50
   10	Connecticut	$101,962	$49
   11	District of Columbia	$101,554	$49
   12	New Jersey	$99,861	$48
   13	Pennsylvania	$98,101	$47
   14	North Carolina	$97,275	$47
   15	Missouri	$96,985	$47
   16	Wisconsin	$95,851	$46
   17	Louisiana	$95,845	$46
   18	Mississippi	$93,104	$45
   19	Oklahoma	$92,725	$45
   20	Delaware	$92,262	$44

   Average network operations manager salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$174,176	$83.74	273
   2	Amazon	$139,954	$67.29	760
   3	Macy's	$134,853	$64.83	2
   4	Square	$133,397	$64.13
   5	Crown Castle International	$130,404	$62.69	3
   6	Fastly	$128,666	$61.86
   7	Walmart	$127,599	$61.35	460
   8	Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory	$123,429	$59.34
   9	The Clorox Company	$116,957	$56.23	2
   10	Old Dominion Freight Line	$115,669	$55.61	2
   11	Block and	$114,154	$54.88	7
   12	iHeartMedia	$112,965	$54.31	2
   13	Five9	$112,268	$53.98
   14	Duke University Health System	$111,620	$53.66	5
   15	Agilent Technologies	$108,268	$52.05	1
   16	United	$108,192	$52.02	3
   17	Affiliated Computer Services	$107,105	$51.49
   18	Louis Vuitton	$106,048	$50.98
   19	Marriott International	$104,262	$50.13	239
   20	OpenDNS	$102,934	$49.49

4. Writing a network operations manager job description

   A good network operations manager job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a network operations manager job description:

   Network operations manager job description example

   * The areas of focus for the Network Technical Recovery Specialist includes management of network stability across multiple complex platforms. Acts as a focal point for incident troubleshooting in medium/high impacting issues.
   
   * Network Technical Recovery Specialists are expected to be well versed in numerous networking protocols, technologies and troubleshooting methodology, including the use of proactive and reactive tools.
   
   * The work is always in alignment to the current and approved Network Services Standards, Incident and Problem Management Policies & Procedures, governance and management policies set forth by the firm.
   
   * This position will interface directly with internal stakeholders and external suppliers/providers, architecture, product engineering, product management, and business management. At times, they may interface with various levels of senior management.
   
   * Strong communication and problem-solving skills are a must. The candidate must be able to work on their own and successfully in team settings in various sizes and locations.
   
   * Adherence and use of standards, product sets, templates, systems, and artifacts are important to the success of the individual, the department, and the firm at large.
   
   * The Network Technical Recovery Specialist will be considered a subject matter expert in their field and is expected to stay current with various technologies, organizational goals, and industry trends to drive end to end value
   Key Responsibilities: * Operational Support of Global Network Technologies * Lead production support triage efforts for network infrastructure incidents, manage bridge line troubleshooting and appropriate team engagement, engage in technical research and troubleshooting, and escalate to next level of leadership as needed * Identify service impact, interpret monitoring tools, dashboards, and logs; Work with senior team members to validate impacts and communicate all impacts to internal stakeholders and leadership * Provide status updates and technical detail for awareness communications, ensure accuracy of all communications sent, and ensure any necessary follow[1]ups are scheduled * Identify possible production failure scenarios, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for improvement, and take ownership of the escalation and resolution * Participate in the documentation of application flows, upstream/downstream impacts during outages, the customer experience in failure scenarios, contacts for various support needs and ensures appropriate documents and wikis are up to date and available for use during triage * Accountable for data quality and completion of incident tickets, including ensuring all impacts are accurately recorded and documented in the system of record Required Skills * Experience with Network technologies * WAN, Wired/Wireless LAN, Optical, Public/Private Internet, Routing, Switching, Firewalls, Load Balancing, Proxy, DDI, and AAA * Experience with troubleshooting complex networking problems * Knowledgeable on JIRA, Confluence, and experience with Agile framework & SCRUM ceremonies * Self-starter/self-directed, organized and detail oriented * Strong technical acumen and analytical skills * Excellent client interfacing skills * Strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work with all levels of management * Experience aligning actions to business impact and service restoral * Understand configuration management with tools such as Forward Networks and HPNA * Knowledge and experience using (both proactive and reactive) advanced tooling. Inclusive of but not limited to Sniffer/wire Shark, Splunk, SevOne, HPNA, NNMI, OBM, IBM Watson, etc. * The candidate must have excellent client interfacing skills, strong verbal and written communication skills and ability to work with all levels of management. * Candidate should have experience operating with colleagues across different time zones with a flexible approach to working hours (ability to work varied hours and weekends a must) to successfully interact and communicate on a global level) if needed Desired Skills * Experience in Networking-related disciplines within a design, implementation, or operations role * Relevant Industry certifications in Network Technologies * Cloud or SDN knowledge and experience * Experience with SDN; Cisco ACI, VMware NSX, Arista CloudVision o Experience with SDWAN, preferred if on Cloudgenix * Experience with automation tools such as Python, Ansible, YAML or Django, API calls (to ticketing systems and network devices), and frontend web development * Experience working in an Agile environment * Experience of working within Financial Services (Insurance, Banking, Investment banking) * Experience with other network technologies o WAN, MAN, LAN, Optical, Routing, Switching, Proxy/Threat Prevention, DDI, Load Balancing, and AAA Shift: 1st shift (United States of America) Hours Per Week: 40

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find network operations managers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any network operations managers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level network operations managers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your network operations manager job on Zippia to find and attract quality network operations manager candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit network operations managers, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview network operations manager candidates, so you can ask them to do a test project. If you are not a technical person and don't know what a test project should be, you can use these websites:

   • 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 manager

   Once you've found the network operations manager candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new network operations manager. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are 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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