Network operations manager vs senior network administrator

The differences between network operations managers and senior network administrators 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 operations manager and a senior network administrator. Additionally, a network operations manager has an average salary of $98,658, which is higher than the $89,169 average annual salary of a senior network administrator.

The top three skills for a network operations manager include network operations, project management and network infrastructure. The most important skills for a senior network administrator are switches, routers, and troubleshoot.

Network operations manager vs senior network administrator overview

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Administrator
Yearly salary	$98,658	$89,169
Hourly rate	$47.43	$42.87
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	86,381	110,027
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Average age	43	43
Years of experience	2	2

What does a network operations manager do?

Network operations managers are information technology (IT) professionals who are responsible for managing the operation and stability of an organization's network. These managers usually work with local area networks (LAN) or sometimes with wide area networks (WAN), where information can be shared in a building or between different locations. They serve as the middlemen between the IT department and the company's management team to provide an understanding of their IT needs. Network operations managers must also assist the human resource team in recruiting new employees and providing training related to the field of information technology.

What does a senior network administrator do?

Senior Network Administrators provide system and network solutions for their organizations. They supervise the functioning of networking equipment and follow strict maintenance standards.

Network operations manager vs senior network administrator salary

Network operations managers and senior network administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Administrator
Average salary	$98,658	$89,169
Salary range	Between $71,000 And $136,000	Between $68,000 And $115,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Mateo, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Tesoro
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between network operations manager and senior network administrator education

There are a few differences between a network operations manager and a senior network administrator in terms of educational background:

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Administrator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 58%
Most common major	Business	Computer Science
Most common college	Stanford University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Network operations manager vs senior network administrator demographics

Here are the differences between network operations managers' and senior network administrators' demographics:

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Administrator
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.7% Female, 15.3%	Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.7% White, 64.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 10.1% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between network operations manager and senior network administrator duties and responsibilities

Network operations manager example 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.

Senior network administrator example responsibilities.

Lead IP management specialist and assist with management of DHCP scopes and reservations.
Establish and manage SharePoint base intranet for departmental and interdepartmental support.
Configure and manage SQL database archival requests for automate timely data submissions.
Configure and manage multiple data and application servers and maintain SQL relational databases.
Prioritize and manage servicing of customer trouble calls in locally develop tracking database.
Configure and manage company routers and switches in addition to VPN configuration and policy enforcement.

Network operations manager vs senior network administrator skills

Common network operations manager skills

Network Operations, 17%
Project Management, 6%
Network Infrastructure, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
Switches, 4%
NOC, 4%

Common senior network administrator skills

Switches, 8%
Routers, 5%
Troubleshoot, 5%
Windows Server, 4%
Network Infrastructure, 4%
Lan Wan, 4%

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Network Operations Manager vs Senior Network Administrator

Updated January 8, 2025

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