Network operations manager vs senior network engineer

The differences between network operations managers 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 operations manager and a senior network engineer. Additionally, a senior network engineer has an average salary of $111,707, which is higher than the $98,658 average annual salary of a network operations manager.

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 engineer are switches, BGP, and OSPF.

Network operations manager vs senior network engineer overview

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Engineer
Yearly salary	$98,658	$111,707
Hourly rate	$47.43	$53.71
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	86,381	35,428
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
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 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 operations manager vs senior network engineer salary

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

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Engineer
Average salary	$98,658	$111,707
Salary range	Between $71,000 And $136,000	Between $85,000 And $145,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Washington
Best paying company	Meta	The Citadel
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between network operations manager and senior network engineer education

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

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Engineer
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common major	Business	Electrical Engineering
Most common college	Stanford University	-

Network operations manager vs senior network engineer demographics

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

	Network Operations Manager	Senior Network Engineer
Average age	43	43
Gender ratio	Male, 84.7% Female, 15.3%	Male, 93.2% Female, 6.8%
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, 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 operations manager and senior network engineer 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 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 operations manager vs senior network engineer 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 engineer skills

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

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Network Operations Manager vs Senior Network Engineer

Updated January 8, 2025

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