How to hire a noc operator

How to hire a noc operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step noc operator hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a noc operator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   A noc operator's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, noc operators 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 noc operator salaries for various positions.

   Type of NOC Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   NOC Operator	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.	$13-32
   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
   Network Internship	In a network internship, an intern's duties depend on the directives of a manager or supervisor. They typically perform support and beginner tasks, such as processing and organizing documentation, liaising with potential clients through calls and correspondence, greeting visitors, answering inquiries, and running errands... Show more	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Escalate
   • Remedy
   • Network Operations
   • Switches
   • Trouble Tickets
   • Linux
   • Unix
   • VoIP
   • Tcp Ip
   • SolarWinds
   • Windows
   • TCP/IP
   • ITIL
   • SLA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage core-network including all Cisco infrastructure elements including firewalls and perimeter routers.
   • Create trouble tickets via remedy.
   • Call in trouble tickets to the help desk thru remedy.
   • Work in the VOIP NOC performing troubleshooting, problem analysis and isolation of network events.
   • Monitor and analyze the network traffic using Solarwinds event viewer.
   • Monitor network events using the software SolarWinds.

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, noc operators' average salary in oklahoma is 43% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level noc operators earn 57% less than senior-level noc operators.
   • Certifications. A noc operator 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 noc operator's salary.

   Average noc operator salary

   $44,605yearly

   $21.44 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level noc operator salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

4. Writing a noc operator job description

   A good noc operator 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 noc operator job description:

   Noc operator job description example

   A NOC Operations Analyst provides administrative support to their manager and alerts support staff if necessary. They detect notifications and conduct monitor checks to make sure that systems are running correctly. They perform tasks such as taking calls from customers and trying to resolve their queries. They escalate issues to their manager. They receive direction from senior Operations analyst and the manager responsible for the Operations.
   
   The incumbent must have a service-oriented mentality, a high sense of ownership of the problems and requests assigned, a focus on managing and resolving issues in alignment with the SLAs, establishing and maintaining communication with technology customers to keep them updated with status of their requests, initiating and performing changes on production systems and proactively escalating any issues that cannot be resolved within the established timeframes.
   Primary Accountabilities:
   
   Technical (100%)
   
   * Change management: Able to implement changes based on requests for change. Applies change control procedures.
   * Community collaboration: Contributes to the work of others whilst having the ability to motivate and empower teams. Creates the right environment for teams to work in and is able to facilitate the best team makeup depending on the situation. Recognizes and deals with issues.
   * Incident management: Identifies and registers incidents, gathering the required information and allocating to the appropriate channel.
   * Ownership and initiative: Own an issue until a new owner has been found or the problem has been mitigated or resolved.
   * Problem management: Able to investigate problems in systems, processes and services, with an understanding of the level of a problem (e.g. strategic, tactical, operational). Can contribute to the implementation of remedies and preventative measures.
   * Service focus: Take inputs and establishes coherent frameworks that work.
   * User focus: Identify and engages with users or stakeholders to collate user needs evidence and understands and defines research which fits user needs. Able to use quantitative and qualitative data about users to turn user focus into outcomes.
   * Asset and configuration management: Track, log and correct information to protect assets and components.
   * Broad technical understanding: Aware of availability and capacity management processes.
   * Continual service improvement: Able to identify process optimization opportunities with guidance and contribute to the implementation of proposed solutions.
   
   Required Qualifications:
   
   * Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or related field
   * 3+ years' work experience in network operations center engineering
   * Or any equivalent combination of experience and training/certification that provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to complete the major responsibilities/essential functions of the position
   * Proficient in Microsoft Office
   * Proficient in G-Suite

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find noc operators 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 noc operator job on Zippia to find and recruit noc operator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dice, engineering.com, stack overflow, it job pro.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with noc operator candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of 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.

   While interviews are great, you will only sometimes learn enough from a conversation with a noc operator 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 noc operator

   Once you've found the noc operator 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 noc operator. 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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