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What is a senior telecommunications engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025
3 min read

Telecommunications is the name for any kind of communication over distance, often done over a wire, radio, or other informational system. This includes cell phones, landlines, radios, and even the internet. Senior telecommunications engineers are some of the people involved in building and maintaining these systems, helping us all stay connected no matter where we are.

Senior telecommunications engineers can work for the government in order to maintain the local telecommunications grid or for a private company building telecommunications technologies. They are involved in every step of building and maintaining a telecommunications system, from ordering parts from vendors to installing local nodes to configuring and troubleshooting any issues.

Senior telecommunications engineers often lead a whole squad of engineers, which means that they are some of the most knowledgeable people on the team. Most senior telecommunications engineers have at least a bachelor's degree in engineering or a similar field and several years of experience.

ScoreSenior Telecommunications EngineerUS Average
Salary
8.1

Avg. Salary $120,233

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level
5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity
6.1
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.49%

Black or African American 4.77%

Hispanic or Latino 11.02%

Unknown 4.69%

White 64.84%

Gender

female 11.01%

male 88.99%

Age - 44
Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44
Stress level
5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level
8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance
7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Senior telecommunications engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior telecommunications engineer

  1. Explore senior telecommunications engineer education requirements

    Most common senior telecommunications engineer degrees

    Bachelor's

    56.0 %

    Associate

    24.6 %

    Master's

    12.1 %
  2. Start to develop specific senior telecommunications engineer skills

    SkillsPercentages
    Telecommunication9.23%
    VoIP6.27%
    Avaya6.23%
    Unity4.61%
    PBX3.74%
  3. Complete relevant senior telecommunications engineer training and internships

    Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior telecommunications engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior telecommunications engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior telecommunications engineer resumes.
  4. Research senior telecommunications engineer duties and responsibilities

    • Manage T1 voice/data network circuits.
    • Design, configure, allocate and manage IP addressing and sub-netting, integrate, install and test various IP base systems.
    • Provide business consultation and program management services to the HUD OCIO to develop the HUDNET telecommunications infrastructure and manage services environment.
    • Coordinate and install data network provisioning for national data network for VoIP infrastructure.
  5. Get senior telecommunications engineer experience

    Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior telecommunications engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior telecommunications engineer include telecommunication engineer, telecommunications technician team lead and network engineer.
  6. Prepare your senior telecommunications engineer resume

    When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior telecommunications engineer resume.

    You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior telecommunications engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

    Choose from 10+ customizable senior telecommunications engineer resume templates

    Build a professional senior telecommunications engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your senior telecommunications engineer resume.
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
    Senior Telecommunications Engineer Resume
  7. Apply for senior telecommunications engineer jobs

    Now it's time to start searching for a senior telecommunications engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

    1. Browse job boards for relevant postings
    2. Consult your professional network
    3. Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
    4. Watch out for job scams

How did you land your first senior telecommunications engineer job

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Average senior telecommunications engineer salary

The average senior telecommunications engineer salary in the United States is $120,233 per year or $58 per hour. Senior telecommunications engineer salaries range between $91,000 and $158,000 per year.

Average senior telecommunications engineer salary
$120,233 Yearly
$57.80 hourly

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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