How to hire a specialist network engineer

How to hire a specialist network engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step specialist network engineer hiring guide:

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

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your specialist network engineer 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 specialist network engineer 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 specialist network engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, specialist network engineers 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.

   The following list breaks down different types of specialist network engineers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Specialist Network Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Specialist Network Engineer	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.	$33-55
   NOC Technician	A NOC (Network Operations Center) technician is responsible for providing the highest customer service by resolving the customers' technical and network issues that affect the performance and stability of the systems operations. NOC technicians diagnose system failures and create support tickets for immediate troubleshooting... Show more	$14-32
   Network Support Analyst	Network support analysts are professionals who provide technical support as well as maintain various network components for an organization's network system. These analysts are responsible for installing and configuring local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), internet systems, and other components of network systems... Show more	$25-61

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Technical Support
   • Database
   • VoIP
   • PC
   • Switches
   • Broadband
   • VPN
   • Network Infrastructure
   • BGP
   • Network Security
   • OSPF
   • Routers
   • F5
   • Lan Wan

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Utilize advanced encryption devices to secure communications between all locations manage by the department.
   • Design and implement first LAN/WAN environment including installing and configuring routers, switches, servers, and workstations.
   • Support MPLS backbone, including QOS.
   • WAN network design and implementation using Cisco ISR routers.
   • Experience include multiple routing protocols including IGRP, EIGRP, BGP, and IPX.
   • Direct installation of digital servers, routers and network computing systems in all associate airports and facilities nationwide.

   More specialist network engineer duties

3. Make a budget

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

   • Location. For example, specialist network engineers' average salary in indiana is 32% less than in rhode island.
   • Seniority. Entry-level specialist network engineers earn 41% less than senior-level specialist network engineers.
   • Certifications. A specialist network engineer 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 specialist network engineer's salary.

   Average specialist network engineer salary

   $90,468yearly

   $43.49 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level specialist network engineer salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average specialist network engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Idaho	$108,100	$52
   2	New York	$100,756	$48
   3	Washington	$95,805	$46
   4	California	$95,186	$46
   5	New Jersey	$94,819	$46
   6	North Carolina	$94,495	$45
   7	Texas	$94,373	$45
   8	Tennessee	$91,449	$44
   9	Virginia	$90,517	$44
   10	Florida	$87,101	$42
   11	Wisconsin	$86,515	$42
   12	Massachusetts	$86,275	$41
   13	Oregon	$83,828	$40
   14	Missouri	$80,282	$39
   15	Pennsylvania	$78,449	$38
   16	District of Columbia	$78,271	$38
   17	Alabama	$75,800	$36
   18	Colorado	$74,229	$36
   19	Minnesota	$72,643	$35
   20	Montana	$72,531	$35

   Average specialist network engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Valero Energy	$108,418	$52.12
   2	Amgen	$101,843	$48.96	5
   3	Baker Hughes	$95,474	$45.90
   4	ASRC Federal	$92,579	$44.51	14
   5	Sanofi US	$92,546	$44.49	1
   6	Verizon Services Corp.	$92,376	$44.41
   7	NTT Data International L.L.C.	$91,200	$43.85	32
   8	Telcordia Technologies	$90,493	$43.51
   9	Infinity Systems Engineering	$89,553	$43.05	4
   10	Centurum	$89,296	$42.93	11
   11	Waystar	$87,462	$42.05	6
   12	Teletech Services Corporation	$87,016	$41.83
   13	TDS	$86,103	$41.40
   14	Aerojet Rocketdyne	$85,759	$41.23
   15	Pursuit Collection	$84,896	$40.82
   16	John Staurulakis	$83,140	$39.97	2
   17	Broome Delaware Tioga BOCES - Practical Nursing Program	$82,364	$39.60
   18	Leidos	$80,537	$38.72	249
   19	L3Harris	$75,026	$36.07	22
   20	Raytheon Technologies	$74,135	$35.64	35

4. Writing a specialist network engineer job description

   A good specialist network engineer 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 specialist network engineer job description:

   Specialist network engineer job description example

   ASRC Mission Services' focus is on technical and complex, mission-oriented services with contracts supporting federal government agencies. Our team of scientists and professional management personnel allows us to bring real-world experience to meet the growing demand for solutions to some of the most complex problems in aviation, IT management, aviation, and Earth and space sciences. We are seeking a
   Network Engineer - F5Specialist to support agovernment contract in Sterling, VA.
   
   Responsibilities
   
   Contributor in research, analysis, planning, and engineering. Contributor in collaboration with other Engineers, IT Architects, vendors, and clients to ensure that modified network hardware and software technology components interact appropriately. Ensuring production environments are developed, maintained and that other areas of impact are addressed while meeting business functional and performance requirements. Contribute in efforts to analyze, plan, coordinate, and execute network lifecycle projects. Participate in the planning, management, and execution of complex network system changes in support of customer requests. Participate in efforts to test, debug, and analyze performance, and document network hardware and software technology components. Participate in efforts to implement network hardware and software technology components by analyzing the current environment using technical tools and utilities, performing complex product customization, and developing implementation and verification procedures to ensure successful installation of network hardware/software.
   
   Requirements
   
   Responsibilities:
   
   Under general direction, the Network Engineer - Senior shall manage the purchase, installation, and support of network communications, including LAN/WAN systems. He/she shall be responsible for evaluating current systems and shall work on complex problems where analysis of the situation requires in-depth evaluation of various factors. He/she shall plan large-scale systems projects through vendor comparison and cost studies and provide work leadership and training to lower level network engineers. He/she shall provide oversight over detailed operational and maintenance, to include engineering planning diagrams depicting end-to-end infrastructure devices, as well as communication flows throughout the network environment. This shall include, but not be limited to, servers, SANS, routers, switches, firewalls, load balancers, and security devices.
   
   Requirements:
   
   F5 Certifications a plus. Cloud Service integration a plus. Must have expert knowledge of LAN/WAN systems, networks, and applications. A BS/BA in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline is required. At minimum of eight (8) years' experience with emphasis on computer network systems.
   
   **COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement Statement
   
   The COVID-19 vaccination requirement in Executive Order 14042 and FAR 52.223-99 is currently not effective. But please note that if those or other related requirements become effective, positions will require successful candidates to obtain and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination(s). ASRC Federal is an equal opportunity employer and will provide reasonable accommodation to those individuals who are unable to be vaccinated consistent with federal, state, and local law.
   
   EEO Statement
   
   ASRC Federal and its Subsidiaries are Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employers. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, gender, color, age, sexual orientation, gender identification, national origin, religion, marital status, ancestry, citizenship, disability, protected veteran status, or any other factor prohibited by applicable law.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find specialist network engineers 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 specialist network engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level specialist network engineers 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 specialist network engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit specialist network engineer 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

   To successfully recruit specialist network engineers, 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.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   Sometimes, it's not enough to interview specialist network engineer 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 specialist network engineer

   Once you have selected a candidate for the specialist network engineer position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new specialist network engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

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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