IT Network Engineer Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the IT network engineer job description, including the key duties, tasks, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the IT network engineer role.

What Does an IT Network Engineer Do?

The IT network engineer in an organization has the responsibility to coordinate all activities regarding networking infrastructure in the organization.

The IT network engineer job description entails carrying out research, maintaining, and executing networking products and technologies to aid his/her organization’s mission, vision, and strategic plan.

His/her role also involves carrying out administrative, clerical, and networking activities to support the IT department of his/her company. He/she also ensures that business continuity and disaster recovery plans are updated and tested.

The network engineer in charge of IT serves as the senior technical resource and escalation point for all services relating to network in the organization.

His/her work description also involves contracting, equipment refresh, scheduling, and managing vendor relationships.

His/her duties also entails taking responsibility for all areas of providing network support, including performing changes, configuration, support, and operations.

The network engineer is expected to possess a broad knowledge of systems practices, procedures, and principles, and to utilize the knowledge in performing installation, and providing support to complex systems.

His/her responsibilities include installing and supporting systems from documented specifications and requirements.

He/she also works with project managers and business analysts to work out the requirements of a given project.

He/she is responsible for developing test plans and documentation as well as designing solutions and completing projects.

IT network engineers must have deep understanding of all domain-level data within a given system and should be able to provide accurate answers to system and project-level questions.

He/she should develop proficiency in applying knowledge of current architecture to accurately estimating projects, as well as learn about new and relevant technologies and put up a proposal to management to use them if necessary.

Network engineers commonly work in multidisciplinary teams handling various projects; therefore, he/she must have a great deal of interpersonal skills.

IT Network Engineer Job Description Example/Sample/Template

IT network engineers perform various functions in ensuring quality support and oversight, as well as growth of organizations’ network infrastructure to meet the organization and user requirements.

Network engineers perform common tasks, duties, and responsibilities in various companies/organizations with some variation to reflect the peculiar nature of the organization.

The following job description example highlights the typical duties and responsibilities that individuals who work as IT network engineers carry out in a University work setting:

• Perform network security duties such as managing host security, configuring firewalls, deleting and adding users, and disaster recovery and backup planning
• Carry out Network Engineer-Architect’s designs; develop the enterprise’s computing networks such as local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANS), and data centers
• Deploy hardware, including switches, UPSs, and routers, following direction from the supervisor
• Provide assistance in finding potential problems with network architecture/design and reporting them to senior network engineers to investigate further
• Participate in the creation and maintenance of available documentation regarding processes, network mapping, and network configuration
• Participate in the maintenance of procedures for disaster recovery, usage, and network administration
• Apply the work order system in documenting completed work
• Ensure daily work schedule and projects are completed within set deadlines by performing project tracking functions
• Carry out installation, maintenance, optimization, and monitoring of wireless or wired network equipment and other routine network hardware
• Provide support to single and multimode fiber and structured cabling and other systems, software, and communication links
• Perform analysis and monitoring of network availability and performance over expectations; carry out performance tuning and assist in troubleshooting network issues; make network performance reports and statistics available
• Collaborate with service providers and vendors to resolve problems relating to routine network and effect appropriate solutions
• Perform monitoring and auditing functions to ensure enterprise security procedures and policies are complied with; ensure violations are promptly reported to supervisor
• Ensure confidentiality in handling information being accessed, processes, or stored through company network resources
• Provide training and assistance to system users on usage of new network services or/and applications and other relevant applications; provide training to users to maximize the use of computing and network systems
• Serve as one to be relied upon in the event of an emergency
• Provide assistance in evaluating and analyzing new network software, hardware, and communication equipment to be sure they are compatible and applicable to the company’s operations before they are recommended
• Responsible for testing new software and/or hardware from third party
• Remain updated of new technologies and development in the industry
• Carry out other job related tasks that may be assigned.

Requirements –Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for IT Network Engineer Role

When hiring for the role of IT network engineer, employers general require interested candidates to possess certain skills, abilities, knowledge, experience, and education to qualify to seek the position. This is to be sure that only those with capability to excel on the job are short-listed for interview.

Highlighted below are major network engineer requirements that individuals looking to work in the IT industry should have to be able to access the role with most recruiters:

• Possess a Computer Science Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited institution, or a degree in other related field; also may be accepted is a combination of relevant experience, education, or/and certification
• Strong enterprise networking experience, including structured cabling and enterprise networked equipment
• Possess a valid driver’s license
• Two or more years of working full-time as an IT professional in a data center operations setting or in an IT network design environment
• Possess current certification (entry-level network)
• Strong experience and knowledge of networking concepts: TCP/IP, OSI, Routing and Switching, Cisco Networks, Juniper Networks, Palo Alto Networks, and Extreme Networks
• Deep knowledge of network management processes and tools, wireless and wired networks, wiring and cabling standards, and connections
• Strong knowledge and experience with communications, wide and local area networking and all relevant software and hardware
• Excellent written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills
• Strong ability to source information from users, vendors, and colleagues and deliver it to the required audience
• Strong documentation and reporting skills to effectively document routine technical problems, and to summarize the problems for various clients, including business and technical clients
• Strong ability to prioritize routine administrative tasks and to complete assigned duties within set deadline
• Profound ability to perform systems analysis and information gathering
• Strong project management ability– to develop simple project plans from identifying major milestones for small projects.

Conclusion

Are you an employer looking to hire for the post of IT network engineer? If you are, then you can apply the sample job description provided in this post to make a suitable one for your organization.

It is a known fact that you can increase your chances of attracting the network engineer you are looking for by publishing a good description of the role in your organization.

This post is also helpful to individuals interested in the network engineering career to increase their knowledge of what the position is about.