San Francisco Bay Area Network Engineer Job FAQs

At Fastmetrics, we are currently not hiring for more network engineers, but if you are looking for network engineer jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, check out some of these latest positions available below. This customized jobs feed filters out other generalist positions to purely focus on network engineer and associated positions available in the Bay Area. Simply click on a network engineer listing link, to see more details about the position. Note: you will be redirected to the Indeed jobs website after clicking on a job listing.

Network Engineer Job Description & FAQs

What Does a Network Engineer Do In Their Role?

Wondering what a network engineer does? A network engineer’s job description consists of being responsible for ensuring data passes through and between computers on a given network to facilitate communication between users. As a network engineer, you’ll be setting up, developing, and maintaining computer networks within an organization or between organizations. These networks can include computer, voice, and firewall.

Another part of your network engineer job role is offering support to users of those networks and troubleshooting problems. In some cases, you may need to design a new network to ensure network availability and maximum network performance for users.

A network engineer may work as a company employee as part of the business’s IT team, or they may provide their services as an external IT consultancy company. A network engineer is often referred to as a network architect, network administrator, Cisco engineer, or IT/systems design support engineer. You’ll typically work a regular workweek. However, you may be called on outside of office hours or expected to come in on weekends or evenings if there are problems with the network.

What Types Of Network Engineer Qualifications Do You Need?

If you want to work as a network engineer, companies look for candidates that have at least a bachelor’s degree to indicate they’ve taken the right network engineering courses in computer science, information technology systems, or computer engineering. In some cases, companies may also require an advanced degree like a master’s network engineer degree in business administration. Having completed a network engineer internship is another thing they might look for in a prospect’s learning path.

Network engineer requirements and network engineer training may also indicate you have an understanding of network computer systems and networks of people through personal experience, and good analytical, problem-solving, and technical skills. If you’re just starting, here are the key requirements regarding your level of skill and the general networking skills you should focus on developing:

  • Knowing how applications, email, websites, and pages connect via networks
  • Understanding how IP addresses work
  • Being familiar with the hardware behind any network
  • Knowing how firewalls and routers work

An aptitude in mathematics is necessary for the job, along with communication skills, as you’ll often need to translate business needs into technical specifications. Additionally, you’ll also need LAN and WAN experience and experience with network security measures.

What Is the Average Salary for Network Engineers in the San Francisco Bay Area?

According to Glassdoor, the average network engineer salary in the San Francisco Bay Area is a median wage of $102,567/year. This is based on 549 anonymously submitted annual salaries from other network engineer specialists employed in San Francisco. Keep in mind salaries vary from one company to the next and that your overall experience may influence how much you can make. Salary is also influenced by the size, type, and industry of the company you work for, as well as its location and the size of their network installation.

What Types of Businesses Commonly Employ Network Engineers?

As a network engineer, you can work for a wide variety of businesses. Typically, companies hiring a network engineer belong to the following major industries:

  • Banks and financial agencies
  • Retail groups
  • Various government departments
  • Schools and hospitals
  • Utility companies
  • Transport providers

There are also smaller companies and local authorities that often outsource their IT needs to IT companies, so you can also look for employment with one of those businesses. It’s worth mentioning that large companies like Microsoft are also known to hire network engineers, as they provide a wide range of installation and support services for both corporate clients and small businesses.

What Are Some Career Prospects / Advancement Opportunities for Network Engineers?

If you want to advance your career as a network engineer, you’ll need to invest in your skills continually. This is due to the rapidly changing nature of the industry. A couple of network engineer certifications we suggest getting include the Cisco Certified Network and Microsoft certifications, among others.

After becoming a certified network engineer, your career path will depend on the size of your industry and the company you work for. As you get more relevant experience, you can advance to network management positions and work as a senior network manager or senior network controller. Another option is to expand your career into network infrastructure protocols and project management or network architecture. Or you may want to start your own IT company and provide your network services as an outside contractor for several different clients.