Digital

Network engineer

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The broad purpose of the occupation is to install networks, maintain them, and to offer technical support to users, where necessary.

Summary

This occupation is found in large, medium and small businesses, across all sectors, and within public, private, and voluntary bodies. Network engineers are a key occupation in most organisations, which are increasingly dependent on their physical and virtual networks. Digital technologies are increasingly being applied across business functions, to maximise productivity. Organisations of all types are increasingly applying digital technologies across all their business functions to maximise productivity.  

The demand for people who can manage, build, maintain on-site, cloud and hybrid networks are increasing. This is due to technological developments and emerging new technologies. The broad purpose of the occupation is to install networks, maintain them, and to offer technical support to users, where necessary. 

Small organisations may require the network engineer to work alone or as part of a team to securely monitor performance, maintain functionality and to troubleshoot virtual, local area network or respective components which may include Wi-Fi configuration.   

Within a medium sized organisation, the network engineer will typically be part of a team but may work individually on network tasks to securely monitor, troubleshoot and maintain a local or wide area network infrastructure or components (remotely or on site).  This may include Wi-Fi configuration.   

Within a large organisation, the network engineer will typically be part of a team and may be involved physically or remotely in the use of up-to-date technologies and techniques, whilst securely maintaining, troubleshooting, monitoring, and changing, complex networks, this may include Wi-Fi configuration.   

A network engineer provides networks and systems to deliver the objectives of their organisation. They will make sure that systems are working at optimum capacity and problem solve where needed. To be able to do this effectively a network engineer must interpret technical information and understand organisational requirements and expectations. They support delivery of legislatively compliant solutions to challenges in network infrastructure. 

Network engineers may deal with both hardware and software issues. They are a key part of resolving issues when networks fail, helping to troubleshoot and resolve identified problems and performance issues with the network, to ensure service is resumed and downtime minimised. Network engineers help customers, both technical and non-technical to install networks, maintain them, and offer technical support to users where necessary. 

Network engineers can be both customers facing or internal. In their daily work, an employee in this occupation may interact with a wide variety of stakeholders, face to face or remotely, by using a range of technologies. They may be working independently or collaboratively as part of a team. They will be aware of their organisational escalation structure and understand their role in their team. 

Typical job titles include

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs)

• Knowledge
• Skills
• Behaviours