What Does A Network Engineer Do?

WHAT DOES A NETWORK ENGINEER DO?

Published: Dec 04, 2025 - The Network Engineer serves as a subject-matter expert in routing, switching, performance monitoring, and troubleshooting while overseeing system enhancements and ensuring compatibility across hardware, software, and cloud environments. This role involves deploying and maintaining network infrastructure, resolving incidents, developing automation solutions, and collaborating with security and cross-functional teams to support operational and project requirements. The Engineer also provides technical leadership, documentation, and on-call support to ensure reliability, compliance, and seamless service delivery.

A Review of Professional Skills and Functions for Network Engineer

1. Network Engineer Details and Accountabilities

Network Configuration: Implement and configure network devices, and monitor network devices by using monitoring software.
Firewall Management: Configure Palo Alto Firewall and Panorama configuration templates and device groups.
Hardware Maintenance: Maintain all network hardware and equipment, including firewalls, routers, and switches.
Network Troubleshooting: Perform Level 2 and Level 3 network troubleshooting for firewalls, routers, and switches.
Network Upgrades: Recommend and perform network improvements and upgrades.
Wireless Support: Maintain and troubleshoot Aruba Wireless and ClearPass.
Staff Training: Provide training and support to help desk staff on network issues and provide guidance to team members.
Cloud Networking: Maintain and implement Azure and AWS network environments.
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with application and infrastructure teams to implement routing, switching, and firewall rules.
VPN Management: Maintain remote VPN and update configurations based on requirements.
Cross-Team Support: Collaborate closely with the network and firewall L1 and L2 teams.

2. Network Engineer Overview

Customer Communication: Communicate effectively with third parties such as partners and customers regarding technical issues and customer service inquiries, both orally and in writing.
Network Troubleshooting: Diagnose and troubleshoot wireless, security, switching, and other network-related issues reported by Cisco Meraki customers and partners.
Case Ownership: Own each customer case from initial creation to resolution.
Team Collaboration: Collaborate with other support team members to fix network outages, misconfigurations, and complex networking issues on customers’ devices.
Packet Analysis: Read and analyze packet captures using Wireshark.
Issue Escalation: Work with engineering and management to diagnose and resolve critical, escalated issues.
Knowledge Documentation: Use acquired knowledge to suggest, edit, and write in-depth Knowledge Base articles.
Feature Learning: Stay up to date on Meraki features and technology by attending lunch and learns.
Product Communication: Participate in engineering and product team communication to remain informed on updates.
Networking Trends: Keep up with enterprise and cloud networking trends.
Continuous Learning: Apply continuous learning to support improved troubleshooting and customer service.

3. Network Engineer Job Description

Network Operations: Maintain smooth operation of voice and data networks.
Network Installation: Plan, evaluate, coordinate, and perform installation and reconfiguration of hardware and software elements of data and voice communication networks.
Technical Expertise: Develop technical expertise in all areas of voice and data network hardware and software interconnection and interfacing, such as routers, multiplexers, firewalls, hubs, bridges, and gateways.
Solution Planning: Propose management solutions to ensure all communications requirements are met based on future needs and current usage, configuring such solutions to optimize cost savings.
Network Documentation: Prepare or ensure that appropriate network documentation exists, including operational instructions.
Network Monitoring: Provide regular monitoring and network analysis for short- and long-range planning of in-house systems.
Vendor Coordination: Assist with the coordination of third-party maintenance for network equipment.
Network Design: Assist with design or a portion of network design, including the selection of hardware and software packages.

4. Network Engineer Duties

Solution Design: Design, configure, and deliver solutions leveraging a wide range of technologies to meet the business needs of clients.
Network Design: Design local area and wireless networking solutions.
Team Coordination: Coordinate with ISPs, clients, and other technical teams to carry out network design and configuration.
Device Implementation: Implement and monitor network and security devices.
Network Optimization: Perform network and infrastructure troubleshooting and optimization.
Product Familiarity: Maintain familiarity with current computer and network products.
Security Compliance: Adhere to corporate information security guidelines and promote information security among coworkers.

5. Network Engineer Details

Network Services Management: Design, plan, implement, and maintain corporate voice and data communication network services, Amazon Contact Centre, and associated SIP infrastructure.
Technical Documentation: Create and maintain technical documentation, reports, and records regarding infrastructure solutions.
Technical Support: Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and fault rectification of high-level technical issues related to voice and networking equipment and services.
Systems Analysis: Analyse tenders, supervise acceptance tests, and commission communications systems and equipment.
Vendor Interface: Act as an interface between the organisation and suppliers, carriers, and vendors regarding high-level technical issues and carrier billing.
Training Guidelines: Provide guidelines for training in the use and maintenance of voice and networking equipment, systems, and facilities.
Performance Monitoring: Monitor the performance of the organisation’s communications carriers and network providers in relation to established service level agreements and business needs.
System Tuning: Test, implement, monitor, and tune voice and networking software and hardware to ensure optimum system performance and highlight potential issues.
Traffic Analysis: Manage the analysis of voice and network traffic data and provide recommendations on performance improvements to the network.

6. Network Engineer Responsibilities

Project Management: Manage Outside Plant and Inside Plant project management, quality control, and final testing for all IMD Telecom projects.
Design Provisioning: Provide OSP and ISP provision and maintenance of design drawings.
Root Cause Analysis: Perform root cause analysis on communication issues and research methods to increase connectivity efficiency.
Cost Estimation: Provide proposed project cost estimates, material lists and BOM recommendations, and design.
Network Design: Plan, design, and troubleshoot small to large telecommunication networks consisting of microwave, fiber optics, PBXs, LANs, encryption, and more.
Vendor Selection: Assist with vendor selection.
RFP Support: Work with vendors to obtain quotations and respond to RFPs by developing technical documentation, graphical artwork, and material lists.
Voice Consulting: Provide support and consulting to internal customers on voice communications issues and services such as adds, moves, and changes to existing communications networks.
Diagram Production: Produce accurate telecommunications network diagrams in 2D or 3D within required time constraints.
Product Research: Research and maintain a broad knowledge of various telecommunication products and services, including protective distribution systems.
Vendor Engagement: Engage extensively with external service providers of microwave, power, fiber optic, and other communication vendors.
Survey Consulting: Provide support and consulting to customers on subsurface site survey issues and services such as routing or changes in direction or location.

7. Network Engineer Job Summary

Whitelist Management: Maintain whitelists with company input, noting that most work is handled by the existing Proofpoint solution.
Mail Routing Support: Provide support for rule-based mail routing and threshold notification within the organization.
Email Restoration: Provide support for restoration and eDiscovery of email data from inactive mailboxes.
Address Policy Support: Provide support for global and divisional email address policies.
Connector Configuration: Configure send and receive connectors to and from other systems.
Message Analysis: Support authorized messaging analysis, including tracking and delivery confirmations.
Microsoft Engagement: Engage Microsoft based on the scope of the analysis.
Groups Management: Manage dormant Teams and O365 groups using ShareGate Apricot, already licensed by the client.
Best Practices: Define best practices for global configuration and operation.
Site Provisioning: Provision new SharePoint sites.
Request Fulfillment: Fulfill these requests through an authorized service request.
Branding Support: Provide level 2 support for client branding in SharePoint applications.
Issue Escalation: Escalate issues to the client or external suppliers, such as Microsoft support teams.
ShareGate Utilization: Utilize the ShareGate product to clone sites, create scheduled backups of production sites, and create dev-to-prod processes.
Quota Configuration: Configure and allocate storage quotas.
Quota Fulfillment: Fulfill increases to quotas through an authorized service request.
Access Authorization: Obtain explicit authorization from the site owner or another authorized client approver before accessing a site.
Request Verification: Verify that SharePoint service requests have been approved before reaching Softtek.
Virtualization Management: Manage server virtualization technologies such as VMware Server, ESX, or Microsoft Hyper-V and Virtual Server.

8. Network Engineer Accountabilities

Environment Support: Maintain, monitor, and support assigned network or system environments.
Procedure Compliance: Follow defined procedures to monitor networks and resolve problems.
System Support: Support one or more systems or applications of low to medium complexity with multiple concurrent users while ensuring control, integrity, accessibility, and performance.
Planning Participation: Participate in short-term planning efforts with stakeholders and Business Technology Leaders.
Business Alignment: Work with project teams to understand business needs.
Technical Alignment: Work with other engineers to understand technical requirements.
Vendor Coordination: Participate in vendor meetings to determine appropriate solutions, implementation plans, and support planning.
Routine Maintenance: Monitor alerts and take appropriate actions, perform routine maintenance tasks such as backups, patch management, and hot fixes, and complete health checks based on checklists.
Capacity Monitoring: Monitor network operating capacity, including CPU utilization, and monitor hardware and software activities and resource utilization for capacity planning.
Issue Management: Identify problems and optimize performance, escalate issues, and follow change management processes and procedures.
Metrics Analysis: Analyze and report on operational metrics to ensure success in process improvements and capacity planning.
Level 3 Support: Provide Level 3 production support, troubleshoot problems, notify appropriate resources during failures, and work with teams to resolve issues while complying with service level agreements.
Security Compliance: Adhere to security requirements and procedures and report issues.
Documentation: Document new or modified functions, modules, software, or systems.

9. Network Engineer Functions

Implementation Planning: Develop and define plans for the implementation of new plant construction or modifications to existing facilities.
Plan Preparation: Prepare plans and specifications, including gathering field data.
Project Feasibility: Assure that the most feasible, practical, and economical means to complete the work are utilized.
Cost Support: Provide cost data to support capital planning and budgeting.
Facility Oversight: Oversee the installation, construction, and testing of plant facilities.
Network Analysis: Analyze local and wide area network systems and customer network environments, including planning, designing, evaluating, selecting operating systems and protocol suites, and configuring communication media with concentrators, bridges, and other devices.
Interoperability Resolution: Resolve interoperability problems to obtain operations across all platforms, including email, file transfer, multimedia, and teleconferencing.
Hardware & Software Support: Support acquisition and implementation of hardware and software, as well as subcontractor services.

10. Network Engineer Additional Details

Sales Support: Perform all related activities such as supporting sales in qualifying opportunities, defining technical solutions for customers based on standard and semi-standard network templates and capabilities, initiating orders, and defining them technically for delivery.
Solution Ownership: Take full and proactive ownership of solution discussions and queries, and ensure they are fully qualified, efficient, and effective according to agreed sales or delivery SLAs.
Technical Support: Support customers in product-related technical queries and maintain technical documentation and client-specific designs.
Pre-Sales Engagement: Support and participate in pre-sales engagements with sales managers and customers, gathering technical requirements and planning handover into delivery.
Market Support: Support activities primarily for the UK and European markets.
Global Collaboration: Participate in a global team where a home-office balance is available depending on needs and agreement.
Relationship Building: Build effective relationships internally and externally, apply special support to customers and key stakeholders, and maintain daily contact.

11. Network Engineer Essential Functions

System Development: Develop and maintain data networking and telecommunications systems.
Network Analysis: Analyze network characteristics such as traffic, connect time, transmission speeds, packet sizes, and throughput, troubleshoot problems, and recommend procurement, removals, and modifications to network components.
Topology Management: Work with network topologies and site configurations.
Implementation Planning: Implement plans to install, transition, convert, and cut over network components and capabilities.
System Monitoring: Monitor the operations of telecom systems and services of vendors.
Requirement Coordination: Coordinate requirements with users and suppliers.
Network Administration: Perform network administration and provide technical assistance in the integration and testing of computer-integrated networks.

12. Network Engineer Tasks

Traffic Management: Monitor, troubleshoot, and improve LAN/WAN traffic.
Architecture Documentation: Document networking architecture.
Traffic Control: Allow and deny specific traffic.
Project Coordination: Coordinate with the Security Manager and Development and Infrastructure Departments to manage projects and fulfill the requirements of different environments.
Case Management: Manage and resolve assigned cases promptly.
Customer Support: Support new and existing customers with their small configuration add, move, and change requests.
Engineering Support: Provide support to senior engineers on configuration preparation and deployment on complex projects.
Service Activation: Work with project managers for smooth service activation.
Documentation Management: Work on all aspects of documentation for both internal and external usage.

13. Network Engineer Roles

Network Investigation: Own and solve complex network investigations.
Project Leadership: Lead and manage projects aimed at process improvement and increased customer satisfaction.
Ticket Handling: Handle customer issues based on assigned tickets.
Issue Escalation: Enlist other repair organizations or escalate on demand to resolve problems.
Issue Tracking: Document and track issues and keep customers updated on their status.
Quality Monitoring: Monitor quality through evaluation of tickets and calls.

14. Network Engineer Role Purpose

Technical Support: Provide technical support for company security products to company customers, partners, account teams, and other internal technical support teams.
Problem Resolution: Handle a wide variety of technical support problems, from simple application or network configuration fixes to extremely complex troubleshooting and problem resolution.
Lab Simulation: Utilize moderate to complex lab setups to recreate and solve problems.
Defect Reporting: Submit complete and correct defect reports with collaboration and supervision.
Independent Judgment: Work with minimal supervision and exercise judgment within defined procedures to determine appropriate action.
Cross-Technology Collaboration: Collaborate with other TAC engineers across technology boundaries to help drive quicker resolution where multiple technologies may be involved.

15. Network Engineer General Responsibilities

Service Promotion: Detect and seize every opportunity allowing promotion of the Value Added Services activities, both internally and externally.
Cross-Department Support: Support and liaise fully with all other areas of DXC.
Performance Ownership: Accept responsibility for own standard of performance and ensure quality results.
Safety Compliance: Undertake duties in accordance with health and safety requirements, demonstrating a duty of care to self and others.
Objective Achievement: Achieve company objectives regarding service, sales, and company growth.
Escalation Updates: Provide timely updates on all escalated Level 3 and Level 4 problems.
Customer Satisfaction: Promote the DXC image to guarantee customer satisfaction, in accordance with the strategy of the company.

16. Senior Network Engineer Key Accountabilities

Enterprise Architecture: Design and implement advanced enterprise network architectures across wired, wireless, cloud, software-defined, and security domains to enable scalable business growth.
Disaster Recovery: Perform disaster recovery activities, capacity planning, and continuous system monitoring with effective alerting.
Global Support: Support a globally distributed network team operating in a high-velocity environment.
Network Maintenance: Execute network maintenance and upgrades that include patches, fixes, and security enhancements.
Technical Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for all network environments.
Complex Troubleshooting: Troubleshoot complex issues and deliver innovative solutions that resolve critical operational challenges promptly.
Change Management: Follow organizational change management processes to ensure controlled and compliant updates.
On-Call Participation: Participate in on-call responsibilities within a rotating global support model.
SME Development: Show strong potential and motivation to grow into a subject matter expert for advanced access control and network security platforms.
Standards Alignment: Align with enterprise-wide networking standards and architectural guidelines.
Regional Rollouts: Coordinate and execute regional network rollouts based on global design requirements.
Continuous Improvement: Contribute to continuous improvement efforts across all networking practices and technologies.

17. Network Engineer Roles and Details

Performance Monitoring: Monitor network performance to maintain business demand and capacity requirements and be proactive in assessing and recommending improvements.
User Support: Address the day-to-day network support needs of business users by following the Service Delivery Framework to provide exceptional support for incident, service request, change, and problem management.
Issue Escalation Handling: Attend to end-user requests and outages received via escalations from ConnectIT, Telstra, or other business partners.
Satisfaction Management: Maintain the highest levels of end-user satisfaction through quality, timely support within defined service level agreements.
Office Setup Coordination: Understand business needs for new office setups and collaborate with relevant teams to ensure the timely setup of office services in line with expectations.
Request Updating: Provide timely and quality updates of logged requests using the ITSM tool.
Site Visits: Visit state main offices and remote offices to resolve network issues or conduct proactive reviews to ensure efficient operations.
Cabinet Maintenance: Maintain uncluttered communications cabinets across all Mirvac locations.
Initiative Execution: Execute initiatives with skill and quality to achieve desired business outcomes.
Vulnerability Management: Detect and close vulnerabilities on time in adherence with policy.
Process Improvement: Contribute to process improvement and enhance the way work is performed.
Timely Escalation: Escalate requests to appropriate support teams on time.
Documentation Development: Develop and maintain solution design documents and network-related knowledge articles.
Skill Development: Develop new skills to recommend new technologies and to support and maintain newly implemented technologies.

18. Network Engineer Responsibilities and Key Tasks

Subject Matter Expertise: Act as a subject-matter expert in network routing and switching, as well as network performance monitoring and troubleshooting.
Enhancement Review: Review completion and implementation of system additions and enhancements, and make recommendations to management and clients.
Application Evaluation: Evaluate new application, infrastructure, and cloud decisions within the context of existing applications, infrastructure, standards, and current and future business strategies.
Specification Definition: Determine system specifications, input and output processes, and working parameters for hardware and software compatibility.
Team Leadership: Provide guidance and work leadership to less-experienced IT staff and may assume supervisory responsibilities.
Client Liaison: Serve as a liaison with senior clients and participate in meetings to ensure client needs are met.
Incident Resolution: Provide problem and incident resolution, including engagement with software and hardware vendor technical support.
Hardware Deployment: Deploy and maintain network hardware, peripherals, services, and settings in alignment with industry standards and project or operational requirements.
System Monitoring: Perform daily system monitoring, verify the integrity and availability of networking hardware, services, systems, and key processes, and review system and application logs.
Change Management: Document and conduct changes during ASI windows.
On-Call Leadership: Provide leadership in on-call troubleshooting and issue resolution.
Procedure Development: Develop and maintain installation and configuration procedures.
Security Collaboration: Collaborate with the security team to identify and remediate application and operating system vulnerabilities.
Group Liaison: Act as a liaison with other groups to support the diverse information needs of the client’s user base.
Automation Development: Develop scripts and automation solutions to support the completion of migration and integration tasks.
Root Cause Analysis: Review problems to identify root causes and ensure proper fixes are implemented.
Project Expertise: Provide high-level expertise to multiple projects and tasks.