1. What is a Network Automation Engineer？

Network automation refers to the use of automation tools and programming to automate network operations, security, and monitoring to improve efficiency and reliability. Network automation engineers are responsible for overseeing these automated processes.

2. What does a Network Automation Engineer do?

Network automation typically requires designing and implementing automated processes for all network engineering stages, collaborating with various engineering teams and IT professionals, managing and configuring networks using automation technologies to improve team efficiency, and using automation tools and programming to deploy network infrastructure to solve company automation network problems. Network automation engineers need to use tools such as Ansible, Salt, BackBox, and Python programming to develop and implement automated processes. As a network automation engineer, you will be part of the network engineering team. You will help build, lead, and guide an efficient team of network engineers. You will be responsible for collecting business requirements, soliciting feedback from key stakeholders on business requirements, and translating business requirements into network tools to develop and build tools and solutions to meet your growing business needs.

3. Career Insights: Salary, Outlook & Related Roles

(1) Network Automation Engineer Salary

The average annual salary for a network automation engineer in the United States is $137,433, or $66.07 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $116,500 per year, while most experienced employees can make up to $176,395 per year. Expect additional compensation of $18,500 per year. Additional compensation may include cash bonuses, commissions, tips, and profit sharing.

(2) Job Outlook of Network Automation Engineer

Automation technology is becoming increasingly important to enterprises, and network engineering is one of the areas where automation is increasing. Some predict that automation will take on 30% to 50% of network tasks within a decade, which will significantly reduce the demand for senior engineers. In 2024, the global network automation market size was US$5.41 billion and is expected to grow by 23.15% to US$43.4 billion by 2034.

(3) Similar Occupations

• Network Analyst / Specialist
• Network Administrator
• Network Operations
• Engineer Software Quality Assurance Engineer / Test Engineer
• Control System Engineer
• Software Engineer

4. How to Become a Network Automation Engineer？

(1) Obtain relevant education

The first prerequisite for becoming an automation engineer is to obtain a university degree certificate recognized by the enterprise. Among them, a bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering or a related field is usually a stepping stone to this career. Senior automation engineers may require a master's degree in telecommunications, computer science and other fields.

(2) Have a professional certification

Employers often consider hiring Network Automation Engineer who have relevant certifications, so having relevant professional certifications can help kick-start an Network Automation Engineer's career because it demonstrates the investigator's professionalism and commitment to the field. CCNP Enterprise certification demonstrates your expertise in enterprise infrastructure, assurance, security, and more. With the Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) Enterprise certification, you can configure, troubleshoot, and manage networks for the world's largest companies.

(3) Gain practical experience

Experience is critical in a technical career. As technology changes rapidly, employers want to know if you have the skills and experience to meet their requirements without having to invest too much money in training. It is recommended to start with an entry-level position in the field of network engineering. Internships and entry-level IT jobs are great ways to gain experience, learn to troubleshoot, and expand your knowledge of network technologies.