Network Engineer in Milton Keynes

What is a network engineer?

Network engineers are responsible for providing the business with the network systems, data speeds and security needed to facilitate daily operations and to support new initiatives.

The job involves working with physical network equipment, like cables, routers, switches and devices, and logical topologies, like network protocols.

The role is often divided into lead network engineers (team leaders) and network engineers (2nd or 3rd line support). They work alongside network analysts or NOC analysts, who provide the 1st line of support.

Network engineer job description and responsibilities

A network engineer keeps everyone in the business connected using a mix of intranets, extranets, LANs and WANS. They monitor the business’ data throughput rate and assess whether upgrades are needed in order to meet future demands.

Engineers work alongside infrastructure engineers, infrastructure architects and product/sales teams, and report to the CTO or infrastructure manager.

Network engineer duties include:

Installing and maintaining network devices and services

Providing support and troubleshooting in accordance with SLAs

Assessing the technical needs of staff or clients

Managing firewalls

Performing software and firmware upgrades to help maintain security

Working alongside the IT security team to uphold policies and procedures

Documenting operational processes

Maintaining operational status by working with third parties/vendors

Network engineer job qualifications, skills and experience

To gain a role in network engineering, employers will be looking for a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or similar, and experience with network administration.

Desirable skills include:

CCNA, CCNP OR CCIE certification (dependent on role level)

Cisco, Palo Alto or Juniper routing/firewall experience

Public cloud experience (Azure/AWS certified, Office 365, Dynamics)

Knowledge of IP networks

Experience in physical network engineering

Employers will also look for some of the following soft skills and characteristics:

Good problem-solving skills

Excellent time management

Organisational skills

Critical thinking

Good attention to detail

Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal

The ability to work as part of a team

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Salary for Network Engineer in Milton Keynes

60500 - 81250

25th percentile

60500

The candidate has little or no prior experience in the position and is still developing relevant skills.

50th percentile

70000

The candidate has an average level of experience and has most of the necessary skills.

75th percentile

81250

The candidate has above-average experience, has most or all the necessary skills, and may have specialised qualifications.

Projected salaries for related positions

Position title

25th percentile

50th percentile

75th percentile

DevOps Manager

95000

113250

130750

DevOps Engineer

68000

82750

97750

Head of Infrastructure

78000

99500

115250

Infrastructure Manager

65000

75250

85500

Infrastructure Engineer

53250

63500

73500

Cloud Engineer

64500

77500

89750

Network Manager

67750

74500

82000

Service Delivery Manager

58750

63750

69250

Systems Engineer

44250

54750

64000

IT Support Manager

39500

48250

56500

Network Administrator

39500

44500

51500

Second-Line Support

31750

35250

39250

First-Line Support

29750

31000

33250

Get projected 2027 starting salaries in 6 professional fields localised to 24 major cities across the UK.

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Your guide to negotiating salaries and offers

2027 UK Salary Guide Explore UK salaries, in-demand benefits and compensation strategies to confidently benchmark for new hires or prepare for salary discussions.

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The salary benchmarks in the UK Salary Guide From Robert Half are the result of a rigorous, multistep process designed to reflect projected market trends for 2027. They are based on actual compensation for professionals Robert Half has placed across the UK, along with 365k third-party job posting data from Textkernel that we use for independent validation.

Non-salary data referenced in the UK Salary Guide is based on online surveys developed by Robert Half and conducted by an independent research firm. Robert Half commissioned research amongst 1,500 respondents using an online data collection methodology. The respondents represent 500 hiring managers and 1,000 workers in finance and accounting, IT and technology, administrative and office support, marketing and creative, and legal. Respondents are drawn from a sample of small-to-midsized enterprises (20-249 employees), and large (250-plus employees) private, publicly listed and public sector organisations across the UK.