How to Become a Network Automation Engineer

Network automation is the use of automation tools and programming to automate the running, security, and monitoring of networks in order to improve efficiency and reliability. A network automation engineer oversees these automation processes.

Network automation is becoming an important part of IT infrastructure for businesses and organizations, increasing the need for highly skilled individuals in the field. Learn more about this in-demand role, the salary and career opportunities you can expect, and how to start this career.

Understanding the role of a network automation engineer

Network automation engineering is a growing career. This is due to businesses and organizations seeing the benefits of automation technology for enhancing efficiency, speeding up processes, reducing errors, and improving the consistency of performance. The job of a network automation engineer is to design, develop, and use automation tools to reconfigure and deploy networks at scale by automating processes like network security, network mapping, and network testing.

Network automation engineering takes traditional network engineering a step further. Whereas a network engineer designs, develops, implements, and maintains computer networks, a network automation engineer develops and implements processes to automate these processes using tools such as Ansible, Salt, BackBox, and programming in Python. 

Network automation engineer's key responsibilities

Working as a network automation engineer comes with a range of responsibilities. Your job description will vary depending on where you work, but you can expect your duties to include the following: 

• Design and implement automation processes for all network engineering phases.

• Work with a variety of engineering teams and IT professionals.

• Manage and configure networks using automation technology.

• Deploy network infrastructures using automation tools and programming.

• Troubleshoot automation network issues.

Network automation salary and job outlook

Automation technology is becoming essential for businesses, with network engineering being one of the areas seeing an increase in automation. The global network automation market was worth $5.41 billion in 2024 and is expected to be worth $43.40 billion by 2034, which is a 23.15 percent increase [1]. The average network automation engineer's salary is high, with an average base of $101,058 [2]. Network engineer salaries are marginally lower by comparison, with an average base salary of $96,670 [3]. 

The salary you receive may depend on a number of factors, including the company you work for. In this field, you’ll find work in businesses, data centers, and cloud environments across a range of industries. 

Steps to becoming a network automation engineer

Working as a network automation engineer means developing a combination of technical and workplace skills, as well as building a strong educational foundation and gaining relevant experience. Follow these steps to make a start in your network automation engineer career. 

Obtain relevant education

To develop the foundations in network automation, you might consider a combination of academic education, such as a degree, and industry-specific certifications. Traditionally, network engineers have at least a bachelor’s degree in network security, engineering, information technology, computer science, or network engineering. 

You may also be able to access an entry-level position with an associate degree, but generally, a bachelor’s degree is the minimum requirement.

Gain practical experience

Experience is important in a technical occupation. As technology is constantly changing, employers want to know you have the skills and experience to match their requirements without having to invest too much capital in training. 

You might start with a general role in network engineering. Internships and entry-level IT jobs are excellent ways to gain experience, learn to troubleshoot and expand your knowledge of networking technology. 

Specialize in network automation

Once you have some network engineering experience, think about specializing in automation. As a starting point, most automation techniques involve understanding software development and terminology, with some requiring programming skills. This is a great place to start.

From here, consider areas where you could implement automation and develop processes for common tasks using your existing networking skills and tools. You could take an online course in automation or AI to further boost your resume, such as Cisco’s Network Automation Engineering Fundamentals Specialization.

Pursue certifications

To tailor your qualifications to automation specifically, certifications are a great way of building your skills and proving to employers that you have these competencies. Possible certifications include:

• Cisco CCNP Enterprise certification

• Cisco DevNet Associate certification

• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate

• ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP)

Develop a professional network

Networking is an excellent way to build relevant connections in your field that might benefit you and your career. This could be getting introductions to other professionals, finding a mentor, learning about a conference or event, or hearing about a potential job.

Required skills for a successful network automation engineer

In addition to various technical skills, you’ll need workplace skills to meet the demands of the role, as you also need to work well with others and have excellent problem-solving abilities. 

Technical expertise

Technical skills are essential in this job role. You’ll need to be familiar with networking technologies, tools, software, and hardware, such as:

• Network design and implementation

• Network provisioning 

• Network management

• Network configuration 

• Software development

• Algorithms

• Data structures

• Data models

• Network simulation software

• Cybersecurity 

• Cloud computing

Programming and scripting skills

Programming and scripting are common in automation, so it’s important that you have a good grasp of both. You’ll use Python to build automation systems to streamline processes and interact with devices. Tools like Ansible and Salt are written using Python. Scripting is a useful tool for automating network configurations without the need for programming. 

Familiarity with automation frameworks

To work as a network automation engineer, you need to have knowledge and skills in automation frameworks. These are a combination of guidelines, tools, and components, including libraries and APIs, enabling you to create scripts and test cases. Examples include Puppet, Ansible, and Chef.

Workplace skills 

Along with technical skills, you need to develop workplace skills to collaborate with other technology professionals, solve problems, and manage yourself effectively. Consider the following:

• Communication

• Project management 

• Collaboration

• Problem-solving

• Analytical skills

Where does a network automation engineer work?

Network engineers work in a range of businesses. Anywhere with a computer network that requires automation could be an opportunity for a network automation engineer career. Possibilities include:

• Information technology

• Cloud technology

• Software production

• Education 

• Telecommunications

• Health care

• Government departments

• Military

Learn more about network automation with Coursera.

Network automation is the practice of streamlining computer networks using automation tools and frameworks. If you’d like a career as a network automation engineer, a great place to start is with some online courses or Professional Certificates to bolster your resume. Check out the Akamai Network Engineering Professional Certificate as a starting point, available on Coursera.