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Core Network Jobs (NOW HIRING)

LLNL

Cloud and Core Network Engineer

Livermore, CA · On-site

We have an opening for a Cloud and Core Network Engineer . You will play a critical role in helping the laboratory seamlessly adopt and operate multi cloud architectures across AWS, Azure, and GCP ...

Brooksource

Senior Network Engineer

Austin, TX

$103K - $141K/yr

The engineer will support core network infrastructure projects, firewall deployments, and network security initiatives associated with a large private LTE deployment. The ideal candidate is a hands ...

C3EL

Senior Network Engineer

Honolulu, HI

$102K - $140K/yr

This position is responsible for the design, installation, configuration, and maintenance of core network infrastructure solutions supporting Department of Defense operations. The Senior Network ...

C3EL

$103K - $141K/yr

This position is responsible for the design, installation, configuration, and maintenance of core network infrastructure solutions supporting Department of Defense operations. The Senior Network ...

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$22K

$106.6K

$162.5K

How much do core network jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for core network in the United States is $106,570.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,500.00 and $128,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $500,000?

Senior network engineers, especially those with extensive experience, specialized skills in areas like network architecture, security, or cloud infrastructure, and certifications such as CCIE or CISSP, can earn $500,000 or more annually. These roles often involve leadership responsibilities, complex project management, and working in high-demand environments like large enterprises or technology firms.

What jobs pay 10,000 a month without a degree?

In the core network field, high-paying roles such as network engineer, systems administrator, or network architect can reach or exceed $10,000 per month with relevant experience and certifications like Cisco CCNP or CCIE. These positions often require strong technical skills, problem-solving ability, and hands-on experience rather than a formal degree.

What is the role of the core network?

A core network in telecommunications is responsible for managing data routing, switching, and control functions across the network. Core network professionals ensure reliable connectivity, handle signaling, and maintain network security using tools like network management systems and protocols such as LTE or 5G. They often work with network architecture, troubleshooting, and optimization to support service delivery.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Core Network position, and why are they important?

To thrive in a Core Network role, you need expertise in IP networking, protocols, network architecture, and a relevant degree in telecommunications, IT, or a similar field. Familiarity with core network equipment such as routers, switches, network management systems, and certifications like CCNP, CCIE, or equivalent are usually required. Strong analytical thinking, effective communication, and the ability to work under pressure help professionals excel in this position. These skills ensure the reliable operation, troubleshooting, and optimization of critical network infrastructure for service providers or large organizations.

What is the highest paid job in networking?

The highest paid roles in networking are often senior positions such as Network Architects or Chief Network Officers, with salaries exceeding $150,000 annually. These roles typically require advanced certifications like CCNP or CCIE, extensive experience, and expertise in designing and managing complex network infrastructures.

What are some typical challenges faced in a Core Network role, and how can I prepare for them?

Working in a Core Network position often involves addressing complex network faults, ensuring high availability, and implementing upgrades without service disruption. You may need to respond quickly to critical outages, investigate root causes, and coordinate with cross-functional teams to maintain network stability. To prepare, it's helpful to stay current with evolving network technologies, practice hands-on troubleshooting, and develop strong documentation and incident response skills. A proactive learning mindset and solid teamwork abilities will help you succeed when adapting to industry changes and emerging challenges.

What is a Core Network job?

A Core Network job involves designing, maintaining, and optimizing the central part of a telecommunications network, which handles data, voice, and messaging traffic. Professionals in this role ensure seamless connectivity, high performance, and network security. They work with technologies like IP networking, routing, switching, and protocols such as MPLS and VoIP. This role is crucial for maintaining network reliability and efficiency for service providers and enterprises.

More about Core Network jobs
What job categories do people searching Core Network jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Core Network jobs are:
Core Network jobs near you
Infographic showing various Core Network job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Locum Tenens, 1% As Needed, 81% Full Time, 15% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 5% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,570 per year, or $51.2 per hour.
Software Engineer, Core Network Engineering

Software Engineer, Core Network Engineering

OpenAI

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$230K - $342K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 days ago

Job description

About the Team
The Core Network Engineering team owns the end-to-end networking stack that connects OpenAI's compute infrastructure - spanning global WAN/edge connectivity, data-center networking, and high-performance host/xPU networking used for large-scale training and inference workloads.
This team is responsible for ensuring networking is never the bottleneck to model training efficiency, cluster reliability, or fleet expansion. They design and operate the systems that provide predictable, high-throughput, low-latency connectivity across some of the world's most advanced AI infrastructure.
About the Role
We're looking for engineers to help build and operate the networking foundation behind OpenAI's frontier AI systems.
Depending on your background and area of focus, you may work across host networking, datacenter fabrics, or global WAN infrastructure. The problems span low-level systems software, distributed infrastructure, protocol readiness, observability, performance engineering, automation, and large-scale network operations.
You'll work on systems where microseconds of latency, tail performance, and network reliability directly impact model training efficiency and production serving performance.
This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy operating close to the hardware/software boundary and solving performance-critical infrastructure problems at massive scale.
In this role, you will:
  • Design, build, and operate networking systems that support large-scale AI training and inference infrastructure
  • Improve performance, reliability, and scalability across host networking, datacenter fabrics, and WAN systems
  • Develop automation for provisioning, configuration management, validation, upgrades, and lifecycle management of networking infrastructure
  • Build tooling and observability systems for network health, performance analysis, debugging, and automated remediation
  • Optimize network performance across technologies such as RDMA, RoCE, InfiniBand, Ethernet, and high-performance GPU interconnects
  • Define and operationalize networking protocols, readiness criteria, and continuous validation systems
  • Partner closely with compute, storage, hardware, and infrastructure teams to ensure networking scales predictably with fleet growth
  • Contribute to architecture decisions around topology design, capacity planning, failure domains, and network reliability
  • Diagnose complex distributed systems and networking issues across large heterogeneous compute environments
You might thrive in this role if you:
  • Have experience building or operating large-scale networking or distributed systems infrastructure
  • Are comfortable working close to the hardware/software boundary
  • Have experience with Linux networking, kernel systems, NICs, RDMA, or performance-sensitive infrastructure software
  • Have worked with high-performance networking technologies such as InfiniBand, RoCE, DPDK, or large-scale Ethernet fabrics
  • Have experience with datacenter networking, WAN systems, or host networking stacks
  • Enjoy debugging complex systems and performance bottlenecks across multiple layers of the stack
  • Are comfortable writing production software in languages such as C++, Python, or Go
  • Have strong systems fundamentals across networking, operating systems, distributed systems, or infrastructure engineering
  • Are motivated by building infrastructure that directly accelerates frontier AI research and deployment

About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI's Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

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