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Junior Network Engineer Jobs in Iowa (NOW HIRING)

Meta is seeking a Network Operations Engineer to join our Edge and Network Services (ENS) Foundation NetOps team. In this role, you will utilize your knowledge in hyperscale data center structured ...

Our company provides application analysis, design, development and programming, software ... networking, and communications infrastructures. Our honest and realistic approach to recruiting ...

UFG is currently hiring for an Information Security Engineer who will play a critical role in ... network, system, applications, and operations management, providing guidance for junior team ...

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Junior Network Engineer information

See Iowa salary details

$31.5K

$61.2K

$87.4K

How much do junior network engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for junior network engineer in Iowa is $61,180.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $48,400.00 and $72,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges a junior network engineer may face in their first year, and how can they overcome them?

As a Junior Network Engineer, one common challenge is adapting to the fast-paced environment where quick troubleshooting and learning new technologies are essential. You may also encounter difficulties in understanding complex network architectures or managing multiple priorities under tight deadlines. To overcome these challenges, it's helpful to proactively seek mentorship from senior engineers, participate in hands-on training, and utilize documentation and online resources. Regular communication with your team and asking questions will accelerate your learning and build your confidence.

What does a junior network engineer do?

As a junior network engineer, your job is to manage connectivity and infrastructure in a company's network. This includes ensuring the company has internet access at all times, testing each new connection when you add hardware, and generally helping to maintain the network. This is a junior position, so you work under the direct supervision of a senior network engineer. Many people use this position to gain additional leadership and engineering skills, with the goal being a promotion to a senior engineering position. Despite not having leadership responsibilities, you may be asked to supervise a project from inception to completion.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a junior network engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Junior Network Engineer, you need a solid understanding of networking fundamentals, IP addressing, and troubleshooting, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with networking hardware, Cisco or CompTIA Network+ certifications, and experience using network monitoring tools are typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication skills help you excel in this role. These competencies are critical for maintaining reliable network operations and supporting the technical needs of organizations.
What are the most commonly searched types of Network Engineer jobs in Iowa? The most popular types of Network Engineer jobs in Iowa are:
What are popular job titles related to Junior Network Engineer jobs in Iowa? For Junior Network Engineer jobs in Iowa, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in Iowa are hiring for Junior Network Engineer jobs? Cities in Iowa with the most Junior Network Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Junior Network Engineer job openings in Iowa as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, and 33% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $61,180 per year, or $29.4 per hour.

Network Operations Engineer

Meta

Cedar Rapids, IA

$106K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 29 days ago


Meta rating

7.8

Company rating: 7.8 out of 10

Based on 45 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

136th of 242 rated software companies


Job description

Meta is seeking a Network Operations Engineer to join our Edge and Network Services (ENS) Foundation NetOps team. In this role, you will utilize your knowledge in hyperscale data center structured cabling, fiber connectivity solutions, and IP networking to support the delivery of field repair services. You will work closely with internal business teams, external vendors, network design/engineering, and other cross-functional teams to develop strategies for integrating new technologies and better supporting existing technologies across our operational fleet. Your objective will be to understand technical drivers for the business and organize strategies to ensure operational supportability meets those needs. Additionally, you will help represent ENS across various stakeholder groups to help achieve critical projects. Our team is dedicated to improving the operational efficiency and reliability of one of the world's most dynamic and fast-paced networks.
Network Operations Engineer Responsibilities:
  • Incident Response: Collaborate with cross-functional teams, managed service providers, and third-party vendor partners to investigate complex technical and process issues during major incidents/site events (SEVs) on edge, caching, and network infrastructure. Work closely with team members to understand the root cause of incidents and contribute to their resolution
  • Change Management: Identify security & business continuity issues affecting the network and infrastructure at Meta and work with the team to implement effective changes. Provide feedback on existing tools, processes, and policies to help scale with the rapid expansion of the Meta platform and customer base
  • Operations: Drive operations by identifying improvement opportunities across policies, processes, and procedures to improve efficiency and quality of activities. Ensure standards compliance across the network and optimize service delivery
  • Collaboration and Partnership: Work closely with internal customers to address their needs and issues, and influence future iterations of data center and network designs for seamless integration of new infrastructure and scalability
  • Team Leadership: Work with cross-functional teams within and outside the organization to deliver business outcomes predictability across global sites. Analyze operational datasets to detect and prioritize problems and create aligned team projects, programs, and roadmaps
  • Risk Management: Collaborate with partner teams to design and implement aligned processes that identify and manage data and asset protection risks, as well as operations continuity issues across the network
  • Information and Data Assurance: Ensure relevant operational process, procedure, and policy documentation is effectively managed, and the data required to support operations is complete and accurate in systems
  • Automation: Collaborate with the team to analyze operational events to identify new automation opportunities and achieve our goals of all Tier-1 faults in the network being fully remediated by software. Help others understand our requirements and drive their roadmaps, and in some cases, directly implement lightweight solutions in code
  • Data Measurement: Drive quality into the metrics we report, measuring and analyzing escalation issues, fault/event trends, infrastructure capacity, and vendor performance failures. Formulate appropriate metrics and definitions of success to drive quality, efficiency, cost, and timeliness, evolving these over time to match changes to the infrastructure and business requirements
  • Communication: Provide clear and effective communication around personal and team goals, progress, outcomes, and lessons learned across assigned scope
  • Travel: International and domestic travel may be required up to 25% of the time, depending on the needs of the business

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Currently has, or is in the process of obtaining a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, relevant technical field, or equivalent practical experience. Degree must be completed prior to joining Meta
  • 4+ years of experience operating, deploying, and designing large-scale network, optical, and/or physical layer infrastructure
  • 4+ years of network operations experience while supporting large-scale service provider, data center, and/or enterprise network infrastructure
  • Hands-on experience with various optical/network communication equipment such as network/fiber/copper test gear, and other WDM equipment, as well as associated tools and test equipment
  • Communication skills with a demonstrated ability to engage effectively with hardware vendors, service providers, and colocation facility vendors globally, and translate performance issues into actionable technical requirements
  • Experience analyzing tactical situations, troubleshooting, root causing systems and tools, and problem solving via tasks or larger cross functional projects
  • Ability to provide technical guidance to external vendors to direct repair actions
  • Working knowledge of Network Services, including topology, traffic analysis, hardware platform, and architectures
  • Familiarity with Enterprise and Service Provider network hardware platforms and architectures, including Cisco and Juniper routers/switches and Nexus data center switching hardware platforms
  • Knowledge of physical data center design: rack elevations, cabling, fiber optics, power/cooling, and facility infrastructure
  • Experience with network hardware platforms and architectures including Ciena, Infinera, Nokia, Arista, Cisco WDM Equipment
  • Ability to move technical or engineering programs and products from inception to delivery, and articulate their impact using metrics

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Experience in partnering with infrastructure engineers within varied infrastructure environments, such as data center facilities or leased facilities
  • Direct experience within global Network Operations Center (NOC) environments and managing SLAs (service level agreements) and continuous improvement against metrics at scale
  • Project management experience
  • Demonstrated ability to integrate AI tools to optimize/redesign workflows and drive measurable impact (e.g., efficiency gains, quality improvements)
  • Experience adhering to and implementing responsible, ethical AI practices (e.g., risk assessment, bias mitigation, quality and accuracy reviews)
  • Demonstrated ongoing AI skill development (e.g., prompt/context engineering, agent orchestration) and staying current with emerging AI technologies

About Meta:
Meta builds technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. When Facebook launched in 2004, it changed the way people connect. Apps like Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp further empowered billions around the world. Now, Meta is moving beyond 2D screens toward immersive experiences like augmented and virtual reality to help build the next evolution in social technology. People who choose to build their careers by building with us at Meta help shape a future that will take us beyond what digital connection makes possible today—beyond the constraints of screens, the limits of distance, and even the rules of physics.
Meta is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law. Meta participates in the E-Verify program in certain locations, as required by law. Please note that Meta may leverage artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies in connection with applications for employment.
Meta is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process. If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at accommodations-ext@meta.com.
$106,995/year to $159,000/year + bonus + equity + benefits
Individual compensation is determined by skills, qualifications, experience, and location. Compensation details listed in this posting reflect the base hourly rate, monthly rate, or annual salary only, and do not include bonus, equity or sales incentives, if applicable. In addition to base compensation, Meta offers benefits. Learn more about benefits at Meta.

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