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CCNP Salary Context: Career Roles and Reported Pay Figures

Explore the roles associated with CCNP Enterprise and the role-specific salary figures reported by the supplied career-path page, including factors that affect pay.

Updated 8/8/2026

Enterprise networking equipment connected across a professional technology workspace, with distinct work areas suggesting varied networking career paths.

CCNP Enterprise is presented as a professional-level certification for IT and networking professionals who want to validate advanced networking knowledge and skills in an enterprise environment. The supplied career-path page connects the certification with several networking, infrastructure, security, wireless, and automation roles, while reporting different pay figures for different positions. These figures are role-specific reports, not a guaranteed salary for every CCNP Enterprise holder.

What CCNP Enterprise Represents in the Supplied Career Path

The page describes Cisco’s CCNP Enterprise certification as a professional-level credential intended for IT and networking professionals seeking to validate advanced knowledge and skills in enterprise networking. It presents the certification as relevant to implementing complex enterprise networking solutions.

Certification Scope and Exam Structure

The certification path described on the page consists of two exams: the ENCOR 350-401 core exam and a concentration exam. The concentration exam covers topics aligned with a candidate’s career goals, with the page giving enterprise advanced infrastructure, wireless, and automation as examples.

The page says that the ENCOR 350-401 core exam covers dual-stack architecture, virtualization, infrastructure, network assurance, security, and automation. Together, the exams are described as covering work ranging from implementing to troubleshooting networking items in enterprise setups.

Career Roles Associated With CCNP Enterprise

The page explicitly associates CCNP Enterprise with network engineer, systems engineer, and network administrator roles. It also discusses network analyst, IT infrastructure manager, wireless network engineer, cybersecurity specialist, and network automation engineer positions.

Core Networking and Infrastructure Roles

A network engineer is described as a hands-on role involving the design, implementation, and optimization of networks. The page says that network engineers may work with routers, switches, firewalls, VLANs, and protocols such as OSPF.

Systems engineers are described as helping run IT infrastructures smoothly. The page says they may collaborate with network administrators on server operations and use technical skills to support virtualization. It lists VMware, Cisco UCS, Windows and Linux servers, and cloud platforms such as AWS and Azure as relevant tools or technologies.

Network administrators are described as handling day-to-day network operations, monitoring server performance, troubleshooting devices, and supporting security compliance. The page lists Cisco DNA Center, SolarWinds, SNMP monitoring, and Wireshark among the tools associated with this role.

The page describes network analysts as using data-driven analysis and decision-making to support performance optimization, identify bottlenecks, and improve business operations. It associates the role with Cisco Prime, NetFlow, and packet-analysis tools.

IT infrastructure managers are described as helping organizations develop network strategies, plan and upgrade infrastructure, and guide executive decisions related to IT. The page associates this role with ITIL frameworks, Cisco ACI, cloud networking, and SD-WAN.

Specialized Networking Roles

Wireless network engineers are described as responsible for the design, security, and troubleshooting of wireless networks. The page lists Cisco Meraki, Ekahau, radio-frequency spectrum analysis, and 802.11ax, also called Wi-Fi 6, as skills or tools used in this area.

The page describes cybersecurity specialists with a networking focus as managing firewalls, intrusion-detection systems, and threat responses. It lists Cisco ISE, ASA, Firepower, and Zero Trust frameworks as relevant skills or technologies.

Network automation engineers focus on automating network deployment, reducing manual tasks, and improving efficiency. The page associates this role with coding skills and lists Cisco DNA Center, Python, Ansible, and software-defined networking as relevant tools or technologies.

Reported Salary Figures by Role

The supplied page reports the following role-specific figures:

Role Reported figure Named source and year
Network engineer $109,040 a year ZipRecruiter, 2025
Systems engineer $107k per year PayScale, 2025
Network administrator $81,749 per year ZipRecruiter, 2025
Network analyst $40 per hour ZipRecruiter, 2025
IT infrastructure manager $67 per hour ZipRecruiter, 2025
Wireless network engineer $62.26 an hour ZipRecruiter, 2025
Cybersecurity specialist $161K–$228K per year ZipRecruiter, 2025
Network automation engineer $125,599 per year Glassdoor, 2025

How to Read the Reported Figures

The page uses different named salary sources and reports figures in different units, including annual amounts and hourly rates. The figures should therefore be read as the page’s reported numbers for particular roles rather than as one universal CCNP salary.

The role figures also should not be treated as guaranteed individual outcomes. The page separately says that pay can vary according to geography, work experience, technical expertise, and competency level.

Career Context and Limits of the Salary Discussion

The page says that CCNP certification holders can earn different salaries depending on geography, work experience, technical expertise, and competency level. It also describes career progression in the context of gaining experience with larger-scale networks, including the possibility of pursuing promotion, raises, or leadership roles.

These statements provide context for interpreting the reported figures, but they do not establish what any particular individual will earn. A role’s reported figure, the unit in which it is presented, and the named salary source should remain attached when comparing the numbers.

Factors the Source Says Affect Pay

The supplied page identifies four factors that affect pay: geography, work experience, technical expertise, and competency level. It also reports that senior network engineer pay can range from $74,000 to $156,000 per year depending on competency and skill level, and that Cisco networking engineers in the United States can earn nearly $107,000 per year.

The page additionally states that the average annual pay for a CCNP Enterprise-certified professional ranges from $107,000 to $156,000. That broader certification-related range is separate from the role-specific figures in the table and should not be used as a guaranteed outcome for every certification holder.

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