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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Wireless Network Manager

💰 $ - $

Information TechnologyNetworkingTelecommunicationsManagement

🎯 Role Definition

The Wireless Network Manager is responsible for the design, deployment, optimization, security, and lifecycle management of enterprise and carrier-grade wireless networks (Wi‑Fi, LTE, 5G, DAS, small cells). This role leads cross-functional teams and vendor partners to deliver high-performance, resilient wireless connectivity that meets business SLAs and supports scalable services. The ideal candidate combines RF engineering expertise, hands-on network operations experience, project and vendor management capabilities, and proven leadership in maintenance, incident response, and continuous improvement.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Wireless Engineer / RF Engineer (Wi‑Fi, LTE, 5G)
  • Network Engineer / Infrastructure Engineer (TCP/IP, switching, routing)
  • Field Technician / Wireless Site Surveyor

Advancement To:

  • Senior Wireless Network Manager / Head of Wireless
  • Director of Network Engineering / Director of Wireless Services
  • VP of Network Operations / Chief Network Officer

Lateral Moves:

  • Wireless Network Architect
  • RF Design Engineer
  • IT Infrastructure Manager / Cloud Networking Lead

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Lead the end-to-end lifecycle of wireless network projects including requirements gathering, RF planning, site surveys, network design, implementation, testing, and handover to operations for enterprise Wi‑Fi, private LTE/5G, DAS and small cell deployments.
  • Develop and maintain wireless network architecture standards, reference designs, and playbooks to ensure consistent, secure, and scalable Wi‑Fi (802.11ac/ax/ay), LTE and 5G implementations across multi-site and campus environments.
  • Manage RF planning and capacity forecasting using industry tools (e.g., Ekahau, iBwave, Atoll), translating business growth forecasts into AP/cell count, backhaul, and spectrum allocation strategies.
  • Oversee performance monitoring and proactive optimization of wireless networks using network management and analytics platforms (RRM, NMS, SIEM, SolarWinds, Cisco DNA Center, Aruba AirWave), ensuring SLAs for availability, throughput, latency and user experience.
  • Execute root cause analysis and long-term remediation plans for recurring wireless incidents, drive post-incident reviews (RCA), and implement changes to prevent recurrence and improve mean time to repair (MTTR).
  • Define and enforce wireless security policies and controls including WPA2/WPA3, 802.1X authentication, RADIUS/AAA integrations, EAP methods, guest access segmentation, and encryption standards to maintain compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements.
  • Plan and manage firmware, software and configuration upgrades for wireless controllers, APs, radios, and edge devices; coordinate maintenance windows and rollback plans with minimal service disruption.
  • Lead vendor selection, contract negotiation, and ongoing vendor management for wireless hardware, software, professional services, and managed services; manage SLAs, escalations, and vendor performance metrics.
  • Coordinate and supervise on-site and remote field resources (RF technicians, integrators, contractors) for cabling, AP placement, antenna installs, DAS interconnections, and commissioning activities.
  • Design and implement wireless QoS and traffic engineering policies to prioritize business-critical applications (VoIP, video conferencing, IoT telemetry) and optimize application performance across shared wireless mediums.
  • Own capacity planning, budgeting and total cost of ownership (TCO) for wireless infrastructure; prepare cost estimates, capital requests, and lifecycle replacement plans aligned to business growth and technology roadmaps.
  • Implement and manage wireless monitoring, alerting and reporting frameworks that provide executive dashboards, operational KPIs, and capacity trend analyses to stakeholders.
  • Drive automation of routine wireless operations and configuration management using scripting (Python), APIs, Ansible or similar tools to reduce manual errors and increase deployment speed.
  • Ensure physical and logical wireless network resilience through redundancy design (controller clusters, multi‑band AP strategies, diverse backhaul) and DR/BCP planning for mission-critical sites.
  • Develop and enforce RF hygiene and interference mitigation programs including spectrum analysis, co‑channel planning, channel bandwidth tuning, and coordination with local regulatory and facilities teams.
  • Manage lifecycle documentation including network diagrams, BOMs, configuration baselines, site surveys, commissioning reports and change logs to support audits and operational continuity.
  • Lead cross-functional engagements with IT teams (security, data center, WAN), facilities, real estate, and business units to align wireless initiatives with broader IT strategy and workplace transformation activities.
  • Serve as the escalation point for complex wireless incidents and customer escalations, interfacing with internal stakeholders and external partners to restore service and maintain business continuity.
  • Define and deliver training programs, runbooks and enablement for NOC, support teams and field staff to ensure consistent operational procedures and high-quality troubleshooting skills.
  • Evaluate and pilot emerging wireless technologies (Wi‑Fi 6/6E/7, private 5G, MulteFire, CBRS, mmWave) and make recommendations for adoption, proof-of-concept trials, and migration strategies.
  • Coordinate regulatory compliance and environmental considerations for RF emissions, spectrum licensing, and municipal/permitting requirements that affect wireless deployments.
  • Establish and manage wireless acceptance testing and quality assurance processes for new installs and upgrades, ensuring deployments meet performance, security, and usability acceptance criteria.
  • Drive metrics-driven continuous improvement initiatives (capacity optimization, cost reduction, mean time to resolution) and report progress to senior leadership with actionable recommendations.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
  • Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
  • Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
  • Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • RF engineering and wireless planning (Wi‑Fi 6/6E/7, 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax/ay) — AP placement, antenna selection and propagation modeling.
  • Cellular and private wireless experience (LTE, 5G NR, small cells, DAS, CBRS) including spectrum management.
  • Hands-on experience with wireless design and survey tools: Ekahau, AirMagnet, iBwave, Atoll, AirTools, spectrum analyzers.
  • Network protocols and infrastructure: TCP/IP, VLANs, QoS, DHCP, DNS, routing (OSPF/BGP basics), switching and wireless controller architectures.
  • Network monitoring & management systems: NMS, RMM, orchestration platforms, SNMP, syslog, and telemetry collection (NetFlow/sFlow).
  • Security technologies for wireless: 802.1X, RADIUS, WPA2/WPA3, EAP, MDM/endpoint posture integration, guest portals, NAC.
  • Firmware and device lifecycle management: upgrade planning, rollback procedures, configuration baselines, automation via APIs.
  • Automation and scripting: Python, REST APIs, Ansible or equivalent for orchestration and repetitive task automation.
  • RF troubleshooting and spectrum analysis: understanding interference sources, co‑channel interference mitigation, spectrum scanning equipment.
  • Vendor and contract management experience with enterprise wireless vendors (Cisco, Aruba, Ruckus, Juniper, Nokia, Ericsson) and SI partners.
  • Cloud-managed wireless and SaaS platforms experience (Meraki, Aruba Central, Cisco DNA Center) preferred.
  • Performance tuning and capacity planning methodologies, KPI design (latency, jitter, throughput, packet-loss), and SLA management.
  • Project and program management skills: scheduling, risk management, budgeting, stakeholder communications and change control processes.

Soft Skills

  • Strong leadership and people management — ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and external contractors.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication; able to present technical concepts to non‑technical stakeholders and executives.
  • Strategic thinker with problem-solving orientation and data-driven decision-making approach.
  • Customer-focused mindset with strong stakeholder management and vendor negotiation skills.
  • Prioritization and time-management skills in complex, multi-project environments.
  • Coaching and mentoring capability to build team technical depth and operational maturity.
  • Adaptability and continuous learning orientation to stay current on wireless industry trends and standards.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Science, Information Technology, or equivalent field.

Preferred Education:

  • Master's degree in Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering, Network Engineering, or MBA for leadership-track roles.
  • Professional certifications (e.g., CWNP – CWNA/CWSP, Cisco CCNP/CCIE Wireless, Aruba Certified Professional, Nokia/ Ericsson wireless certifications) are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Electrical / RF Engineering
  • Telecommunications / Wireless Communications
  • Computer Science / Network Engineering
  • Information Systems / IT Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 5–10 years in wireless network engineering/operations with at least 2–4 years in a supervisory or lead role; or equivalent experience in carrier networks or large enterprise Wi‑Fi deployments.

Preferred:

  • 7+ years managing wireless networks (enterprise or carrier), demonstrated experience with multi-site rollouts, vendor management, and proven track record in RF planning and optimization.
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