Lead Architect

Job Title: Lead Architect

Job Summary

We are looking for an experienced Lead Architect to drive the architecture and design of 5G Radio Access Network solutions, with a focus on 5G NR gNB DU. The role requires deep expertise in end-to-end 5G NR architecture, Layer 2 protocol evolution, Radio Resource

Management (RRM), advanced 5G features and multi-core, real-time Linux systems. The ideal candidate will combine strong technical leadership with excellent client engagement and collaboration skills, building trusted client relationships, driving technical excellence, and

contributing to the growth and development of the telecom engineering team.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and architecture of 5G RAN Layer 2 components, focusing on scalability, performance and maintainability.
• Own the end-to-end feature lifecycle, including requirements analysis, architecture design, development, integration and validation.
• Direct the evolution of MAC, RLC and PDCP protocol components and Radio Resource Management (RRM) strategies.
• Define, architect and design advanced 5G NR features, including Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), Reduced Capability (RedCap) and Massive MIMO.
• Design and optimize MAC scheduling algorithms covering uplink/downlink scheduling, QoS, fairness, latency and network slicing.
• Ensure compliance with 3GPP Releases 15, 16, 17 and 18.
• Lead performance tuning and KPI improvements across throughput, latency, reliability and spectral efficiency.
• Oversee system-level troubleshooting and root cause analysis for complex performance bottlenecks, field issues and interoperability challenges.
• Drive the integration of AI-assisted development tools, particularly GitHub Copilot, into engineering workflows to accelerate time-to-market.
• Guide and mentor team members, conduct design reviews and technical audits, and contribute to technical roadmaps and innovation initiatives.
• Coordinate with PHY (Layer 1), protocol stack (Layers 2/3), 5G Core Network, O-RAN and testing teams to ensure effective technical integration.
• Interface with customers and stakeholders to align technical solutions and resolve complex technical issues.

Mandatory Skills and Experience

• 1018 years of relevant experience in 5G NR RAN architecture, software engineering or protocol-stack development, with strong expertise in gNB DU systems.
• Subject matter expertise in end-to-end 5G NR architecture, including CU/DU split, FR1/FR2 and O-RAN (Open RAN) standards.
• In-depth knowledge of 5G NR 3GPP specifications and the evolution of Layer 2 protocols, including MAC, RLC and PDCP, along with RRM strategies.
• Ability to translate requirements into architecture and design for advanced 5G NR features, including NTN, RedCap and Massive MIMO.
• Expertise in architecting multi-core, real-time Linux-based systems.
• Mastery of C/C++ programming and architectural modelling, ensuring code scalability and maintainability across large-scale projects.
• Expertise in coordinating technical interfaces between PHY (Layer 1), protocol stack (Layers 2/3) and the 5G Core Network (5GC).
• Strong system-level troubleshooting skills, including performance bottleneck analysis using QXDM, QCAT and custom kernel-level tracing.
• Experience in strategic oversight of complex testbeds involving TM500 and advanced UE simulation platforms.
• Strong technical leadership capabilities, including architecture ownership, design reviews, technical audits and mentoring.

Preferred Skills

• Experience integrating AI-assisted development tools, particularly GitHub Copilot, into software engineering workflows.
• Experience driving technical roadmaps, architectural evolution and innovation initiatives.
• Experience in customer-facing technical discussions, solution alignment and issue resolution.