Senior Software Developer

Job Title: Senior Software Developer 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE L2/L3 (C++ Real-Time Systems)

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Software Developer to join our Wireless Protocol Stack team. In this role, you will lead the design, implementation, and optimization of Layer 2 and Layer 3 (L2/L3) protocol stacks across 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE technologies, with a primary emphasis on 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE stack development.

Note: While prior exposure to all three domains is ideal, candidates with strong hands-on experience in either 5G NR, NB-IoT, or LTE protocol stack development will be fully considered.

You will write high-performance, low-latency, real-time code using modern C++ (C++17 or higher) for embedded and virtualized RAN (vRAN/Open RAN) architectures.

Role & responsibilities

Protocol Stack Development: Design, implement, unit-test, and integrate L2/L3 protocol stack features for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE architectures.

• Modern C++ Architecture: Write clean, high-performance, thread-safe, real-time code in C++17/C++20 using modern design patterns, RAII, and effective memory management techniques.
• Protocol Feature Implementation:
• L2/L3 Functions: MAC (scheduler, HARQ), RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC (state machine, mobility, handover), NAS, and control interfaces across 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.
• Low-Power & Advanced Mechanics: Power-saving features (eDRX, PSM), coverage enhancement modes, satellite communication features, and compact control plane optimizations specific to 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.
• Real-Time Performance Tuning: Optimize stack execution, latency, throughput, memory footprints, and inter-process communication (IPC) across 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE systems.
• Integration & Debugging: Work with L1/DSP and Core Network teams to perform end-to-end stack integration, log analysis, and troubleshooting for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE networks using protocol analyzers and simulators (e.g., Aeroflex/TM500, Wireshark).
• Standards Compliance: Translate 3GPP specifications into reliable software design and implementation for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.

Required Experience & Skills

Core Technical Skills

• Experience: 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in cellular protocol stack development for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.
• C++ Proficiency: Strong expertise in C++17 or C++20, including Modern C++ concepts (smart pointers, move semantics, standard concurrency primitives, templates, and STL).
• Domain Expertise: Direct development experience in 3GPP Layer 2 and/or Layer 3 protocols for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE (hands-on depth in any one of 5G NR, NB-IoT, or LTE is acceptable):
• L2: MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP.
• L3: RRC, NAS, NG-AP, S1-AP, Xn-AP, X2-AP.
• OS & Real-Time Environments: Hands-on experience developing on Linux RTOS or embedded Linux (POSIX threads, synchronization primitives, real-time scheduling) for 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE applications.

Engineering & Tooling

• Trace & Log Analysis: Hands-on proficiency with Wireshark, GDB, Valgrind, and protocol test systems/simulators for triaging 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE stack issues.
• Toolchain & Testing: Solid experience with Git, CMake, automated unit-testing frameworks (doctest, CppUnit, or Google Test), and CI/CD workflows.

Preferred candidate profile

• 3GPP Standards Evolution: Experience or familiarity with 3GPP Release 19 specifications and feature enhancements across 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.
• Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN): Prior experience or exposure to NTN (Satellite-to-Cell / Direct-to-Cell / GEO / LEO) protocol adaptations, timing offset/Doppler compensation, or satellite-based 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE connectivity.
• O-RAN Architectures: Exposure to O-RAN architectures (E2, F1, E1 interfaces, Near-RT RIC, xApps) interfacing with 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE networks.
• Data Plane Acceleration: Experience with DPDK (Data Plane Development Kit) or high-throughput network acceleration libraries in 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE user-plane processing.

Personal Attributes

• Strong analytical and problem-solving mindset with a passion for real-time systems performance in 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE domains.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively in multi-site teams.
• Proactive and adaptable to fast-evolving 3GPP standards across 5G NR / NB-IoT / LTE.