Principal Member of Technical Staff

Job Description:

This position requires office presence of a minimum of 5 days per week and is only located in the location(s) posted. No relocation is offered.

Role Overview

This Principal Member of Technical Staff position will play a critical role within the Emerging RAN Technology organization, driving architecture and development initiatives for Open Management and Open Radio Access Network (RAN) systems running on Cloud infrastructure.  This position requires close collaboration with vendors, engineering, and operations teams to ensure secure, optimized, and scalable RAN Application deployments. The ideal candidate will have expertise in Classic or Cloud Network RAN applications and infrastructure. The candidate must possess good communication and interpersonal skills required to communicate clearly with leadership teams across organizations. The role also includes enhancing CI/CD software pipelines, automating security vulnerability remediation, and ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.

Job Description

• Develop, implement, and optimize Cloud RAN solutions, incorporating vRAN, cloud-native technologies, GenAI, AI/ML, and Open RAN expertise.
• Leverage deep knowledge of RAN protocols, operational expertise, and AI/ML techniques to drive performance improvements, optimization, and cost reductions in Cloud RAN and Open RAN environments.
• Deliver system engineering solutions and tools to improve network application integration and delivery of automation solutions to operations and planning teams.
• Design and implement security for Ericsson CNIS CaaS, EIAP SMO, and other RAN solutions, with expertise in both legacy (classic) and modern (cloud) RAN environments.
• Identify network applications (rApps) and solutions to improve AT&T’s network management and optimization capabilities and pursue intellectual property for unique and strategic areas that can be targeted for external revenues. 

Job Responsibilities

• Collaborate effectively with stakeholders to identify and address business requirements, design and develop architecture solutions to meet AT&T's needs in Cloud RAN/vRAN and Open Management, including identifying hardware, CaaS, and software requirements, and delivering innovative solutions.
• Stay current on industry trends and emerging technologies related to Cloud RAN, Open RAN, GenAI, AI/ML, and related fields.
• Provide technical leadership, mentoring, and guidance to junior team members, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Understand and streamline the CI/CD software pipeline for front-end processes, ensuring secure and efficient code delivery practices.
• Provide security oversight for the integration of multi-vendor RAN systems and interoperability. Collaborate with vendors, including Ericsson and other RAN solution providers, to ensure solutions meet security and compliance requirements.
• Identify security threats and vulnerabilities in RAN systems and provide actionable recommendations to mitigate risks.
• Negotiate with vendors/suppliers to ensure requirements are effectively delivered and produce the desired results.
• Partner with operations and planning teams to negotiate and define forward-looking operating models to align with new technology introductions.
• Partner with operations teams to implement secure system configurations, monitor system performance, and address vulnerabilities proactively.

Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Electrical Engineering, or a related field from an accredited institution. A master’s degree is preferred.

Experience & Skills:

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills are required to communicate clearly to other technology teams as well as leadership teams across organizations.  These are critical skills for success in negotiation and alignment of complex solutions that are required to deliver these technologies across multiple organizations.
• 10+ years in IT/telecommunications with at least 3 years in software or security architecture.
• Hands-on experience with both classic RAN systems and cloud-native RAN systems, including Ericsson CNIS (CaaS), EIAP (SMO), and comparable solutions from other vendors.
• Deep understanding of 3GPP and O-RAN standards for 5G and LTE.
• Extensive system engineering and software architecture experience in designing and delivering complex solutions and network applications.
• Strong understanding of cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or GCP, with a focus on securing containerized workloads.
• Expertise in microservices architecture and container orchestration platforms