Senior Wireless Software Engineer - MAC Layer - TeraWave

You will build the logic that governs how satellites communicate with each other and with the ground, creating a system that matches or exceeds the custom protocols seen in leading commercial constellations. This is not a standard wireless implementation role—in the TeraWave network, the MAC layer is the core intelligence of the system.

This role requires close collaboration with PHY layer engineers and network architects to ensure the custom wireless stack delivers wire-like performance over space-based links, while addressing the unique challenges of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) environments.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Architect and implement high-performance, low-overhead MAC protocols tailored for point-to-point and point-to-multipoint satellite links within the TeraWave constellation

• Develop sophisticated TDMA and demand-assigned multiple access (DAMA) schedulers to manage bandwidth across thousands of beams with microsecond precision

• Implement robust error control, retransmission (ARQ), and adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) logic capable of reacting instantly to fading conditions and orbital transitions

• Build software logic for seamless make-before-break handovers between satellites and ground stations operating in high-velocity orbital environments

• Optimize the interface between the wireless MAC layer and high-speed packet processing engines such as DPDK and VPP, ensuring zero-copy data paths and minimal jitter

• Design MAC layer architectures for constellation-scale deployments, ensuring efficient performance as the TeraWave network grows to thousands of satellites

• Collaborate with PHY layer engineers and network architects to align custom wireless stack design with system-level TeraWave performance requirements

• Drive technical decision-making related to MAC layer architecture, including framing strategies, contention versus scheduled access models, flow control, and QoS prioritization frameworks

• Lead MAC protocol development through the full lifecycle, from custom state machine design and simulation through hardware integration and field testing

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

• 7+ years of professional software development experience in wireless networking or embedded systems

• Mastery of C and C++ in Linux real-time (RTOS) or high-performance user-space environments

• Deep understanding of wireless MAC fundamentals, including framing, contention versus scheduled access, flow control, and QoS prioritization

• Demonstrated experience with the full lifecycle of a wireless protocol stack, from architectural design through hardware integration and field testing

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous work on custom MAC or link layers for satellite constellations, 3GPP/4G/5G, or similar non-terrestrial network programs

• Experience with user-space networking frameworks such as DPDK, VPP, or eBPF for line-rate packet processing

• Proficiency in building or using network simulators such as ns-3 to model protocol performance under various orbital conditions

• Familiarity with interfacing software with FPGAs or custom SoC accelerators for hardware-accelerated MAC functions