(Senior) Engineer 5G O-RAN, IRIS2

PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION

IRIS2 is the new European Union secure satellite communications constellation. This project is the European Union's answer to the pressing challenges of tomorrow to provide secure connectivity services and enhanced communication capacities to the EU and its Member States as well as to governmental users, private companies and European citizens while ensuring high-speed internet broadband to cope with connectivity dead zones.

SES – together with other consortium partners and core members – was selected by European Commission to build and to operate the IRIS² multi-orbit satellite constellation.

The IRIS² team enters the next project phase and there is a strong need for support for all the activities around service provisioning and products that the system can offer in the future.

ROLE DESCRIPTION 

Join our team within the SpaceRise consortium to help shape the future of secure, resilient, and sovereign connectivity under the European IRIS² initiative. We are developing next-generation 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) services that integrate satellite and terrestrial ecosystems.

We are seeking a hands-on O-RAN Specialist Engineer to design, integrate, validate, and optimize 5G Open RAN solutions supporting intelligent, multi-vendor, and programmable RAN architectures.

The ideal candidate combines strong 5G expertise with practical system integration skills and experience working with open ecosystems and evolving standards in real-world deployments.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY RESULT AREAS

O-RAN Architecture & Integration

• Design and integrate 5G O-RAN components including O-RU, O-DU, O-CU, Near-RT RIC, and SMO.
• Ensure interoperability across multi-vendor RAN environments.
• Implement and validate O-RAN interfaces (Open Fronthaul, E2, A1, O1, O2).
• Support functional splits and fronthaul performance requirements.

5G NTN & Intelligent RAN Control

• Support O-RAN deployment scenarios aligned with 5G NTN and dynamic coverage environments.
• Enable intelligent RAN optimization for evolving coverage footprints.
• Support policy-driven optimization and closed-loop control mechanisms.
• Monitor control loop performance and latency constraints.

RIC Ecosystem & Optimization

• Deploy and operate Near-RT RIC platforms.
• Integrate and validate xApps and rApps for optimization use cases.
• Support automation and intelligent optimization of RAN resources.

O-RAN Data & Telemetry Management

• Deploy and manage the O-RAN Shared Data Layer (SDL) where applicable.
• Ensure reliable telemetry collection and real-time data availability.
• Monitor data flows impacting optimization and control loops.

Deployment, Testing & Validation

• Deploy O-RAN solutions in lab and field environments.
• Validate compliance with O-RAN Alliance and 3GPP 5G specifications.
• Perform interoperability and performance testing.
• Support trials, demonstrations, and pre-production rollouts.

Automation & Tooling

• Develop scripts and tools to automate deployment, testing, and monitoring.
• Integrate observability and analytics platforms.
• Improve operational efficiency through automation.

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• M.S. or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field with focus on networking, distributed systems, or applied mathematics.
• 5+ years’ experience in 5G RAN engineering, system integration, or telecom deployments.
• Experience working in multi-vendor telecom environments.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis skills.
• 3GPP 5G NR architecture and RAN principles
• O-RAN Alliance architecture and specifications
• O-RAN interfaces (Open Fronthaul, E2, A1, O1, O2)
• Functional splits and fronthaul performance considerations
• Timing and synchronization (PTP, SyncE) fundamentals
• Linux system administration and networking
• Python, Bash, or similar scripting languages
• Observability and monitoring platforms (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, or equivalent)
• Telemetry and performance monitoring concepts

Nice to Have

• Experience with O-RAN SC Near-RT RIC or SMO platforms
• Familiarity with 5G NTN or satellite-integrated networks
• Experience with SDL and distributed data platforms
• Understanding of beamforming or advanced antenna systems
• Participation in O-RAN interoperability testing or trials
• Contributions to telecom open-source projects
• Experience with requirements and delivery management tools such as:

• JAMA (requirements traceability)
• Jira (agile project management)
• Azure DevOps (CI/CD, backlog, work tracking)

OTHER KEY REQUIREMENTS/COMMENTS

• Eligibility for ESA/EU SECRET personal security clearances is essential. Candidates must be prepared to undergo a security clearance procedure, as this position may require holding such a clearance
• Willing to work at least 60% onsite from office
• Travel as required for project realization purposes