Senior IVV Engineer 5GNTN

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 summary

We are looking for a highly capable and experienced IVV Engineer to support the integration, verification, validation, and end-to-end testing of 5G Non-Terrestrial Network (NTN) solutions. This role is focused on validating the interoperability and performance of complex multi-domain systems spanning 5G Core, NTN-enabled Radio Access Network, satellite access segments, transport networks, virtualized infrastructure, and service platforms.
The successful candidate will play a key role in system integration and end-to-end test activities across the 5G NTN ecosystem, ensuring that all network functions, interfaces, and operational workflows perform as expected under nominal and non-nominal conditions. The role includes support for test environment setup, platform integration, test execution, defect investigation, interface validation, and system-level acceptance.
The ideal candidate will have practical experience in telecom system integration and testing, with a strong understanding of 5G architecture, NTN concepts, multi-vendor interoperability, and end-to-end validation methodologies. Hands-on experience with virtualized platforms, Kubernetes-based deployments, interface testing, automation frameworks, CI/CD/CT environments, as well as 5G satellite communications and Flatsat Engineering Model environments, is highly desirable. The candidate will also contribute to test strategy development, regression validation, traceability, and continual improvement of IVV processes and tools.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES / KEY RESULT AREAS

System Integration and IVV Activities

• Support the integration of 5G NTN system components, including 5G Core, NTN RAN, satellite payload/ground segment interfaces, transport infrastructure, OSS/BSS enablers, and management/orchestration platforms: ORAN systems, RIC, and SMO.
• Participate in integration, verification, and validation activities for system elements in lab, pre-production, and operational test environments.
• Install, configure, and validate operating systems, virtual machines, containers, and Kubernetes clusters required to host NTN network functions and supporting applications.
• Verify proper deployment, configuration, and interoperability of network functions across distributed and cloud-native environments.
• Support end-to-end integration across multi-vendor platforms and ensure compliance with system design and interface requirements.

End-to-End Testing and Validation

• Develop, execute, and maintain end-to-end IVV test scenarios for 5G NTN services, features, and operational workflows.
• Validate network interfaces and procedures across the full system chain, including interactions between UE, access network, satellite segment, transport, 5G Core, and service layers.
• Perform functional, interface, regression, system, and acceptance testing to confirm complete solution behaviour and readiness.
• Verify performance of the system under realistic operational conditions, including mobility, latency-sensitive scenarios, failover behaviour, and degraded-link conditions where applicable.
• Ensure traceability between requirements, test cases, execution evidence, and validation outcomes.

System Commissioning and Test Environment Readiness

• Support commissioning and readiness verification of test platforms, integration environments, and connectivity paths required for IVV campaigns.
• Prepare and validate test configurations, software baselines, deployment packages, and environment-specific parameter sets.
• Ensure all required interfaces, dependencies, and supporting systems are available and operational before formal test execution.
• Assist in troubleshooting environment and integration issues affecting test activities.

Defect Analysis and Problem Resolution

• Investigate issues identified during integration and validation, performing first-level analysis, log review, trace analysis, and reproduction of defects.
• Work closely with design, development, operations, and vendor teams to isolate root causes across interfaces and system layers.
• Support defect tracking, prioritisation, retest activities, and closure verification.
• Provide clear technical feedback on system anomalies, interoperability issues, and non-compliance with expected behaviour.

Automation and CI/CD/CT Contribution

• Contribute to the development and enhancement of test automation frameworks for 5G NTN integration and validation activities.
• Support the use and evolution of CI/CD/CT pipelines for automated deployment, integration verification, regression execution, and reporting.
• Help streamline and standardise integration and validation workflows to improve repeatability, efficiency, and quality.
• Participate in the creation of automated checks for configuration validation, interface testing, and system sanity testing.

Configuration Management and Test Data Integrity

• Support controlled management of test configurations, software releases, parameter baselines, and environment definitions.
• Ensure configuration consistency across system components during integration and validation activities.
• Contribute to maintaining integrity and accuracy of test data, logs, execution evidence, and validation records.
• Help ensure alignment between deployed builds, test scope, and approved reference configurations.

Continual Improvement

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of IVV methods, tools, templates, and processes for 5G NTN solution validation.
• Support lessons learned, test optimisation, and quality improvement initiatives across integration and verification cycles.
• Recommend improvements to increase efficiency, coverage, robustness, and repeatability of end-to-end testing activities.

Technical Documentation

• Create and maintain detailed technical documentation covering test plans, test procedures, validation reports, defect records, environment setup guides, interface validation results, and compliance evidence.
• Ensure documentation is accurate, structured, and suitable for internal stakeholders, customers, and programme governance.
• Support formal milestone reviews by providing clear and auditable IVV artefacts.

Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with system engineering, development, integration, operations, product, and programme teams, as well as external stakeholders including customers, partners, and suppliers.
• Communicate test results, integration risks, defects, and readiness status clearly and effectively.
• Support cross-functional alignment to ensure successful execution of integration and validation milestones.

The ideal candidate will demonstrate strong analytical and troubleshooting capability, with the ability to work across complex, distributed, and multi-vendor telecom systems. The role requires a structured approach to verification and validation, excellent attention to detail, and the ability to interpret requirements and translate them into effective test coverage. Strong written and verbal communication skills are essential, along with adaptability, collaboration, and a quality-focused mindset.

Qualifications Background and Experience

• Master’s degree in Telecommunications, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in telecom systems integration, testing, or IVV, ideally within 5G, mobile core, RAN, satellite communications, or cloud-native network environments.
• Experience in end-to-end testing and validation of complex telecom systems is strongly preferred.
• Exposure to 5G NTN, satellite communications, or non-terrestrial networking concepts would be a strong advantage.

The ideal candidate should have practical experience in system integration, verification, and end-to-end validation of telecom systems, with knowledge in the following areas:

5G NTN and RAN / Access Integration

• Understanding of 5G system architecture and how NTN is integrated into the end-to-end mobile network.
• Familiarity with NTN-enabled RAN architecture, including key functional entities, deployment models, and interface behaviour.
• Knowledge of access-related procedures such as registration, session establishment, mobility, bearer/service continuity, and timing-sensitive operations in NTN environments.
• Awareness of the specific challenges introduced by satellite-based access, including propagation delay, intermittent connectivity, coverage movement, and link constraints.
• Understanding how to configure, deploy, and optimize RAN elements like CU (Centralized Unit), DU (Distributed Unit), and RU (Radio Unit).
• Familiarity with ORAN architecture (including SMO and RIC) and integration processes, including understanding ORAN parameter objects .

5G Core and Network Function Integration

• Experience with 5G Core network functions, including deployment, configuration, and validation of their interaction with the access network and service platforms.
• Understanding of service-based architecture, interface validation, and end-to-end signalling flows.
• Familiarity with NFV, SDN, cloud-native networking, and distributed deployment models as applied to telecom systems.

End-to-End Testing and Interoperability

• Experience validating interoperability across multiple domains and vendors, with a focus on system-level and interface-level testing.
• Ability to design and execute functional, regression, interface, and acceptance test cases.
• Familiarity with tools and techniques for protocol analysis, log collection, trace review, KPI observation, and fault isolation in complex network environments.
• Experience performing end-to-end testing to validate complete service behaviour and operational readiness.

Automation and CI/CD/CT

• Experience contributing to test automation and integration efficiency improvements.
• Familiarity with CI/CD/CT pipelines, automated deployment validation, and regression execution in telecom or cloud-native environments.
• Understanding of scripting and automated test orchestration approaches for repeatable validation.

Configuration and Environment Control

• Experience managing system configurations, software baselines, test environments, and execution artefacts.
• Understanding of configuration control and data integrity principles in validation and operational environments.

Platform and Infrastructure

• Practical knowledge of Linux environments, virtual machines, containers, Kubernetes, and IP networking.

Familiarity with lab and integration infrastructure, including connectivity setup, service exposure, and platform readiness activities.

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

SES is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer