Senior Director, Device Validation

AST SpaceMobile•Dallas, TX

About The Position

AST SpaceMobile is building a global cellular broadband network in space that connects directly to standard, unmodified mobile devices for commercial and government applications. The Senior Director of Device Validation leads the programme that verifies those devices attach, remain connected and perform across the AST gateway radio access network, satellite link and mobile network operator (MNO) core. The role is the accountable owner of device validation within Service Enablement and defines validation strategy, acceptance criteria, lab and in-orbit testing, OEM and chipset vendor engagement, and device certification for MNO launches. The position also plans and prioritizes satellite-pass demand across cell activation, feature validation, OEM validation, and MNO testing and demonstrations. It coordinates committed gateway and pass capacity with Service Delivery and Field RAN, develops lab and emulation capabilities to reduce reliance on live passes, and maintains the device compatibility record as devices, operating systems and network features evolve. Validated devices and results are handed to Service Delivery and Service Assurance at the production readiness gate. The Senior Director leads a geographically distributed device validation organization, including test engineers, lab engineers, and OEM and MNO programme managers. The role manages the lab, test equipment and pass-usage plan, establishes device performance baselines, drives root-cause analysis and cross-functional issue closure, and reports readiness to executive stakeholders. It advances test automation and analytics, including AI-assisted triage, while retaining human sign-off for every certification decision.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Engineering or a related technical field.
At least 15 years of experience in wireless device validation, device certification, RAN or RF engineering, including significant experience leading device acceptance with MNOs or device OEMs.
At least 5 years leading device test, validation or certification organizations in a complex, mission-critical environment.
Demonstrated ownership of a device validation programme spanning lab testing, field or in-orbit testing, certification and launch support.
Strong leadership and team-building capabilities across a geographically distributed organization.
Sound engineering judgment and decisiveness when authorizing device certification decisions.
Ability to collaborate across technical teams, particularly Service Enablement, Service Delivery, Service Assurance and R&D.
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder-management skills, including direct engagement with OEMs and MNO partners.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to convey findings to executive and non-specialist audiences.
Meticulous attention to detail in test evidence, configuration control and device performance analysis.
Ability to manage competing priorities for scarce satellite passes in fast-paced test campaigns, including coordination across time zones.
Ability to work in a standard office environment and use a computer for extended periods.
Ability to work in device test labs and at gateway and test sites, including outdoor RF environments and equipment shelters, in accordance with site safety requirements.
Capability to participate in virtual and in-person meetings.
Willingness and ability to travel extensively based on business needs, including OEM, operator and gateway-site visits.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in a related engineering discipline.
Professional certification in wireless or RF engineering.
Experience with non-terrestrial networks, satellite direct-to-device service, or hybrid terrestrial and satellite radio access architectures.
Deep LTE and NR device knowledge, including cell search and attach, RRC and mobility procedures, link adaptation, HARQ and modem behaviour under delay and Doppler.
Experience with operator and industry device certification programmes such as GCF, PTCRB and operator-specific lab and field acceptance.
Established working relationships with smartphone OEMs and modem or chipset vendors, with a record of resolving device defects to committed timelines.
Experience building device test labs, channel emulation and test automation.
Experience introducing AI-assisted analytics into a validation or test organization with appropriate human authorization controls.

Responsibilities

Define and own device validation strategy, test plans and acceptance criteria, covering cell search and attach, connected-mode performance, mobility and handover, voice, messaging, data services and emergency-services behaviour.
Lead validation with smartphone OEMs and chipset vendors, resolving device-specific modem, firmware and operating-system defects and agreeing fixes against committed timelines.
Lead MNO device acceptance and certification by aligning test plans and entry and exit criteria, and supporting operator demonstrations and launch readiness.
Maintain the device compatibility record, including supported devices, bands, software versions, feature support and known issues, using regression testing as devices and network features change.
Plan and prioritize satellite-pass demand across cell activation support, feature validation, OEM validation, and MNO testing and demonstrations.
Agree schedulable pass and gateway windows with Service Delivery and Field RAN, and improve pass utilization through purpose tagging and UE result logging.
Build lab, satellite-channel-emulation and automation capabilities so only validated test cases use live satellite passes.
Lead device validation from lab testing through in-orbit testing to production, coordinating end-to-end results with Service Enablement RF and RAN validation engineers across the payload, gateway RF chain and RAN.
Characterize device behaviour under non-terrestrial conditions, including propagation delay, Doppler, low-elevation and elongated-beam operation, and terrestrial uplink interference; share findings with R&D, RAN and network feature teams.
Establish device performance KPIs and baselines, including attach success, time to attach, connected time, throughput, handover success, and uplink and downlink link quality by elevation; report results and readiness to executives.
Own root-cause analysis using UE logs, RAN counters, telemetry and IQ captures, and drive issue closure across R&D, Field RAN, Service Assurance, OEMs and operators.
Advance automated regression suites, log parsing, KPI dashboards and AI-assisted triage while retaining human sign-off on every device certification decision.
Hand validated devices and results to Service Delivery and Service Assurance at the production readiness gate, and route findings requiring network feature or configuration changes to the Service Enablement feature owner.
Build, lead and mentor a device validation organization across sites, including test engineers, lab engineers and OEM and MNO programme managers.
Manage the lab, test-equipment and satellite-pass usage plan.