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 with standard, unmodified mobile devices for commercial and government applications. The Senior Director of Device Validation leads the validation of mobile devices connecting to the SpaceMobile network, which spans the AST gateway radio access network, satellite link, and mobile network operator (MNO) core. The role owns the programme that establishes, device by device and release by release, that devices attach, remain connected, and perform as intended on the network. As the accountable owner of device validation within Service Enablement, this leader defines validation strategy and acceptance criteria, runs laboratory and in-orbit validation, manages OEM and chipset vendor relationships, and certifies devices for MNO launch. The role plans scarce satellite-pass demand across activation, feature validation, OEM validation, and MNO testing and demonstrations, coordinating committed gateway and pass capacity with Service Delivery and Field RAN. Validated devices and results are handed to Service Delivery and Service Assurance at the production readiness gate, and the device compatibility record is maintained as devices, operating systems, and network features change. The Senior Director builds and leads a distributed device validation organization, develops lab, emulation, and automation capabilities, and oversees the lab, test-equipment, and pass-usage plan. The role works across engineering and operational teams, OEMs, and MNO partners to investigate device issues, report performance and readiness to executive stakeholders, and make certification decisions based on validation evidence.

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 through laboratory 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 cross-functional 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 communicating test 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 cross-time-zone coordination.
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 to OEM, operator, and gateway sites.

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 behavior under delay and Doppler.
Experience with operator and industry device certification programmes such as GCF, PTCRB, and operator-specific laboratory and field acceptance.
Established working relationships with smartphone OEMs and modem or chipset vendors, with a record of resolving device defects on 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.
Experience with LTE and NR user equipment protocol and performance analysis, including UE logging and analysis tools such as XCAL.
Experience with RF-shielded enclosures, channel and satellite link emulators, spectrum analyzers, and programmable attenuators.
Experience with Python scripting for regression testing, log parsing, and KPI reporting.
Experience with satellite pass planning and scheduling data, pass utilization reporting, RAN counters, eNB logs, telemetry, IQ captures, OSS performance management, device compatibility databases, defect tracking, KPI dashboards, and analytics.

Responsibilities

Define and own device validation strategy, test plans, and acceptance criteria for cell search and attach, connected-mode performance, mobility and handover, voice, messaging, data services, and emergency services behavior.
Lead OEM 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 with operator partners, and supporting demonstrations and launch readiness.
Own and maintain the device compatibility record, including supported devices, bands, operating-system and modem software versions, feature support, and known issues; conduct regression testing as devices and network features change.
Plan and prioritize satellite pass demand for 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 use through purpose tagging and UE result logging.
Build device test lab, satellite channel emulation, and automation capabilities to maximize pass value and ensure only validated test cases use live passes.
Lead device validation from laboratory testing through in-orbit testing with commercial devices to production, working with Service Enablement RF and RAN validation engineers on results across the payload, gateway RF chain, and RAN.
Characterize device behavior under non-terrestrial conditions, including long propagation delay, Doppler, low elevation, 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 executive stakeholders.
Lead root-cause analysis of device issues using UE logs, RAN counters, telemetry, and IQ captures, and drive resolution across R&D, Field RAN, Service Assurance, OEMs, and operators.
Advance test automation and analytics, including automated regression suites, log parsing, KPI dashboards, and AI-assisted triage, while retaining human sign-off for each device certification decision.
Hand over validated devices and results to Service Delivery and Service Assurance at the production readiness gate; 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 pass-usage plan.