Senior Software Engineer, Backend

Aalyria

3d•$165,000 - $195,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We are looking for a strong backend Software Engineer to join the Spacetime team and help build the next generation of our platform: orchestration of 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) and Direct-to-Cell services, and coordination between satellite operators and terrestrial mobile networks through 3GPP- and O-RAN-aligned interfaces. Spacetime orchestrates radio resource management, the scheduling of pointing and handovers for steerable directional antennas and laser terminals, and the control plane for routing and switching across highly dynamic networks such as non-geostationary satellite constellations. In the cellular domain, Spacetime acts as the RIC/SMO for the NTN itself. The NTN work extends the platform with RAN and Core network models and with federation interfaces through which Spacetime coordinates with the SMOs of terrestrial mobile network operators for TN-NTN coordination. First and foremost, this is a software engineering role. You will design and build distributed systems in a modern, cloud-native codebase, working side by side with our 3GPP/NTN solution architects who own the standards and systems expertise. Engineers on the team routinely pick up the telecom domain as they go, therefore deep prior knowledge of it is a genuine advantage, not a prerequisite.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Engineering or equivalent work experience
Professional experience working in C++, Golang, and/or Java
Knowledge of gRPC and Protocol Buffers
Experience building and operating distributed systems
Familiarity with wireless communications, modeling of wireless performance, or satellite communications
Strong technical communication skills, and ability to communicate across multiple functions

Nice To Haves

Professional software development experience on systems related to 3GPP 4G/5G networks: RAN (eNB/gNB, CU/DU), Core (EPC/5GC), or their management and orchestration (OAM, FCAPS, NRM/network models)
Hands-on experience with the O-RAN architecture: SMO, Non-RT/Near-RT RIC, rApps or xApps, or the O-RAN interfaces (O1, E2, R1)
Familiarity with 3GPP NTN and Direct-to-Cell / Supplemental Coverage from Space concepts (Rel-17+)
Experience implementing or integrating against 3GPP or O-RAN specified APIs and data models (e.g. SA5 NRM, 3GPP SBI, O-RAN R1 service APIs)
Experience with wireless standards work or applying 3GPP/ETSI/O-RAN specifications in production software
Hands-on experience working with Kubernetes and cloud-native telecom deployments (CNFs, Helm, service mesh)
Professional experience with performance optimization of distributed systems
Experience working in the aerospace & defense or telecommunications industry
Familiarity with software-defined networking platforms

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the Spacetime platform using C++, Golang, Java, gRPC, and Protocol Buffers
Build scalable, distributed systems on Kubernetes
Design and develop Spacetime features for 5G NTN and Direct-to-Cell orchestration, including RIC/SMO capabilities for the NTN, network model extensions, and federation APIs for TN-NTN coordination with terrestrial operators' SMOs
Translate 3GPP and O-RAN concepts and interface specifications into clean, well-tested software, in collaboration with our solution architects
Integrate with other components of the Aalyria platform to ensure end-to-end functionality
Develop and maintain documentation related to the software design and implementation
Stay up-to-date with industry trends and technologies related to 5G NTN, O-RAN, and satellite communications
Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code
Troubleshoot and debug issues in the software