Cellular Test Engineer

About Lynk

Lynk is the inventor of satellite direct to device or D2D technology, and has the world’s only commercial license from the FCC to operate a commercial D2D system. Today, Lynk allows mobile network operators' subscribers to send and receive text messages to and from space via standard unmodified, mobile devices. Lynk’s service has been tested and proven on all seven continents, has regulatory approvals in more than 30 countries, and is currently being deployed commercially based on more than 40 MNO commercial service contracts covering approximately 50 countries.

Our technology will enable all 8 billion people on the planet to stay connected with the existing standard phone in their pocket. Everywhere. No matter what.

By joining Lynk, you will have the opportunity to directly touch the lives of billions. Your mission will be to bring mobile broadband to billions, pull hundreds of millions out of poverty, and save countless lives.

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly motivated, organized, and accountable Cellular Test Engineer to help lead the testing of the Lynk Network.  In this role you will be included in the architecture, design, and validation of Lynk’s cellular network.  You will work closely with the development team and the product manager to understand the product requirements and provide feedback.  You will then be responsible for designing test plans, procedures, and scripts for verifying system requirements are met and identifying bugs.

To be successful as a test engineer, you should have a strong background in engineering, testing, and quality assurance, with a focus on cellular network technologies and standards. You should also have excellent communication, problem-solving, and analytical skills. You should be able to work independently and as part of a team, and be able to handle multiple tasks and deadlines.  

We are looking for people who

• Enjoy working as part of a development team to verify functionality and debug potential issues.

• Are passionate about providing highly reliable connectivity to the entire world.  

• Enjoy designing, setting up, and executing software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop tests and simulations to verify technology functions (or concepts) and characterize the performance. 

• Enjoy a challenge and have a track record of creative thinking to solve unconventional or unexpected problems.  

• Proactively run manual tests as needed to validate functionality, while also working to automate all test cases. 

Core Responsibilities

Specific responsibilities include

• Evaluating the performance of the cellular base station in simulation and on the target platform.

• Developing test software and drivers to support unit, integration, and system testing of base station software functions.

• Work as part of the telecom development team, in close coordination with product management, to become a resident expert on system requirements and system design. 

• Leveraging your expertise of the Lynk Network, design end-to-end test plans, procedures, and scripts for verifying system requirements are met and bugs are identified.  

• Ownership of testing new releases, including new features and regressions.

• Ownership of system performance characterization and metrics. 

• Communicate test progress, results, and issues to stakeholders by maintaining up-to-date bug reports and performance metrics. 

• Conduct and organize testing efforts and plans.

• Perform manual testing when automation doesn’t yet exist (e.g. new features) and automated testing using our automated testing frameworks.  

• Design and implement automated test cases using languages such as Python, ROBOT, etc.

• Contribute to test automation frameworks and data analysis tools.

• Leverage various tools and methods, such as network analyzers, traffic generators, simulators, emulators, etc..

• Selection and/or development of software tools to support system verification.

• Identify, document, and report bugs and defects related to cellular network performance, functionality, and compatibility.

• Analyze test results and provide recommendations for improvement.

• Collaborate with the development team and the product manager to ensure quality standards and customer expectations are met.

• Debug and troubleshoot issues that arise during testing (including functional and performance testing).

• Documentation of testing plans, operational procedures, and results.

• Stay updated with the latest cellular network trends and technologies, such as 5G, LTE, and IoT.

• Design, development, and optimization of Lynk’s testing procedures/policies for our ongoing test campaign for our telecommunications technology.

• Implement continuous improvements and best practices within the team, and larger organization. 

• Operation, maintenance, and calibration of test equipment.

Required Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree or higher in Electrical/Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related field.

• At least four years of experience integrating and testing cellular communications systems.

• In-depth understanding of the 3GPP RAN protocols and architecture, including GSM, LTE, and/or 5G.

• Experience using network testing tools and frameworks, such as QXDM, Wireshark, iPerf, Traceroute, etc. 

• Proficiency with C/C++, Python, Bash, and Git.

• Proficiency with Linux Operating Systems and Docker.

• Experience developing automated test cases.

• Ability to write clear and concise test documentation and reports.

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

• Exceptional organizational skills and highly accountable.

• Attention to detail and quality orientation.

• Critical thinking and troubleshooting skills.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

Optional Qualifications

• Knowledge of software defined radios (SDRs) and their implementation.

• Deep understanding of communication theory and signal processing related algorithms design, e.g., timing recovery, signal estimation and detection, RF impairment estimation and correction, channel modeling and estimation, Doppler compensation techniques.

• Familiarity with existing telecommunications software stacks, e.g., LTE, 5G NR implementations.

• Proven experience leading product testing.  

• Familiarity with concepts such as DevOps, IaC, CICD, and SCM. 

• Experience with infrastructure automation tools such as Gitlab, Jenkins, AWS Cloud, Terraform, Ansible, Docker, and Kubernetes.

Job Location

Washington, DC area