About us We are Ericsson - a global leader in telecommunications, advancing 5G and cloud-native network infrastructure. Our User Plane Core (UP) teams build high-performance, secure, scalable data plane solutions that power mobile services worldwide. Join us to help design and implement cloud-native UP components with a strong emphasis on security and resilience.
Role overview We are looking for a proactive software engineer to join the 5G User Plane Core team. You will work on cloud-native implementations of the UP, focusing on performance, reliability and security across distributed environments. The role combines systems and networking expertise with secure design, automation and close collaboration with product, QA and operations teams.
What you will do:
- Design, implement and optimize cloud-native User Plane Core components (data plane, packet processing, forwarding)
- Develop and harden security controls across the UP (authZ/authN, encryption, secure boot, secrets management, isolation)
- Implement high-performance packet processing using DPDK, XDP, VPP or equivalent technologies
- Containerize and deploy components using Kubernetes, CRI-O/containerd, Helm, Operators
- Contribute to CI/CD pipelines, automated testing and observability (tracing, metrics, logging)
- Perform threat modelling, vulnerability assessments and remediation; work with SRE/SecOps on incident response
- Tune performance in multi-tenant, cloud-native environments and support scale testing
- Collaborate with standards, product and integration teams to ensure interoperability with Control Plane and OSS/BSS
- Mentor peers and contribute to engineering practices, design docs and code reviews
The skills you bring:
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering or equivalent in experience
- 2+ years of software development experience in networking, systems or telecom domains
- Strong programming skills in C/C++ and/or Go; experience with Rust is a plus
- Hands-on experience with packet processing frameworks (DPDK, XDP, eBPF, VPP)
- Solid knowledge of Kubernetes and container networking (CNI, service mesh concepts)
- Practical experience implementing security controls: TLS, IPsec, certificate handling, secure key management
- Familiarity with 3GPP 5G architecture, especially the User Plane (UPF/UP) and related protocols (GTP-U, PFCP)
- Experience with CI/CD, testing automation and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, Jaeger, ELK)Strong problem-solving, communication skills and ability to work in cross-functional teams
It is an advantage if you have:
- Experience with cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) and managed
- Kubernetes servicesKnowledge of cloud-native networking projects (Cilium, Calico) and service mesh (Istio)
- Background in security certifications (e.g., CISSP) or formal security training
- Experience with performance benchmarking and tuning (pktgen, TRex)
- Prior work on telecom core network elements (UPF, SMF) or virtualized network functions (VNFs/CNFs)
- Familiarity with NFV, CNF lifecycle management, and Telco Cloud initiatives
What we Offer
Salary package:
- Cafeteria fringe benefits (gross 840,000 HUF/year)
- Annual bonus
- Life-event related benefits (e.g., childbirth)
Other benefits:
- Employee Assistance Program
- Life and accident insurance
- Wellbeing initiatives
- Company share purchase plan
- Referral bonus
- All You Can Move partner
Learning & development:
- Internal and external learning programs
- Access to technical workshops and conferences
- Language courses
Facilities:
- Hybrid work model according to the Home Office Policy
- Modern office in the 11th district
- Laptop and mobile phone
- Free underground garage parking
- Bike storage, showers, and lockers
Please submit your CV and a short cover letter highlighting relevant projects (packet processing, cloud-native deployments, security work). Include links to GitHub, papers, or code samples if available.
Why join Ericsson?
At Ericsson, you'll have an outstanding opportunity. The chance to use your skills and imagination to push the boundaries of what's possible. To build solutions never seen before to some of the world's toughest problems. You'll be challenged, but you won't be alone. You'll be joining a team of diverse innovators, all driven to go beyond the status quo to craft what comes next.
What happens once you apply?
Click Here to find all you need to know about what our typical hiring process looks like.
Encouraging a diverse and inclusive organization is core to our values at Ericsson, that's why we champion it in everything we do. We truly believe that by collaborating with people with different experiences we drive innovation, which is essential for our future growth. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply and realize their full potential as part of our Ericsson team. Ericsson is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. learn more.
Primary country and city: Hungary (HU) || Budapest
Req ID: 780109
Top Skills
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
Ericsson builds the digital connectivity the world relies on. Our technology underpins the mobile networks, platforms, and systems that billions of people, businesses, and societies depend on every day.
We are a global leader in communications technology, delivering mobile network infrastructure, cloud software, and wireless connectivity solutions for service providers and enterprises worldwide. Our networks support connectivity across 180+ countries, helping power everyday communication as well as critical digital services at global scale.
Connectivity has evolved far beyond consumer mobile use. Today, nearly 80% of the world’s population accesses the internet via mobile networks, and Ericsson is helping shape what comes next. We are advancing 5G and 5G Advanced, developing network APIs that open connectivity to the global developer ecosystem, and applying automation and AI to make networks more intelligent, efficient, and resilient.
Ericsson was the first company to launch live 5G networks on five continents, and our 5G platform is now commercially live in 150+ networks across 60+ countries. We also support more than 36,000 enterprise customers, enabling secure, high-performance connectivity for industries such as manufacturing, aviation, logistics, utilities, and public safety, where reliability and performance are mission critical.
Innovation is central to how we work. Ericsson has approximately 28,000 employees in research and development, backed by one of the strongest intellectual property portfolios in the industry with 60,000+ granted patents. Our engineers, researchers, and technologists work across 100+ global R&D sites, helping define how networks evolve and how digital infrastructure is built for the long term.
As the world moves toward a mobile-first, AI-powered, and cloud-driven future, connectivity becomes the foundation for digital transformation across every industry. Ericsson is building that foundation, shaping the future of digital connectivity through technology that operates at global scale and supports real-world impact, today and for what comes next.
Why Work With Us
Ericsson is a place for people who want to work on technology that powers everyday life. You’ll contribute to large-scale systems used every day, tackle complex challenges in live environments, and keep developing your skills and career in your own vision.
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