Director PLM, NTN RAN

Mavenir is building the future of networks and pioneering advanced technology, focusing on the vision of a single, software-based automated network that runs on any cloud. As the industry's only end-to-end, cloud-native network software provider, Mavenir is transforming the way the world connects, accelerating software network transformation for 250+ Communications Service Providers in over 120 countries, which serve more than 50% of the world’s subscribers.

Role Summary

As Director of PLM for NTN RAN, you will own the end-to-end product roadmap for Mavenir's NTN RAN portfolio, covering NB-IoT NTN, NR NTN (3GPP Rel-17/18), and the evolution toward LEO regenerative (onboard processing) architectures. You will be the central connection point between R&D, sales, customers, and standards bodies, translating live requirements from SNOs, MNO partners, and government operators into defensible, shipped product capabilities.
This role sits at the intersection of Mavenir's most strategically important growth vector and the fastest-moving segment in wireless. It is India-based, in close proximity to Mavenir's NTN R&D organization, with primary commercial responsibility for the APAC region and global contribution to active customer engagements.

Key Responsibilities

Product Roadmap Ownership

• Define, own, and drive the multi-release NTN RAN roadmap covering NB-IoT NTN (GEO), NR NTN (transparent and regenerative LEO/GEO), beam-hopping, multi-satellite handover, and feeder link management.
• Translate 3GPP Rel-17/18/19 NTN specifications and customer requirements into prioritized engineering deliverables with clear release phasing across locked, indicative, and roadmap horizons.
• Own the NR NTN release cadence and coordinate cross-functional delivery milestones with engineering, test, and deployment teams.
• Define NRE scope boundaries and manage gap and compliance tracking across active RFP engagements in the APAC region and beyond.

Customer and Sales Engagement

• Engage directly with SNO customers and prospect accounts across LEO, GEO, MEO, and D2D segments in the APAC region at both technical and executive levels to drive qualification, RFP response, and commercial close.
• Lead and defend RFP responses for NTN RAN capability, including architecture design, roadmap commitment, compliance matrices, and PoC or trial scoping.
• Conduct technical workshops, architecture deep-dives, and executive briefings for satellite operator customers and MNO partners across the region.
• Support the full sales cycle from pipeline qualification through contract execution, including PoC design, trial milestone definition, and commercial launch readiness.
• Work closely with the regional sales organization to prioritize accounts, develop pursuit strategies, and present Mavenir's NTN value proposition at operator CxO and VP level.

Standards and Ecosystem

• Represent Mavenir in 3GPP NTN working groups (RAN1, RAN2, RAN3) and satellite industry alliances, including MSSA and O-RAN Alliance NTN focus areas.
• Track and synthesize NTN standardization evolution into actionable roadmap input, covering Rel-18 service continuity and Rel-19 regenerative NTN.
• Identify, qualify, and drive integration partnerships with O-RAN ecosystem vendors, satellite payload suppliers, and ground segment integrators relevant to APAC market opportunities.
• Monitor device ecosystem readiness across 3GPP NTN chipsets and D2D device ramp, and incorporate device availability assumptions into roadmap timing and customer commitments.

Competitive Intelligence and Market Positioning

• Maintain deep competitive awareness across the NTN RAN and Core landscape, including terrestrial vendors entering the satellite space and satellite-native entrants building their own stacks.
• Develop and maintain competitive battlecards, win/loss analysis, and differentiation narratives for direct use by the APAC sales team.
• Produce market intelligence inputs for the PLM leadership team and EVP/GM NTN, with a focus on APAC operator dynamics, procurement cycles, and emerging regulatory environments.

Go-to-Market and Thought Leadership

• Author and review NTN RAN content for white papers, award submissions, analyst briefings, and conference presentations.
• Represent Mavenir at satellite and telecom industry events across the APAC region, including relevant regional Mobile World Congress events, CommunicAsia, and GSMA M360 NTN.
• Partner with marketing to develop customer-facing collateral, solution briefs, and sales enablement materials anchored to verifiable, commercial milestones.

Job Requirements

Experience and Qualifications

• Minimum 12 years of relevant experience in wireless telecommunications, with at least 4 years focused directly on NTN, satellite communications, or RAN product management.
• Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or Telecommunications required. An MBA is a strong advantage.
• Hands-on familiarity with 3GPP NTN specifications (Rel-17 NR NTN, NB-IoT NTN) and the NTN-specific RAN challenges that come with them: Doppler correction, long propagation delay handling, timing advance adaptation, beam management, and satellite mobility.
• Proven track record engaging operator technical and executive stakeholders in the APAC region, with strong existing relationships at satellite operators or tier-1 mobile network operators considered a significant advantage.

Technical Depth

• Deep knowledge of NR NTN and NB-IoT NTN RAN architecture, including CU/DU split, vDU/vCU deployment models, eCPRI/Split 7.2 fronthaul, beam hopping, and SMO/RIC integration.
• Solid understanding of satellite ground segment architecture: gateway integration, TTC interface, feeder link design, and the trade-offs between GEO, LEO, and regenerative payload approaches.
• Practical knowledge of 5G Core functions as they interface with NTN RAN, and experience with cloud-native deployments on hyperscaler platforms.
• Familiarity with O-RAN Alliance NTN work items and the applicability of O1, E2, and A1 interfaces to NTN deployments.

Product Management and Commercial Skills

• Demonstrated ability to own a multi-release product roadmap with real engineering accountability, including clearly distinguishing shipped features from roadmap commitments and managing customer expectations accordingly.
• Proven experience managing complex RFP responses and technical proposal defense for tier-1 satellite or telecom customers, including NRE scoping and PoC program management.
• Strong executive presence and ability to engage C-suite and VP-level stakeholders at SNOs, MNOs, and government operators with credibility and clarity.
• Commercial awareness of operator procurement dynamics in the APAC region, including experience navigating government-adjacent or sovereign satellite programs.

Working Style and Personal Attributes

• Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, customer-facing role with competing priorities across multiple active accounts simultaneously.
• Structured, precise communicator who can produce and defend technically rigorous materials at the standard required by tier-1 operator procurement teams, without sacrificing clarity for non-technical stakeholders.
• Collaborative cross-functional leader with the ability to influence engineering delivery without direct authority, and a natural instinct for keeping teams aligned on what matters most.
• High personal standard for factual accuracy: able to clearly distinguish verified commercial deployments from lab-stage activity, and roadmap commitments from shipped capabilities. This matters enormously in a market where trust is the differentiator.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a genuine bias for action, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by building something new in a market that is still taking shape.
• Willingness to travel internationally across the APAC region and to Mavenir sites globally, estimated at 30 to 40 percent of time.

Preferred Background

• Prior experience at a satellite operator, satellite equipment vendor, or NTN software company.
• Active participation in 3GPP NTN working groups or MSSA / O-RAN Alliance NTN task forces.
• Familiarity with LEO regenerative payload architectures and onboard processing design considerations.
• Experience supporting government or sovereign SNO procurement programs in the APAC or MENA regions.

Accessibility

Mavenir is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you require any assistance, please state in your application or contact your recruiter.

Mavenir is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes qualified applicants from around the world, regardless of their ethnicity, gender, religion, nationality, age, disability, or other legally protected status.