4G/5G L1 & Radio Software - Senior Lead / Principal Architect

Senior Lead / Principal Architect – 4G/5G L1 & Radio Software

Location: Delhi and Bangalore

Experience Level: 12+ years in 4G/5G L1/PHY & RF Software Development

Domain: Telecommunications, 3GPP LTE/5G NR Physical Layer, DSP, Open RAN (O-RAN), vRAN

Role Overview

We are looking for a Senior Lead / Principal Architect – 4G/5G L1 & Radio Software to drive the design, development, and optimization of physical layer (PHY) algorithms, L1 software stacks, and RF interfaces. In this role, you will lead high-performance L1 engineering teams, oversee software development across custom hardware, FPGA/ASIC, and GPU platforms, and drive large-scale product delivery, sustenance, and deployment programs for traditional, virtualized (vRAN), and Open RAN (O-RAN) eNodeB/gNodeB architectures.

Roles & Responsibilities

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  Algorithm & PHY Software Engineering: Design and implement robust LTE (4G) and 5G NR physical layer (PHY) algorithms and procedures.

  
  


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  Performance & Resource Optimization: Optimize L1 software for latency, throughput, and efficient hardware utilization across CPU, DSP, GPU, FPGA, and ASIC platforms.

  
  


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  System Integration & Subsystems: Interface L1 software seamlessly with Radio/RF, Layer 2 (MAC/RLC), and Fronthaul (CPRI/eCPRI) subsystems.

  
  


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  Lab Debugging & Issue Resolution: Analyze and debug complex PHY layer issues using system logs, I/Q sample captures, and specialized lab equipment.

  
  


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  Team Leadership & Mentorship: Review work products, mentor high-performance L1 software engineering teams, and drive delivery excellence.

  
  


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  Program Execution: Drive large-scale 4G/5G L1 product development, maintenance, and field support across multiple eNodeB/gNodeB product variants (vRAN, O-RAN, and custom platforms).

  
  


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  Stakeholder Management: Effectively communicate technical concepts, architectural decisions, and delivery status with senior internal and external stakeholders.

  
  

Required Technical Expertise & Skill Sets1. Physical Layer (PHY), DSP & RF Core Skills

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  Signal Processing & RF Concepts: Deep expertise in LTE/NR PHY layer processing, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), RF principles, and antenna configurations.

  
  


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  Baseband & Channel Algorithms: Hands-on experience with modulation/demodulation, channel estimation and equalization, FFT/IFFT, complex I/Q sample processing, MIMO, and beamforming.

  
  


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  Forward Error Correction (FEC): Strong experience in FEC algorithms, including Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC), Turbo decoding, and Polar codes.

  
  


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  Fronthaul & Acceleration: Deep familiarity with CPRI and eCPRI fronthaul protocols and hardware-accelerated L1 processing.

  
  

2. Programming, Hardware & Embedded Systems

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  Programming Languages: Advanced proficiency in C, C++, and MATLAB for modeling, simulation, and real-time implementation.

  
  


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  Real-Time Systems: Expertise in real-time embedded systems programming.

  
  


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  Target Architectures: Programming experience on specialized hardware platforms including DSPs, FPGAs, ASICs, GPUs, and x86/ARM baseband processors.

  
  

3. 3GPP Wireless Standards Compliance3GPP LTE / E-UTRA Specifications:

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  36.201: General description of LTE Physical Layer

  
  


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  36.211: Physical channels and modulation

  
  


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  36.212: Multiplexing and channel coding

  
  


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  36.213: Physical layer procedures

  
  


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  36.214: Physical layer measurements

  
  


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  36.216: Physical layer for relaying operation

  
  


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  36.300 / 36.302: Overall description (Stage 2) and services provided by the physical layer

  
  


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  36.401: E-UTRAN Architecture description

  
  

3GPP 5G NR Specifications:

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  38.201 / 38.202: General description and physical layer services

  
  


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  38.211: Physical channels and modulation

  
  


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  38.212: Multiplexing and channel coding

  
  


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  38.213: Physical layer procedures for control

  
  


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  38.214: Physical layer procedures for data

  
  


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  38.215: Physical layer measurements

  
  


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  38.291: Ambient IoT Physical layer

  
  


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  38.300 / 38.401: NR & NG-RAN Overall description (Stage 2) and NG-RAN Architecture description

  
  

Qualifications & Experience

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  Experience: 12+ years of dedicated PHY/RF software development experience in 4G/5G telecommunications.

  
  


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  Program Leadership: Proven track record of leading delivery for large-scale 4G/5G L1/PHY software programs.

  
  


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  Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics & Communication Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.