Senior NTN Service Validation Engineer

AST SpaceMobile and our global partners are building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network to be accessible by standard smartphones. Called SpaceMobile, this ultra-powerful network is being designed to provide connectivity at 4G/5G speeds everywhere on the planet – on land, at sea and in flight.

Position Overview

We are seeking a talented and motivated Senior NTN Service Validation Engineer to join the Service Enablement team, owning the RF and system-level correctness of every satellite service pass — from beamforming configuration through link budget validation to post-pass RF/RAN analysis. This role sits at the intersection of RF systems engineering, satellite payload configuration, and ground segment operations, responsible for configuring, validating, and troubleshooting satellite RF configuration against link budget and RF chain requirements, and for tracing anomalies back through telemetry, IQ captures, and LTE/RAN counters to root cause. This person works across ground station sites applying consistent, version-controlled configuration practices, and acts as a Service Enablement feature owner — defining acceptance criteria and KPIs for network/RF features, leading readiness reviews, planning validation from lab through in-orbit test (IOT) to production, and ensuring a clean technical handover to Operations, Service Delivery, and Service Assurance.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead in-orbit testing and LTE end-to-end validation across the satellite payload, gateway RF chain, and RAN domains.
• Own technical validation of satellite and gateway configuration files, digital beamforming scaling, DSA settings, frequency plans, ADC/DAC scale factors, and AGC loop parameters against per-pass link budget targets.
• Perform RF and link budget analysis for LEO service passes, including FSPL vs. elevation-angle-dependent scan loss, EIRP and G/T budgeting, and beam pattern and pointing accuracy.
• Analyze IQ domain captures to diagnose signal quality, calibration convergence, harmonic/interference effects, and beamforming performance.
• Troubleshoot RF, RAN, payload, and gateway issues impacting LTE performance, mobility, handovers, multibeam operation, and customer experience, using telemetry, RF measurements, and RAN counters.
• Define feature acceptance criteria, RF/RAN KPIs, validation plans, rollout strategies, and production readiness success metrics.
• Lead cross-functional technical reviews, coordinating feature execution with R&D, Operations, Service Delivery, Service Assurance, and test teams.
• Build and maintain custom diagnostic and visualization tooling (RF/telemetry dashboards, beam and spectrum visualizers, IQ analyzers) to accelerate pass analysis and troubleshooting.
• Drive technical reporting, documentation, KPI reviews, readiness assessments, and production handover packages for management and stakeholders.

Qualifications

Education:

B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, RF Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in RF engineering, RAN, satellite communications, or wireless systems validation environments.
• Practical understanding of link budget analysis for wireless links, free space path loss, elevation-angle-dependent scan loss, EIRP, G/T, interference mitigation, and RF measurement techniques.
• Experience with IQ domain/DSP signal analysis, including spectrogram or FFT-based inspection, power-vs-time analysis, and identifying harmonic or co-channel interference.
• Deep knowledge of LTE/RAN technologies.
• Scripting/automation experience (Python, Lua, MATLAB) for configuration validation, telemetry parsing, and building custom analysis tools.
• Proven ability to analyze test results, identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and drive issue resolution across multiple engineering teams.
• Experience leading feature validation, production readiness, rollout planning, technical reviews, and operational handover activities.
• Strong technical leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills, working effectively with R&D, Operations, Service Delivery, Service Assurance, and customer-facing teams.

Preferred Qualifications:

Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with high attention to technical detail.
• Ability to work independently while coordinating with multiple engineering and operations owners.
• Strong communication skills, including clear technical writing, concise issue summaries, and stakeholder-ready presentations.
• Comfortable leading technical discussions, readiness reviews, and cross-functional alignment for features and service validation.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced test campaigns with changing priorities and cross-time-zone coordination.
• Team player with an ownership mindset and the ability to drive issues from investigation to closure.

Technology Stack:

• Link budget analysis tools and RF measurement equipment.
• IQ domain/DSP signal analysis tooling, including spectrogram and FFT-based inspection.
• Python, Lua, and MATLAB for configuration validation, telemetry parsing, and custom analysis tooling.
• Telemetry and LTE/RAN counter systems for cross-domain root-cause analysis.
• Custom diagnostic and visualization tooling, including RF/telemetry dashboards, beam and spectrum visualizers, and IQ analyzers.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to lift up to 25 lbs.
• Ability to use a computer for extended periods.
• Ability to work in an office and lab environment, including hands-on work with RF test equipment and ground station systems.
• Ability to travel to ground station sites to support configuration, validation, and troubleshooting activities as needed.

This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands.

AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.