RF Planner / Network Design Engineer

Fuel Recruitment; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Fuel Recruitment is seeking a Network Design Engineer / RF Planner for a hybrid role in London. You will perform LTE/5G radio planning, contribute to network optimisation, and work with internal teams and external suppliers to enhance mobile networks.

The ideal candidate has several years of hands-on LTE/5G planning experience, strong KPI analysis skills, and solid RF fundamentals. This role balances operational planning with longer-term network design and improvements.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Telecommunications, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Approximately 3–4 years' experience in LTE and/or 5G radio planning.
• Understanding of radio network design principles, coverage and capacity planning.
• Experience working within mobile network environments.

Responsibilities

• Perform day-to-day radio planning and network design activities across LTE and 5G networks.
• Support coverage, capacity and optimisation projects.
• Conduct neighbour planning, parameter audits and network configuration reviews.
• Analyse network performance and KPI data to identify areas for improvement.
• Assist with radio network expansions, upgrades and technology refresh programmes.
• Support network acceptance and validation activities.
• Produce and maintain planning documentation, reports and design records.
• Work with internal engineering teams, deployment teams and external suppliers.
• Contribute to troubleshooting and resolution of network performance issues.
• Assist in delivering future LTE and 5G network enhancement programmes.

Skills

Radio planning

LTE/5G planning

KPI analysis

RF fundamentals

Communication

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Telecommunications/Electrical/Electronic Engineering or related

Tools

Atoll

Planet

Asset

Job description

Network Design Engineer / RF Planner

Location: Hybrid - 1 day in the office in London

Salary: Very Competitive

Type: Full-Time Permanent (Fixed Term Contract considered initially)

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Network Design Engineer / RF Planner to join our growing telecoms team.

This is an excellent opportunity for an engineer with several years of mobile network planning experience who is looking to further develop their career within LTE and 5G network design. The role will involve a blend of business-as-usual radio planning activities and participation in future network development and optimisation projects.

The successful candidate will work closely with experienced engineers and architects, contributing to network design, capacity planning, coverage improvement, and ongoing optimisation of mobile radio networks.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform day-to-day radio planning and network design activities across LTE and 5G networks.
• Support coverage, capacity and optimisation projects.
• Conduct neighbour planning, parameter audits and network configuration reviews.
• Analyse network performance and KPI data to identify areas for improvement.
• Assist with radio network expansions, upgrades and technology refresh programmes.
• Support network acceptance and validation activities.
• Produce and maintain planning documentation, reports and design records.
• Work with internal engineering teams, deployment teams and external suppliers.
• Contribute to troubleshooting and resolution of network performance issues.
• Assist in delivering future LTE and 5G network enhancement programmes.

Skills & Experience

Essential

• Degree qualified in Telecommunications, Electronic Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.
• Approximately 3-4 years' experience in LTE and/or 5G radio planning.
• Understanding of radio network design principles, coverage and capacity planning.
• Experience working within mobile network environments.
• Familiarity with radio planning and optimisation tools such as Atoll, Planet, Asset or similar.
• Ability to analyse network KPIs and performance data.
• Good understanding of RF fundamentals and mobile network technologies.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.

Desirable

• Experience with multiple radio technologies (2G, 3G, LTE and 5G).
• Knowledge of transmission, transport or backhaul networks.
• Exposure to core network technologies (EPC or 5G Core).
• Experience supporting network rollout, optimisation or acceptance activities.
• Understanding of UK mobile network environments.

What We're Looking For

This role would suit an engineer who has moved beyond graduate level and has gained several years of practical LTE/5G planning experience but is still keen to remain hands-on. We are looking for someone comfortable balancing day-to-day operational planning activities with longer-term network design and optimisation initiatives.