Lead Engineer, 5G NR/LTE Protocol

Cloudly Inc; India; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Two annual bonuses

Fully subsidized meals

Two-day weekends and public holidays

Job summary

Cloudly Inc is seeking a Lead Engineer for 5G NR and LTE Protocol in India to own technical direction across the OAI stack. This role involves debugging complex interactions and defining protocol validation standards. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise in 3GPP specifications, cross-layer architecture, and extensive experience with protocol stacks.

The position offers competitive compensation and benefits, including performance-based commissions and festive bonuses, directly collaborating with international teams.

Qualifications

• Proven experience with 5G NR and LTE protocols.
• Ability to lead technical investigations with clear communication.
• Strong system leadership and decision-making skills.

Responsibilities

• Own technical direction for 5G NR and LTE protocols.
• Define acceptance criteria and validate protocol features.
• Monitor development of 3GPP specifications.

Skills

Debugging 3GPP NR and LTE protocols

Hands-on experience with 38-series and 36-series specifications

Cross-layer technical investigations

Wireshark and tshark proficiency

C or C++ on Linux-based protocol stack development

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science

Job description

As Lead Engineer for 5G NR/LTE Protocol at CloudlyIO, you will own the end-to-end technical direction for NR and LTE protocol features and fixes across the full OAI stack, from PHY at the bottom through MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC at the top, validated end-to-end against a Magma core. You will take feature requirements, map them to exact 3GPP specification areas, identify precisely what exists in the OAI codebase versus what needs to be built, and drive design and execution across the team from day one.

This is the “final boss” debugging role: when something is wrong in a complex multi-layer protocol interaction and no one else can find it, you find it. You define what done looks like, including E2E flows, regression coverage, acceptance criteria, and release-quality validation standards. You unblock the team, make crisp technical decisions under pressure, and set the quality bar for everyone working on the protocol stack.

CloudlyNet is our RAN optimization platform for telecom operators and enterprise networks. It uses a Bayesian Digital Twin with real UE data to deliver energy savings, load balancing, mobility robustness, and coverage and capacity optimization across 4G and 5G deployments.

To make CloudlyNet credible at the protocol layer, CloudlyIO is building deep internal expertise in the OpenAirInterface (OAI) open-source stack across both UE and gNB, validated end-to-end with the Magma core network. This role sits at the top of that technical effort. You will be the protocol authority for the entire Open RAN and Core Engineering team.

Job Requirement

• Lead cross-layer architecture and design reviews spanning the full protocol stack: timing relationships, HARQ procedures, scheduling expectations, and their implications for MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC behavior in both UE and gNB
• Translate incoming feature requirements into precise 3GPP specification mappings, identifying the exact TS 38-series (38.331, 38.323, 38.322, 38.321) and 36-series sections relevant to each feature, and producing an implementation plan that clearly distinguishes what already exists in OAI from what needs to be built
• Serve as the definitive technical escalation point for protocol debugging: logs, PCAPs (Wireshark/tshark), state machine analysis, timer behavior, retransmission tracing, and segmentation and reassembly issues across the full L2/L3 stack
• Define acceptance criteria and the meaning of “done” for every protocol feature: E2E attach and data path flows, regression test suite coverage, and release-quality validation standards that the team can execute repeatably
• Drive E2E validation across the full open-source network stack: OAI gNB, OAI UE or UE simulator, and Magma core, covering registration, data path validation, mobility procedures, and security flows
• Provide technical mentorship to protocol engineers on the team, reviewing designs and patches, accelerating their growth, and maintaining a consistent quality standard across all protocol-layer contributions
• Monitor 3GPP Rel-17 and Rel-18 feature development relevant to CloudlyIO’s customer deployments and translate emerging specification work into actionable roadmap input for the CloudlyNet product team

YOU MAY BE A GOOD FIT IF YOU HAVE

• Proven hands‑on experience debugging 3GPP NR and LTE protocols using the 38-series and 36-series specifications as working references, not background reading
• Deep L2 and L3 protocol depth across MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC in both UE and gNB contexts, including state machine behavior, timer management, HARQ interactions, and security procedures
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross‑layer technical investigations: you can start from a PCAP and a log bundle, form a precise hypothesis, reproduce the failure, and deliver a root cause analysis that is defensible at the specification level
• Strong system leadership: you make crisp decisions when the team is blocked, you communicate technical positions clearly, and you know when to go deeper versus when to move forward
• Proficiency with Wireshark and tshark for day‑to‑day protocol validation and deep trace analysis
• Experience working in C or C++ on Linux‑based protocol stack development

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Direct experience with the OpenAirInterface codebase on either the UE or gNB side
• Familiarity with FAPI and nFAPI interfaces and the MAC‑to‑PHY boundary they define
• Practical ASN.1 knowledge in the context of RRC message encoding and decoding
• Experience with E2E attach and data path validation using open‑source core stacks such as Magma, Open5GS, or free5GC
• Exposure to O‑RAN Alliance specifications, particularly E2 interface behavior and near‑RT RIC integration
• Background in DSP, embedded wireless systems, or physical layer implementation that informs cross‑layer protocol reasoning
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Telecommunications Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary: Competitive base, negotiable based on experience
• Performance‑based commission structure: your earnings scale directly with your results
• Two annual festive bonuses, each equivalent to half a month’s salary
• Two‑day weekends, 10 days casual leave, 10 days sick leave, and 14 public holidays per CloudlyIO's global holiday calendar
• Fully subsidized lunch and evening snacks, plus tea and coffee throughout the day
• Direct collaboration with US clients and teams, with real exposure to global enterprise AI deals from day one