Forward Deployment Engineer – Expert - 5G/6G/NTN

Keysight Technologies SAles Spain SL.; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 176,000 - 293,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental and vision

401(k) Plan

Tuition Reimbursement

Flexible Time Off

Job summary

Keysight Technologies Inc. is seeking an Expert Forward Deployment Engineer to work inside a customer's development program as software developer, systems engineer and deployment lead, shipping production code and driving multi-workstream deployment projects.

The role embeds within customer environments to customize, integrate, and deploy technology into real-world production systems, solving complex, high-impact problems with leadership and broad protocol expertise.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) and 8+ years of relevant software/systems engineering experience.
• Strong software-development experience across multiple software stacks and domains (PHY/L1, MAC/RLC/PDCP, L2, L3).
• Proficiency in C/C++ and Python (including API development), Linux, embedded or real-time software, and automated testing.
• Experience debugging protocol interactions through logs, traces, packet captures, call flows, and timing analysis.
• Familiarity with 3GPP specifications and the practical differences among standards compliance, interoperability, and implementation behavior.
• Experience in design and test instrumentation and test emulation tools.
• Ability to produce production-quality code that ships in a customer's build.
• Excellent communication skills; willing to relocate or travel as required by assignment.

Responsibilities

• Reduce broad account concepts into structured, multi-workstream deployment projects.
• Act as the technical lead for the most complex deployment engagements.
• Architect and own solutions requiring specialized skills.
• Work onsite or with customer development teams during major feature introductions.
• Analyze signaling flows and performance data to isolate failures across implementations.
• Write and modify application and protocol-stack software; provide required firmware.
• Develop and extend Python APIs that customer teams integrate against.
• Build automation workflows inside customer environments.
• Create diagnostic instrumentation when existing tools are insufficient.
• Develop, validate and deploy controlled patches and interim releases.
• Run rapid prototyping loops with customers to test features based on live feedback.
• Translate field problems into engineering requirements and defects for product management and R&D.
• Incorporate broadly applicable improvements into the core product.
• Mentor lower-level engineers and help develop the forward deployment team.

Skills

C/C++

Python

Linux

Embedded/RTOS

Debugging protocols

Software testing

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree

Tools

Test instrumentation

Test emulation tools

Job description

Overview

Keysight is at the forefront of technology innovation, delivering breakthroughs and trusted insights in electronic design, simulation, prototyping, test, manufacturing, and optimization. Our ~16,800 employees create world-class solutions in communications, 5G, automotive, energy, quantum, aerospace, defense, and semiconductor markets for customers in over 100 countries. Learn more about what we do.

Our award-winning culture embraces a bold vision of where technology can take us and a passion for tackling challenging problems with industry-first solutions. We believe that when people feel a sense of belonging, they can be more creative, innovative, and thrive at all points in their careers.

Responsibilities

The Expert Forward Deployment Engineer works inside a customer's development program as software developer, systems engineer, and deployment lead in one role, and ships production code. This person reduces broad concepts and business strategies into structured deployment projects, acts as the key technical lead and go-to person for Department or Senior Management on the most complex, high-impact engagements, diagnoses problems deep within the protocol stack (Layer 1 to Layer 3), modifies software, validates fixes, and delivers controlled releases during a customer's early development, integration, and regression cycles.

This is a customer-facing software engineering role where you will embed directly within a customer environment to customize, integrate, and deploy technology into real-world production systems, solving complex, high-impact problems.

Core responsibilities

• Reduce broad account concepts and business strategies into structured, multi-workstream deployment projects
• Act as the key technical lead and go-to person for Department or Senior Management on the most complex or highest-impact deployment engagements
• Architect and own solutions to problems that require a unique or highly specialized skill set
• Work onsite or closely with wireless customer development teams during major feature introductions
• Analyze signaling flows, traces, timing behavior, and performance data to isolate failures across Keysight and customer implementations
• Write and modify application and protocol-stack software, plus the supporting software and firmware the customer environment requires
• Develop and extend Python APIs that customer teams integrate against
• Build automation workflows inside the customer's workflows
• Create diagnostic instrumentation when existing tools are insufficient
• Develop, validate, and deploy controlled patches, feature flags, and interim releases under Keysight's release process
• Run rapid prototyping loops directly with customers to test and iterate on new features based on live feedback
• Act as a feedback loop to the core product and engineering teams, translating field problems into engineering requirements and defects for product management and R&D
• Incorporate broadly applicable field-developed improvements into the core product
• Mentor lower-level engineers and help develop the broader forward deployment engineering team

Qualifications

Typically requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) and 8+ years of relevant software/systems engineering experience. Post-graduate study and/or relevant certification/license may be required.

• Strong software-development experience across multiple software stacks
• Preferred expertise in at least one domain (PHY/L1, MAC/RLC/PDCP and L2, or RRC/NAS and L3), plus working knowledge of adjacent layers and end-to-end 4G, 5G, and 5G-Advanced system behavior
• Proficiency in C/C++ and Python (including API development), Linux, embedded or real-time software, and automated testing
• Experience debugging protocol interactions through logs, traces, packet captures, call flows, and timing analysis
• Familiarity with 3GPP specifications and the practical differences among standards compliance, interoperability, and implementation behavior
• Experience in design and test instrumentation and test emulation tools
• Ability to produce production-quality code that ships in a customer's build
• The judgment and customer presence to operate inside confidential development programs
• Excellent communication skills; able to explain technical trade-offs to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
• Willingness to relocate or travel to a specific customer site as required by the assignment
• Specialized depth and/or breadth of expertise across multiple protocol layers, software stacks, and deployment domains
• Demonstrated technical leadership: ability to design solutions to unusually complex problems and set direction for other engineers

Travel Requirement

Up to 50% travel to local client sites. Occasional international travel may also be required.

Other Information

This position is on site in Santa Clara, CA

Relocation is available for this position

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position

The level of role will be based on applicable experience, education and skills; Most offers will be between the minimum and the midpoint of the Salary Range listed below:

Pay Range: MIN $175,670.00 -MID $234,220.00 - MAX $292,780.00

Note: For other locations, pay ranges will vary by region

Keysight Technologies Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability or any other protected categories under all applicable laws.

US Employees may be eligible for the following benefits:

• Medical, dental and vision
• Health Savings Account
• Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
• Life, Accident, Disability insurance
• Business Travel Accident and Business Travel Health
• 401(k) Plan
• Flexible Time Off, Paid Holidays
• Paid Family Leave
• Discounts, Perks
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Adoption Assistance
• ESPP (Employee Stock Purchase Plan)
• Restricted Stock Units

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