Wireless Network Architect

Cape; Washington; On-site; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) match

Medical, dental, vision coverage for你

Job summary

Cape is seeking a Wireless Network Architect to design, build, and operate privacy‑focused cellular networks in a fast‑growing startup environment. You will help shape a next‑generation cloud core, IMS, and edge elements, working with vendors and cross‑functional teams to deliver mission‑critical communications for national security and allied users.

You will deploy and troubleshoot 4G/5G core components, ensure security and interoperability, and drive rollout plans with zero-disruption

Qualifications

• You have 4+ years wireless core network architecture experience including IMS, EPC/PGW, MME, HSS, SGW (or 5G equivalents).
• Hands-on operational skills—deploying, configuring, and debugging network functions in a startup environment.
• Deep expertise in telecom features such as VoLTE/VoNR, VoWiFi, SMS/MMS over IP, and regulatory compliance (e911, NG911, CALEA).
• Familiarity with 4G, 5G NSA, and 5G SA architectures.
• Strong protocol knowledge: Diameter, SIP, GTP, and related cellular network protocols.
• Vendor management experience, with accountability of external partners.
• Design documentation from high-level architecture to detailed network diagrams.
• Comfort with disruption—preferring new approaches over legacy methods.
• Preferred: Cloud deployments, MVNOs, roaming interconnects, IPX, trunking, cross-network connections
• RAN expertise or SIM/OTA knowledge (optional)

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver core networks that support voice, data, and messaging with scalable, reliable solutions.
• Coordinate with partners and vendors to bring solutions to market.
• Implement new features with zero disruption through planned maintenance and phased rollouts.
• Troubleshoot network traces with partners to identify root causes.
• Interconnect networks—from private to commercial, roaming to MVNO.
• Drive security and privacy enhancements, including data encryption and reduced storage.
• Stand up new network instances in new regions tailored to evolving needs.

Skills

Wireless core network design

IMS & 4G/5G core

VoLTE/VoNR & VoWiFi

Regulatory compliance (e911 NG911 CALE

4G/5G NSA & SA

Diameter SIP GTP

Vendor management

Network architecture documentation

Cloud-based deployments

Tools

Cloud-based deployments

Job description

About Cape

Cape is America’s privacy-first mobile carrier. Our mission is to be a force for good in global wireless. Cape was founded in 2022 by people who believe privacy is a fundamental right, not a luxury to be traded away. Our journey began when our founder recognized a critical vulnerability in our modern world: everyone relies on the same stagnant cellular infrastructure and legacy systems that track our every movement, monitor and profile our connections, and lose and sell our personal data.

Instead of accepting the status quo, we decided to fix it. National security professionals, journalists, parents, and everyone in between can stay connected and have privacy.

We didn’t just build a layer on top of old tech; we built America’s most private and secure mobile carrier from the ground up. By building our own network from scratch, we are able to design and build a suite of privacy and security features that no other carrier on the planet can offer.

Today, Cape provides our secure network to consumers, businesses, and government agencies alike. We closed our Series C in March 2026, and we are scaling rapidly, with the goal of giving people back control of their most personal information.

The Team

At Cape, we are the architects of a privacy-centric movement that is just getting started. We are relentless builders, constantly innovating at the edge of what’s possible in telecommunications. We operate on a foundation of high trust and high expectations. As a member of our team, you will collaborate with world-class engineers, architects, and visionaries, and work across organizational lines to solve "impossible" problems and deliver mission-critical results for our users every single day.

The Role

Cape is seeking a Wireless Network Architect who combines deep expertise in planning, building, and operating cellular networks with the vision and courage to disrupt legacy approaches and reimagine the future of telecom. You’re not just an expert in telecom architecture—you’re driven to make an impact. You want to join a fast-growing company where your work directly supports the U.S. and its allies in strengthening national security. This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that truly matter—shaping the geopolitical landscape in an era where telecom is an essential element of modern warfighting.

In this role, you’ll bring the technical depth to go toe-to-toe with vendors, partners, and internal teams as we implement a next-generation, cloud-based Core network. You understand IMS, packet cores, and the edge elements that integrate with other networks—including 4G and 5G variants such as HSS, UDM, and UDR.

You are both an architect and a builder: capable of seeing the big picture and inventing what’s next, while unafraid to roll up your sleeves and execute. This is a hands-on role where strategy and delivery go hand in hand.

Here are some ways you’ll make an impact

• Design and deliver core networks that support essential features (voice, data, messaging), address customer use cases, and solve hard problems with novel, never-been-done solutions—while ensuring scale and reliability.

• Partner across teams and vendors to stitch together solutions and bring them successfully to market.

• Implement new features with zero disruption to live users through well-planned MOPs, maintenance windows, test plans, and phased rollouts.

• Troubleshoot deeply—dig into network traces with partners and vendors to isolate root causes and resolve complex issues.

• Interconnect networks—from private to commercial, roaming to MVNO—ensuring seamless interoperability.

• Drive new standards in security and privacy, whether by encrypting data, eliminating unnecessary storage (e.g. CDRs), augmenting 3GPP/GSMA functions, or inventing new protections against malicious actors.

• Stand up new network instances in new regions or with functionality tailored to evolving customer needs.
  

Are you the candidate we are looking for? (Requirements for the role) You have:

• 4+ years wireless Core network architecture experience, including IMS, EPC/PGW, MME, HSS, SGW (or 5G equivalents).

• Hands-on operational skills—comfortable deploying, configuring, and debugging network functions in a startup environment.

• Deep expertise in telecom features such as VoLTE/VoNR, VoWiFi, SMS/MMS over IP, and regulatory compliance (e911, NG911, CALEA).

• Familiarity with 4G, 5G NSA, and 5G SA architectures.

• Strong protocol knowledge: Diameter, SIP, GTP, and related cellular network protocols.

• Vendor management experience, with the ability to hold external partners accountable.

• Design documentation skills, from high-level architecture to detailed network diagrams.

• Comfort with disruption—willingness to do things differently than legacy telecom approaches.

• Preferred experience:

  • Cloud-based network deployments

  • Launching MVNOs, roaming interconnects, IPX, trunking, and cross-network connections

  • RAN expertise and/or knowledge of SIMs, SIM applets, and OTA platforms
    

Competencies

• Wireless Core Network Expertise – Ready to hit the ground running with deep technical knowledge.

• Innovation – Able to spot opportunities for disruption and differentiation in a legacy-heavy industry.

• Mission-Oriented – A team player who thrives in collaborative, goal-driven environments.

• Customer-Centric – Designs networks that meet and anticipate customer needs, with innovations that delight.

• Flexible & Adaptable – Comfortable with the speed and unpredictability of a growth-stage startup.

• Zoom In / Zoom Out – Big-picture strategic thinker who can also dive deep into details.

• Sense of Urgency – Operates at startup pace; proactive and resourceful.

• Clear Communicator – Can document technical designs, draft specifications, and translate complexity for non-technical audiences.

Additional Details

• Travel Requirements: Up to 25%. This role may require travel for key meetings or projects.

Compensation:

We offer competitive compensation that is geo-adjusted based on your location, along with meaningful equity so you share in the value you help create. Salary range for this role in Washington, DC is $200,000-$250,000 depending on experience and interview performance.

Our benefits include:

• 401(k) match

• 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision premiums for you and your dependents

• 12 weeks paid parental leave (for all parents, no waiting period)

• Stipends for

  • Family-forming needs

  • Gender-affirming care

• Unlimited PTO

Our Culture & Values

• We hire excellent people, give them outsized responsibility, and trust them to execute. Every person at Cape has a proven track record of tackling hard problems and winning.

• We believe that personal privacy and national security are not at odds, and that they can be reconciled through strong technology.

• We believe companies exist to build awesome things and take care of the people who build them, so we offer top-tier healthcare, 401(k) matching, and a generous vacation policy that our team actually uses to recharge.

• We believe that a stronger company and a better product are built by people from all walks of life. We hire without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, disability, or Veteran status. If you are great at what you do, you belong here.

How to apply

Click the link below to apply.

We reserve the right to make use of any unsolicited resumes received from outside recruiting agencies and / or individual recruiters without being responsible for payment of any fees asserted from the use of unsolicited resumes.