Software Engineer (TelCo)

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected. Position Overview We are looking for a Software Engineer to join our Telco Software Development team, responsible for designing and building innovative telecom software solutions and components. This is a hands‑on engineering role for individuals motivated by creating genuinely novel software in a fast‑moving, greenfield environment. You will be part of a small, high‑ownership team where your code is deployed into real network infrastructure, and where the technical decisions you help make directly shape the long‑term differentiation of the platform. Candidates may come from a strong software engineering background (systems and backend, ideally with telecom exposure) or from related engineering disciplines with solid software development skills. Key Responsibilities: Design, build, and deploy telecom software components across the platform Translate architectural designs, interface control documents (ICDs), and functional and nonfunctional requirements into clean, well-tested, production ready code Develop modular, maintainable software in accordance with established coding standards, with clear documentation and meaningful code comments Implement and maintain integration tests, regression test suites, and performance benchmarks for developed components Troubleshoot and resolve issues across the software stack, including protocol behavior, interface mismatches, performance bottlenecks, and deployment failures Participate in architecture, design, and code reviews, providing and incorporating constructive technical feedback Support system level integration and acceptance testing to ensure delivered software meets defined quality and performance criteria Contribute to the team’s agile delivery process, including sprint planning, backlog refinement, and reliable delivery against milestones Use, maintain, and continuously improve CI/CD pipelines, automated test frameworks, and containerized development environments Maintain technical documentation such as component designs, API contracts, test results, and operational runbooks Collaborate with cross functional teams to clarify requirements, validate assumptions, and ensure solutions meet operational and business needs Qualifications Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related field — or equivalent professional experience. Experience: A minimum of 3+ years of professional software development experience – exposure to telecom or network related development projects is a plus. Strong proficiency in either C/C++ or Go – experience or interest to master Rust is a plus Proficiency in Bash/Python for scripting, tooling, and test automation Solid command of data structures, algorithms, concurrency, memory management, and system design for high-performance or low-latency applications Good understanding of networking concepts — TCP/IP stack, socket programming, protocol design, and inter-process communication patterns relevant to network software Proficient with Git - comfortable working in a team environment with code review, branching strategies, and CI/CD workflows Comfortable developing and debugging in Linux/Unix environments Experience writing unit tests, integration tests, and contributing to test automation frameworks English proficiency at B2 level or above; able to collaborate effectively with peers and architects in a globally distributed team Soft Skills: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills - able to break down complex, under-defined problems and deliver working software iteratively High ownership mentality - take personal responsibility for the quality and correctness of your own work, not just task completion Collaborative and communicative - actively participates in design discussions, code reviews, and cross-functional conversations Curious and self-directed - proactively learns domain context (telecom protocols, network architecture) beyond what is immediately required for the next ticket Comfortable with ambiguity and greenfield work - able to operate effectively when specifications are evolving and there is no legacy codebase to reference Attention to detail in code quality, test coverage, and documentation Technology Stack: Primary Languages: C/C++, Go, Rust, Python (scripting/testing) Docker, Kubernetes, Helm GCC/Clang, cross-compilation toolchains where applicable GitHub Actions / GitLab CI, ArgoCD, automated test pipelines Git (GitHub / GitLab) gRPC, RESTful APIs, Kafka Prometheus, Grafana Jira, Confluence Markdown, Mermaid, PlantUML Physical Requirements Ability to work in a standard office or remote home-office environment and use a computer for extended periods Ability to participate in occasional after-hours incident response actions 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.