Director, RAN Intelligent Controller

The world still has coverage blind spots. You could help eliminate them at Skylo.

Skylo has pioneered a standards-based approach to satellite connectivity. We connect smartphones and IoT devices directly to satellites. No special hardware, no entirely new networks. Just billions of existing devices, suddenly reachable anywhere on Earth. We're not building toward this future. We're already in it.

Our direct-to-device service is live on millions of activated devices across five continents, covering more than 72 million square kilometers, in partnership with leading satellite operators, mobile network operators, Tier-1 chipset makers, and OEMs worldwide. And we're just getting started.

At the heart of it all is Skylo's commercial NTN vRAN: a 3GPP standards-based, cloud-native platform that seamlessly bridges terrestrial and satellite networks. It's the infrastructure that makes true anywhere, anytime connectivity possible.

When you join Skylo, you'll work at the intersection of three markets reshaping how the world stays connected: mass-market consumer devices, automotive, and industrial IoT. Enabling people outdoors and critical workflows in the world's most remote places.

This is a rare chance to work on technology that matters, at a company that's already proving it works

Position Summary

Skylo is building the world’s leading non-terrestrial network (NTN), and the RAN Intelligent Controller is central to the intelligence and competitiveness of that network. We are creating a new Director, RIC role to own the strategy, architecture, and delivery of Skylo’s RIC — the programmable, AI/ML-driven control layer that optimizes our Radio Access Network in real time and at scale.

The Director, RIC will build and lead the engineering team responsible for the near-real-time and non-real-time control loops (xApps and rApps) that differentiate Skylo’s RAN. This role is the technical and organizational owner of the RIC needed to deliver Skylo’s competitive edge on strategic programs including NR-NTN and Zephyr, working in close partnership with RAN, Network Design & Planning, the CTO Group, and Product.

Group Charter

Design, build, and operate Skylo’s RAN Intelligent Controller — the intelligent control layer for the network — turning RAN, beam, and subscriber data into closed-loop optimization that delivers measurable gains in capacity, coverage, and reliability beyond the industry standard, and provides the competitive differentiation required for NR-NTN, Zephyr, and future Skylo programs.

Key Responsibilities

RIC Strategy & Architecture

1. RIC technical ownership: Own the end-to-end architecture of Skylo’s RIC, spanning the non-real-time control loop (rApps, policy, AI/ML model training, A1-style guidance) and the near-real-time control loop (xApps, sub-second RRM actions such as interference mitigation, mobility/handover, and dynamic resource allocation), adapted for the unique constraints of an NTN environment.

2. Competitive differentiation: Define and deliver the RIC capabilities that give Skylo a defensible edge on NR-NTN and Zephyr — sequencing the right bets, framing the right problems, and prioritizing optimization use cases with the greatest impact on link performance, capacity, and SLA outcomes.

3. Standards & interfaces: Align the RIC roadmap with relevant O-RAN and 3GPP NTN directions; define open, well-documented interfaces between the RIC, the RAN, and the cloud platform, and represent Skylo’s RIC positioning in external standards and partner engagements alongside the CTO Group.

AI/ML-Driven Optimization

1. Closed-loop intelligence: Build the hierarchical control loop in which models are trained on historical RAN and subscriber data in the non-RT RIC and deployed for inference and real-time action by xApps in the near-RT RIC, enabling predictive and adaptive network behavior.

2. Measurable outcomes: Define KPI and SLO frameworks for RIC-driven optimization (capacity, latency, throughput, reliability) in partnership with Network Design & Planning and Network Operations, and demonstrate continuous, quantifiable improvement release over release.

Delivery & Engineering Excellence

1. Build & ship: Deliver production-grade RIC software on a predictable cadence, including the platform, the xApp/rApp framework, and a path for internal and third-party application development. Partner with System Test for service acceptance and with Network Implementation for integration and handoff to Operations.

2. Reliability & operability: Ensure the RIC is resilient, secure, observable, and operable 24x7 in Skylo’s commercial network, meeting SLA requirements and minimizing customer-impacting defects.

3. Quality deliverables: Standardize DevOps, CI/CD, and testing practices for the RIC, and own the quality of releases into pre-production and production environments.

Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

1. Team building: Recruit, build, and grow a high-caliber, geographically distributed RIC engineering team across the US, Finland, and India; set a clear technical vision and develop senior engineers and leads. Manage seniority spread and span of control as the team scales.

2. Cross-functional alignment: Operate as a peer to the Director, RAN Software Engineering and Director, Platform & Cloud Services, and partner closely with Product (RAN & Core), the CTO Group (AI & Automation, 3GPP), NDP, and NetOps to ensure the RIC roadmap is grounded in strategy, customer impact, and regulatory constraints.

3. Decision quality: Make major RIC decisions explicit, documented, and owned, with clear tradeoffs and reversibility understood; close the loop between shipped capabilities and operational learnings.

Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years in wireless / RAN software engineering, with 4+ years leading and growing engineering teams (managers and senior individual contributors).

• Deep expertise in RAN architecture and RRM — scheduling, mobility/handover, interference management, and radio resource optimization.

• Hands-on experience with RIC, O-RAN, or comparable RAN control/automation/SON systems, including xApp/rApp-style applications and near-RT / non-RT control loops.

• Strong applied AI/ML background for network optimization (model training, deployment, and closed-loop inference on real network data).

• Proven delivery of cloud-native, containerized software at scale (Kubernetes, microservices, CI/CD) with strong reliability and observability practices.

• Track record of cross-functional leadership across distributed, multi-timezone teams.

Preferred

• Experience with non-terrestrial networks (NTN), NB-IoT NTN, or NR-NTN, and the link, latency, and Doppler constraints unique to satellite RAN.

• Active engagement with O-RAN Alliance and/or 3GPP RAN working groups.

• Experience standing up a RIC or RAN-control product line from early stage to commercial deployment.

• Familiarity with satellite gateway / earth station integration and operator SLA frameworks (P1–P4 severity, MTTR).

What Success Looks Like (First 12 Months)

• A clear, validated RIC architecture and roadmap aligned to NR-NTN and Zephyr milestones, with explicit success criteria.

• A staffed, ramping RIC engineering team with defined ownership across near-RT and non-RT scope.

• First RIC-driven optimization use case(s) demonstrating measurable, repeatable network gains in pre-production, on a path to commercial release.

• Established interfaces, KPI/SLO frameworks, and a quality gate jointly owned with RAN, NDP, System Test, and NetOps.

What We Offer

With employees working across three continents, Skylo is proud to be an equal opportunity employer dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce. Our worldwide and inclusive culture encourages a flexible approach to work, and we also offer an attractive range of benefits such as:

• Competitive compensation packages including a stock option based equity program

• Comprehensive benefits plans

• Monthly allowances for wellness and education reimbursement

• A generous time off policy, holidays, and the opportunity to temporarily work abroad

• Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be part of developing and running the world’s first commercial, live direct-to-device satellite network and service

• Access to a world-class team and talent across tech domains: software, hardware, chipsets, telecom, satellite and network virtualization

• Open, transparent, inclusive culture that blends Silicon Valley, Nordic and South Asia characteristics

EEO Statement

Skylo is an equal-opportunity employer and we celebrate diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, parent or caregiver status, political affiliation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. Please let us know if you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability.