Principal System Integration Engineer

About the Role
Parallel Wireless is seeking a Principal System Integration Engineer to drive the integration, validation, and performance optimization of our next-generation Open RAN 5G NR base-station solutions. This hands-on technical leadership role works closely with development, product, automation, and customer-facing teams to bring new baseband (L1-L3) capabilities from design through system-level verification and deployment readiness. The position can be based at our headquarters in Nashua, New Hampshire, approximately 45 miles north of Boston; or another location with the U.S. upon agreement with the hiring manager.

What You Will Do
Lead end-to-end system integration and testing of 5G NR RAN algorithms, radio equipment, and L1/L2/L3 features; establish priorities, test coverage, and technical acceptance criteria. Partner with engineering teams to review designs for cellular features such as rate adaptation, power control, scheduling, and interference mitigation; challenge assumptions and recommend improvements. Define and execute system-level test strategies to evaluate functionality, interoperability, conformance, and performance against product designs and applicable 3GPP and O-RAN specifications. Develop and improve test methodologies, analysis workflows, and repeatable performance benchmarks; identify opportunities for automation and provide clear technical requirements to automation engineers. Investigate and resolve complex integration and performance issues identified in internal labs and customer deployments, driving root-cause analysis and cross-functional corrective actions. Translate product requirements and customer use cases into actionable integration plans, test scenarios, and system performance validation workflows. Produce concise technical reports, performance metrics, and evidence-based recommendations for engineering, product, and customer teams. Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers, facilitate design and defect reviews, and help improve integration quality and execution discipline.

What You Bring
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance, which requires U.S. citizenship under federal law, or currently hold an active SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance. Bachelor's or master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience. 10+ years of relevant experience in LTE and/or 5G radio access network system integration, validation, or performance engineering, including experience leading technically complex integration efforts. Strong understanding of 5G NR and/or LTE radio protocols, RAN architecture, and L1/L2 behavior; ability to connect algorithm-level behavior with end-to-end system performance. Hands-on experience with radio-frequency test equipment, lab-based validation, troubleshooting, and analysis of system-level performance data. Experience with real-time software development or debugging and proficiency using Python for testing, analysis, or automation. Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills, with demonstrated ability to lead technical investigations and guide others.

Preferred Qualifications
Experience validating Open RAN architectures and interfaces and interpreting O-RAN Alliance specifications. Experience with 3GPP conformance, radio performance optimization, and customer-facing issue resolution. Experience improving CI/test automation workflows or developing reusable system integration test frameworks.