Communication Equipment Engineer (R&D)

About the role

As DogeSMS extends from "we integrate to operator SMSCs" into "we operate the boxes," we expect to need a dedicated R&D engineer who owns the hardware / firmware / integration boundary: provisioning of carrier-grade signalling appliances, custom signalling-node firmware where commercial implementations are too heavyweight, lab-side conformance testing against GSMA IR.74 / IR.71 and 3GPP TS 23.040, and the bring-up of new direct-operator footprints (after ISP Telecom on +1, we expect EU + APAC). This is a deeply technical research-and-development seat sitting alongside our Telecom Network Engineer rather than reporting to a generic "infrastructure" function.

What you'll do

• Own the R&D track for next-generation signalling-node and SMSC integration — evaluate commercial implementations (Mavenir, Sinch, Comviva), open-source heritage (RestComm jSS7, Kannel), and where appropriate prototype custom appliances on commodity hardware.
• Lead lab-side conformance testing against GSMA IR.74 / IR.71 messaging interop suites and 3GPP TS 23.040 / 24.011 SMS specifications.
• Partner with the Telecom Network Engineer on bring-up of each new direct-operator footprint: rack-and-stack of physical or virtualized signalling gear, BGP / SCTP peering setup, lab-to-production transition runbooks.
• Drive firmware-level work where off-the-shelf implementations are gated or too slow: Linux kernel SCTP tuning, DPDK-based signalling fastpaths, eBPF instrumentation for PDU-level tracing.

What we expect

• 7+ years in telecom equipment R&D at an MNO, signalling-platform builder (Mavenir / Oracle / Mobileum / Sinch), or carrier-grade infrastructure operator. Spec-only experience is not enough — we will ask about boxes you have provisioned and incidents you have personally root-caused on physical or virtualized signalling gear.
• Hands-on with at least two of: SCTP / M3UA / SIGTRAN at the kernel and userspace level, SMPP-node firmware, Diameter routing agents, eBPF / DPDK for high-throughput signalling, FPGA or custom silicon for telecom workloads.
• Comfort with telecom standards bodies: GSMA, 3GPP, IETF SIGTRAN working group — you have at minimum read the specs you reference and can tell us which ones are honored in practice vs which ones every implementation quietly violates.
• Strong Linux kernel and userspace fundamentals (C, occasionally Rust); willing to read legacy C / Java code from prior product generations and modernize incrementally.

Stack we use

Commercial signalling appliances and software stacks (implementation-by-implementation), Linux kernel SCTP / M3UA, DPDK or eBPF where signalling throughput demands it, lab-side packet generators and protocol analyzers (Wireshark with SS7 / Diameter dissectors, spirent / ixia equivalents). C / Rust for any custom appliance code. The Go pipeline consumes from this layer — you own the contract on the equipment side, not the application side.

Compensation

On the radar. Compensation is calibrated to local cost of living when we open this role — we publish bands when we begin interviewing, not before. USD-denominated regardless of jurisdiction, contractor or employment depending on your legal situation.

Hiring process

1. Not actively interviewing right now — this role sits on our 12-month hiring roadmap rather than today's pipeline.
2. Submit the talent pool form below; we reach out when we begin interviews, typically 4-8 weeks before a public hire.
3. When the role opens, expect a process similar to our current active openings: a short async exercise, 1-2 conversations with the relevant team, and a scoped paid trial project. We do not run leetcode-style screens.

Join the talent pool

Submit the form below to be considered when this role opens. We typically reach out 4-8 weeks before we begin interviews.