Principal Automation and AI Operations Engineer

About this role

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.

We are seeking a Principal Automation and AI Operations Engineer to support the definition, lifecycle management, and documentation of the NAS and NCC SKUs within the Gateway and their integration with other Gateway elements — including the Q/V systems, eNB/gNB, BPMS, and Networking — as well as other OSS systems.

This role is responsible for designing automated test frameworks and scripts for Gateway subsystems, driving pre- and post-deployment validation of each Gateway SKU against golden configuration and performance baselines, and partnering with RF, hardware, software, and service delivery teams on test plans, pass/fail criteria, field trials, and FOAs to ensure Gateway operability under a highly autonomous operating model.

The ideal candidate is collaborative, methodical, and automation-minded, and thrives in a fast-paced environment where test coverage, manual-touch reduction, and automation scope expand with each new Gateway SKU and feature.

Key Responsibilities:

• Define, lifecycle-manage, and document the NAS and NCC SKUs within the Gateway.

• Design and build automated test frameworks and scripts for Gateway subsystems, including RF chain, baseband, BPMS, eNB/gNB, networking, and NCC/OSS interfaces.

• Drive pre- and post-deployment validation on each Gateway SKU against golden configuration and performance baselines.

• Partner with RF, hardware, and software engineering teams to align test plans and pass/fail criteria, and support field trials and FOAs.

• Work with Operations and OSS teams to enable end-to-end visibility and management of the Gateway.

• Automate repetitive operating and engineering tasks, and build event-driven remediation workflows.

• Integrate telemetry with operational decision engines, and develop predictive failure and capacity models.

• Create automated incident triage and build engineering assistants for troubleshooting.

• Establish guardrails for AI-driven operational actions and develop digital representations of network and service state (digital twins).

• Automate configuration validation prior to deployment, and measure automation coverage and manual-touch reduction.

Qualifications

Education:

Bachelor's degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.

Experience:

• 5+ years of experience in network automation, DevOps/SRE, or operations engineering, ideally within telecom, networking, or satellite ground-segment environments.

• Building automated test frameworks that replace manual validation procedures at scale.

• Defining and lifecycle-managing hardware/software SKUs and associated acceptance criteria.

• Supporting field trials, FOAs, or first-deployment validation for new network products.

• Proven, hands-on competence across network automation; Python, Go, or similar languages; infrastructure as code; event-driven systems; workflow automation; data engineering; machine learning; AIOps; autonomous remediation; digital twins; and policy-driven operations.

• Integrating telemetry pipelines with operational decision engines or automated remediation systems.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience building or operating toward a highly autonomous operations model.

• Familiarity with NAS and NCC systems, or equivalent core network/operations-support platforms.

• Experience with predictive/ML-based failure detection or capacity planning models in a production network.

• Familiarity with satellite, RF, or baseband subsystems and their test/validation requirements.

• Experience developing digital twins or simulation models of network/service state.

• Background establishing governance or guardrails for AI-driven or autonomous operational actions.

Soft Skills:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build productive relationships across technical and non-technical teams.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively within cross-functional engineering, product, and operations organizations.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly communicate complex technical concepts.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a methodical approach to troubleshooting.

• Meticulous attention to detail to ensure the accuracy of technical documentation, test results, and project deliverables.

• Strong organizational and time-management skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.

• Ability to work independently while contributing effectively within a team environment.

Technology Stack:

• Python, Go, or similar languages for automation and tooling development.

• Infrastructure-as-code frameworks (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, or equivalent).

• Event-driven and workflow-automation platforms.

• Data engineering and telemetry pipelines (e.g., streaming/message-bus systems, time-series databases).

• Machine learning and AIOps platforms for predictive analytics and automated remediation.

• Digital twin/simulation tooling for network and service state modeling.

• CI/CD and automated test frameworks for RF, baseband, BPMS, eNB/gNB, and networking subsystems.

• NCC/OSS platforms and their APIs for end-to-end Gateway visibility and management.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in a standard office environment and use a computer for extended periods.

• Ability to work in laboratory and technical testing environments.

• Ability to travel periodically to support deployment, integration, testing, and operational activities.

• Abilit

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