RAN Technical Strategy & Evolution Expert - Reading

Job Title: RAN Technical Strategy & Evolution Expert
Location: Reading - Hybrid - 1 to 2 days on client site per week.
Salary/Rate: Up to £520 a day Inside IR35
Start Date: 16/09/24
Job Type: 6 Month Contract - Scope to extend


Company Introduction

We are currently looking for a Radio Technical Strategy and Evolution Expert with in-depth RAN knowledge focusing on a RFP for 6 suppliers.

Sound knowledge of solutions these suppliers will be proposing will be essential to then be able to assess the suppliers in order to come to a decision on which of the suppliers will be best suited.

You will join our client who are a market leading Telecommunications organisation.

You will be responsible for setting out radio capability roadmap to meet business requirements and provision of guidance for the implementation of such technologies. Identify, evaluate and develop strategic position for new radio technologies, access and produce actionable recommendations. Your will work on defining the key requirements for the Radio RFI/RFPs, evaluating the responses of vendors in detail, identifying the gaps and strengths. You will need to understand and take account of the wider radio and business strategy requirements and in your role, you will be encouraged to challenge and propose amendments to Radio's current plans and thinking.


Required Skills/Experience

• Good understanding of Open RAN technology and ecosystem, and practical experience in this field would be highly desirable.
• A very good understanding of the 3GPP technologies LTE, LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, 5G, 5G NSA and SA & 5G-Advanced technology family.
• Good understanding of key emerging technologies and trends such as Virtualisation, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning and their use in Radio Networks.
• Good understanding of Kubernetes, Containers, CaaS, Orchestration, Open RAN RIC and SMO.
• Ability to understand the end customer needs and relates back to a coherent technology strategy and decision process. Make sure consumer is at heart of any decision.
• Very strong presentation skills and ability to communicate complex technical ideas and concepts appropriately to audiences of varying technical background.
• Ability to work autonomously with little supervision.
• Combine industry and technology relevance with strong delivery experience and stakeholder management as well as capabilities specific to the industry.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving and decision making skills.
• Hand-on experience of radio technology evaluation and field trials.
• Knowledge and experience with network simulation methods and tools would be an advantage.
• Understanding of project management fundamentals and Agile methodology.
• A good knowledge of common propagation models and their application to coverage planning and predictions.
• Proven success in working in a cross-team and matrix management environment.
• Proven success in leading on development and delivery of technology strategy, particularly radio.
• Familiar with the competition and regulatory landscape affecting the provision of telecommunication services in the UK
• An appropriate academic qualification in telecommunications or computer science from a reputable institution.

Job Responsibilities/Objectives

• Lead on the evaluation and assessment of new Radio technologies and benefits, articulate benefits vs. cost and produce clear and actionable recommendations.
• Evaluation of the radio supplier roadmap and drive necessary change, through partnership and influencing, to align to company strategy.
• Lead and provide support to new technology trials from concept through to conclusion, with a view to validating and informing the decision-making process.
• Go-to person for RAN capability features. Provide subject matter expertise to the business and other teams. And provide technical support and inputs to various teams.
• Provide effective support to planning team in relation techno economic analysis.
• Analyse existing solutions, explore new innovations and provide recommendations to improve energy efficiency of Radio Network.
• Provide quarterly capability/feature forecast
• Collaborate effectively and provide inputs to technology decisions and business case development.
• Produce high level technical requirements and specifications for new capability deployment in line with the organisations best practice and policy.
• Build and foster strong and effective relationship with stakeholders, suppliers and partners.
• Act as bridge between the strategy and design teams to ensure smooth and effective introduction of new capabilities
• Develop strategy for key technology domains from initial brainstorming and problem statement formulation to engagement with internal stakeholders and external suppliers through to strategic analysis across key domains (technology, finance, competition etc.) final recommendations, time plan and steps to implement that strategy.
• Present Strategy, Roadmaps and other analysis to senior management and stakeholders across the business.
• Support senior networks management and other directorates in their engagement by evaluating strategic options, technical analysis of queries and recommendations.
• Support other members in their strategy analysis (critical analysis of strategic recommendations analysis of traffic or performance trends, providing roadmaps relevant to that strategy etc.)
• Technical contribution to Ofcom consultations on Radio related aspects and provide strategic technical guidance on impact
• Lead the network's engagement with device team on technical capabilities and features aligned to Capability roadmap requirements covering short, medium and long terms
• Support the vendor management team in regular TRM and RRM meetings vendors.

If you are interested in this opportunity, please apply now with your updated CV in Microsoft Word/PDF format.


Disclaimer
Notwithstanding any guidelines given to level of experience sought, we will consider candidates from outside this range if they can demonstrate the necessary competencies.

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