Principal Research Engineer – RAN Software Architect
At a glance
Senior AI Research role at Huawei Sweden R&D. Kista.
Pay not stated Research Engineer salary
aimlroles summary, based on the employer's posting.
What you'll do
- Set the end-to-end design direction for high-performance L2/L3 systems, including MAC scheduling and user-plane data handling
- Create scalable RAN software designs that support low delay and high throughput, with clear principles for modularity and resilience
- Improve performance across CPU, DSP, ASIC and accelerator platforms through co-design, profiling and bottleneck analysis
- Explore emerging technologies, build proofs of concept and shape longer-term RAN research plans
- Turn product needs into technical specifications and engineering plans with algorithm, hardware, chipset and systems teams
What you bring
- A PhD or master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, wireless communication or a related discipline
- At least five years in wireless communications, with strong knowledge of 4G/5G Layer 2 or Layer 3 stacks
- Practical expertise in RAN scheduling, link adaptation, MIMO or control and user-plane processing
- A track record designing or developing complex software systems, including work with large-scale systems or heterogeneous parallel computing
Who this fits
This senior technical leadership role suits someone who can set software architecture direction and work across engineering teams. The position is based in Kista, Sweden.
From the employer
We are seeking a highly accomplished expert to join Huawei’s Sweden Research Center in Stockholm and lead strategic exploration in selected future technology domains. In this role, you will be responsible for driving forward-looking technology scouting and research direction development through systematic investigations, technical literature review, academic collaboration, conference participation, and industry engagement. You will synthesize emerging trends, research breakthroughs, and technology trajectories into actionable insights that shape next-generation wireless product research and architecture design. The focus areas include advanced software technologies and System-on-Chip (SoC) innovations for wireless RAN baseband systems. Your contributions will directly influence research programs and architectural decisions supporting next generation wireless communication systems.
This position plays a critical role in strengthening Huawei’s technology leadership and sustaining competitive advantage in the wireless communications industry. You will work closely with project managers, designers, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate research findings into practical technical strategies and solution frameworks aligned with Huawei’s business and product objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
You will serve as a key technical authority, driving architectural vision, breakthrough innovation, and cross-functional execution across teams with main responsibilities:
1. Architecture Vision & Technical Leadership
o Define and lead the research on end-to-end architecture of high-performance L2/L3 systems, including User Plane Control (e.g., MAC Scheduler) and User Plane data processing.
o Architect scalable, low-latency, and high-throughput frameworks capable for next generation RAN software systems.
o Establish software architecture specifications, design principles, and best practices to ensure modularity, resilience, and long-term maintainability. Provide architectural governance and technical insight throughout the wireless product.
2. Advanced Performance Engineering & Co-Design
o Drive software–algorithm and software–hardware co-design initiatives to maximize system efficiency across heterogeneous compute platforms (CPU, DSP, ASIC, or accelerator-based architectures).
o Drive optimization strategies in parallel processing, pipeline design, memory hierarchy utilization, lock-free/concurrent systems, and data-path acceleration.
o Identify and resolve system-level bottlenecks through rigorous profiling, modeling, and performance validation.
3. Breakthrough Innovation & Technology Strategy
o Spearhead research and technical innovation to enhance system capacity and computational scalability.
o Contribute to long-term technical roadmaps aligned with next generation RAN product.
o Evaluate emerging technologies and lead proof-of-concept development for next-generation wireless architectures.
4. Cross-Functional & Global Collaboration
o Partner closely with algorithm, hardware, chipset, and system engineering teams to ensure cohesive architecture alignment and seamless integration.
o Translate high-level product requirements into detailed technical specifications and executable engineering plans.
Qualifications and Requirements:
o PhD or MSc in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Wireless Communication, or a related field.
o Minimum of 5 years of industry experience in wireless communications, with strong expertise in 4G/5G Layer 2/Layer 3 stacks and/or a related domain.
o Solid knowledge in Radio Access Network (RAN) and wireless communication including: Various types of scheduling, Link adaptation, MIMO technologies (SU-MIMO, MU-MIMO), Control Plane and/or User/Data plane processing.
o Proven experience in the architecture, design, or development of large-scale, high-complexity software products/systems, including:
· Developing, refactoring or optimizing large-scale systems with high complexity,
· Designing or implementing heterogeneous parallel computing architecture e.g., multi-core CPU, DSP, FPGA, accelerator-based systems.
Preferred Technical Expertise/Skills:
o Advanced proficiency in C/C++ programming with strong expertise in embedded and real-time systems development.
o Hands-on experience with embedded platforms in wireless communication systems, including ASIC-based solutions e.g., DSP architectures, and general-purpose processors e.g., ARM, x86/Intel architectures.
o Extensive professional experience in the design and implementation of Layer 2 and/or Layer 3 algorithms and software for purpose-built RAN and cloud-native RAN environments.
o Solid expertise in software-hardware co-design and system-level optimization, including:
§ Microprocessor architecture design and performance tuning
§ Memory hierarchy, cache architecture, and task scheduling optimization
§ Compiler-level optimization and code generation strategies
§ Power efficiency analysis and optimization for high-performance wireless systems
o Strong knowledge in AI/ML applications in wireless communications, and working experience Generative AIs or Large language models (LLMs) applied to protocol optimization, network intelligence, or system automation are considered a strong advantage.
For more information regarding the position, please contact:
Phuong Cao
Huawei Sweden Baseband Lab
E-mail: phuong.cao@huawei.com Phone: +46 72 468 0451
Elisabeth Ekström
HR Specialist