Core Network Lead, Run Team

We are looking for a highly skilled, hands-on Technical Team Lead to lead the global build and technical integration of Full MVNO systems. In this role, you will lead a dedicated Build Team responsible for architecting, integrating, testing, and commissioning end-to-end Full MVNO capabilities across global markets.

Operating under a Build-to-Run model, you and your team will build new MVNO capabilities and host MNO integrations from the ground up, execute rigorous testing, and hand over stable, operational systems to a dedicated Run team after launch. This role is ideal for someone with deep technical expertise in Mobile Core networks across voice, VoLTE, data, and SMS, strong knowledge of telecommunications regulations, and experience leading engineering and QA teams.

What You'll Do:

• Lead, mentor and manage a team of seven engineers, QA specialists and Site Reliability Engineers responsible for operating the Mobile Core Network across its full lifecycle, from design, build and deployment through steady-state operations, change management, incident response and upgrades.
• Manage the team’s work and people, covering sprint and capacity planning, prioritisation and stakeholder communication, alongside regular 1-to-1 meetings, fair and evidence-based performance reviews, and support for career growth.
• Establish engineering best practices, automated testing strategy and technical handover standards.
• Operate and manage the mobile core, built on a mix of CNFs and VNFs, from the subscriber database (HSS/HLR) through packet core, signalling (Diameter, SS7, DNS, GTP), voice and messaging platforms, ensuring end-to-end service readiness across data, voice and SMS, and working with NEPs, IPX/GRX partners, IaaS partners and Managed Service and SaaS providers.
• Own the performance of the Mobile Core Network to meet 99.98% service uptime per year, defining and reporting on health KPIs (availability, attach and session success rates, call and SMS success rates, latency, packet loss and utilisation), supported by observability, monitoring and proactive alerting, and by preventative measures such as geo-redundant design, capacity forecasting, failover testing, post-incident reviews and problem management.
• Own configuration management of the Core Network as a critical Day 2 discipline, including version-controlled configuration, change control, automated deployment and rollback, and configuration drift detection across all CNFs, VNFs and environments.
• Work with the Build Team to take new systems into live operation, whether CNF, VNF, Managed Service or partner SaaS, by defining operational readiness and handover criteria, accepting systems into the Run Team once they meet them, and ensuring the team is trained, documented and equipped to operate them with minimal risk to service.

What You'll Bring:

• 5+ years hands-on in mobile core networks
• 2+ years leading a team of engineers and/or QA specialists in an agile or delivery-focused environment.
• Strong working knowledge of both packet core and voice core, including the subscriber database (HSS/HLR), policy and charging, VoLTE and legacy circuit-switched voice.
• Expertise across the signalling stack, including Diameter, SS7 and SIP.
• Experience with messaging architecture and SMS routing, including interworking with other operators.
• Strong delivery mindset across multiple concurrent rollout streams, with clear communication and the ability to produce documentation good enough to hand a system over on.

Nice to have

• Automation experience: CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code (Terraform, Ansible), containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) or automated signalling test frameworks.
• Hands-on with core MVNO vendors such as Nokia, Ericsson, Mavenir, Oracle Communications, Cisco, Summa Networks, NetNumber or XIUS.
• Cloud-native or virtualised network functions on AWS, Azure, GCP or private cloud.
• Degree in telecommunications engineering, computer science, electrical engineering or similar.