Automation and AI Operations Engineer

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.

Position Overview

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.