Freelance Lab Test Engineer Jobs in Washington, DC

Type: Full-Time(W2) On-site/Hybrid, Arlington, VA

We are looking for a skilled test engineer to join our team focused on testing O-RAN DU software and hardware components. The role involves planning, designing, and executing test cases to ensure conformance, interoperability, performance, and reliability of an O-RAN DU in compliance with O-RAN Alliance and 3GPP specifications. The candidate will work closely with development, integration, and network teams to validate DU functionality within the O-RAN architecture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Contribute to, develop, and execute test plans, cases, and scripts for O-RAN DU software and related interfaces.
• Perform conformance testing to verify compliance with O-RAN and 3GPP standards.
• Conduct interoperability (IOT) testing between an O-RAN DU and other network elements such as O-CU and O-RU.
• Execute end-to-end (E2E) testing scenarios to validate the complete O-RAN communication chain.
• Identify, log, and track defects; work collaboratively with development teams to resolve issues.
• Automate test cases and contribute to CI/CD pipelines to support continuous testing.
• Validate performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure the DU meets required standards.
• Participate in site commissioning and integration support.
• Prepare detailed test reports, documentation, and provide feedback for product improvements.
• Stay updated with latest O-RAN Alliance releases, specifications, and testing methodologies.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical  experience.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience in a lab, test, or integration role.
• Familiarity with 4G/5G RAN concepts and 3GPP standards.
• Proficiency with Python and shell scripting, and experience automating test execution.
• Comfortable working day-to-day in Linux, with a solid understanding of IP networking fundamentals.
• Ability to work collaboratively in cross-functional teams.
• A hands-on troubleshooting instinct: comfortable working with lab hardware, protocol analyzers, and log files to isolate a problem.
• Self-directed: able to pick up an unfamiliar protocol stack from the specifications and turn a loosely defined test objective into a plan and a set of results with limited supervision.

Preferred Experience:

• Experience at a RAN vendor, mobile network operator, or test-and-measurement company.
• Hands-on experience with srsRAN, OpenAirInterface, or other open-source RAN software, or a track record of open-source contributions.
• Working knowledge of O-RAN architecture and interfaces (F1, E2, Open Fronthaul, A1).
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), cloud-native environments, and test management tooling.
• Experience with multi-antenna and/or massive MIMO test setups.
• Experience with CI/CD tools and automated testing frameworks.
• Experience testing network software deployed in virtualized or containerized environments on COTS servers (SR-IOV, DPDK, CPU pinning, real-time kernel tuning).
• Experience with performance and stress testing using RAN test equipment.
• Familiarity with security testing within telecom environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Working at DeepSig

DeepSig is growing its technical team while cultivating a collaborative, agile, and fun small-team culture. We value creativity, knowledge sharing, and employee growth, and we encourage participation in scientific publications, conferences, and open-source software. We offer competitive salaries and benefits, an employee stock option grant program, an environment where we are excited to be transforming and disrupting how signal processing is done with AI/ML, a welcoming and inclusive environment, a flexible schedule, and a great work / life balance.

DeepSig is an equal-opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability. We are dedicated to cultivating an inclusive, diverse, and engaging workplace where individuals feel fulfilled, inspired, and motivated. We value the unique perspectives that our team brings.