Senior Lab Manager

Job description

AST SpaceMobile and our global partners are building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network to be accessible by standard smartphones. Called SpaceMobile, this ultra-powerful network is being designed to provide connectivity at 4G/5G speeds everywhere on the planet – on land, at sea and in flight. Position Overview We are seeking a Senior Lab Manager to lead MNO lab coordination, ensuring that schedules, configurations, templates, ATP plans, network integrity checks, and UE probe/device validation all meet commercial‑ready standards across operators and regions. This role orchestrates end‑to‑end lab activities across multiple mobile network operators and geographic markets, ensuring that all validation processes, acceptance criteria, and deployment‑readiness standards are executed consistently and to commercial‑grade specifications. The Senior Lab Manager will oversee vendor and operator test plans, govern requests to internal RAN elements and interfaces, manage feature regression testing, enforce integrity checks to reduce rework, and drive timely acceptance sign‑offs across multi‑market deployments. This role ensures persistence targets, KPI expectations, and commercial‑readiness criteria are met while maintaining the highest standards of network validation. Operating at the intersection of satellite technology and global telecommunications infrastructure, this position requires both technical precision and operational excellence in lab management. Success demands balancing rigorous validation standards with aggressive commercial deployment timelines, while managing complex stakeholder relationships across MNOs, vendors, and internal engineering teams. Key Responsibilities Lab Coordination & Governance Lead MNO lab coordination across operators and regions, aligning lab schedules, configurations, and test templates to support commercial‑ready deployments and ensure consistent validation standards. Oversee vendor and operator test plans within the lab environment, ensuring test scenarios, system configurations, and success criteria are clearly defined, traceable to requirements, and aligned with production deployment specifications. Govern lab activities involving validation of internal and external interfaces, ensuring standardized call flows, clear prioritization, and disciplined execution while maintaining structured workflows and change‑control processes. Manage synchronization between lab activities and production activations to minimize operational risk and avoid deployment conflicts. Implement and enforce standardized lab processes, documentation practices, and change‑control mechanisms to ensure repeatability, auditability, and compliance with internal and partner standards across all testing environments. Network Integrity, Validation & Rework Reduction Ensure ATP plans, network integrity checks, and UE validation are designed and executed to meet commercial‑ready criteria across operators and regions, maintaining rigorous quality standards throughout the validation lifecycle. Reduce rework by implementing comprehensive integrity checks and pre‑validation routines prior to activation, including configuration‑consistency verification, regression‑testing protocols, and validation of critical performance indicators. Drive timely acceptance sign‑offs across multimarket deployments, ensuring all test evidence, defect resolutions, and change documentation are complete and approved by relevant stakeholders within the required timelines. Achieve persistence targets through proactive risk management, systematic issue resolution, and continuous process‑improvement initiatives that minimize delays and support sustained deployment success. Establish and maintain robust defect‑tracking and follow‑up processes for lab‑identified issues, coordinating resolution with vendors, internal engineering teams, and MNO technical groups to ensure timely closure. Multimarket Deployment Support Enable deployments by coordinating lab readiness and test execution to support simultaneous or staggered rollouts across multiple labs and regions, ensuring market‑specific configurations, frequency plans, and feature sets are thoroughly validated prior to commercial launch. Align lab test coverage with deployment roadmaps so high‑risk scenarios, new features, and satellite–terrestrial integration changes are comprehensively validated in controlled lab environments before field activation. Support post‑deployment validation by applying lab learnings, standardized templates, and validated test assets to ensure a smooth transition from lab to production environments. Stakeholder Management & Communication Act as the central point of contact for all lab‑related activities with MNO technical teams, internal engineering, NOC, and vendor partners, ensuring clear communication and coordinated execution. Provide regular status updates on lab activities, ATP progress, identified risks, and acceptance timelines to internal leadership and external partners as appropriate. Facilitate cross‑functional reviews of ATPs, network‑integrity criteria, and acceptance outcomes to ensure shared understanding, alignment, and consistent decision‑making across all validation stakeholders. Qualifications Required Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications, Computer Engineering, or a closely related technical field 8–12 years of experience in telecommunications or satellite‑communications environments, with hands‑on involvement in lab operations, system integration, or validation activities. Demonstrated experience coordinating or managing MNO or carrier‑grade lab environments, including RAN, core network, and end‑to‑end service‑validation workflows. Proven track record working with multi‑vendor test plans and acceptance processes for network features, software releases, or new‑service deployments. 5+ years of experience in laboratory management or technical validation leadership roles within telecom or satellite‑communications settings. Experience supporting large‑scale lab environments, multi‑market validation programs, and cross‑functional system‑integration initiatives. Preferred Experience in satellite communications, Non‑Terrestrial Networks (NTN), or hybrid satellite–terrestrial integration projects with mobile network operators (MNOs). Prior responsibility for lab management or technical leadership in an operator, satellite provider, network vendor, or systems integrator environment Familiarity with ATP processes and acceptance frameworks used by Tier1 MNOs and global satellite operators Skills & Competencies Technical & Domain Skills Strong understanding of mobile network architecture (RAN, transport, core) and associated lab/testing workflows commonly used for network validation and acceptance Proficiency in RAN and device testing, including feature‑level validation, performance verification, and probe‑driven testing methods used in carrier‑grade network acceptance. Comprehensive knowledge of change management, configuration management, and test lifecycle management processes in telecommunications environments Leadership & Coordination Ability to lead cross-functional lab coordination with MNOs, internal teams, and vendors, driving alignment on schedules, configurations, and acceptance criteria Strong organizational skills to manage multiple concurrent lab activities, markets, and partner demands while serving as the central point of communication Analytical & Problem Solving Structured approach to identifying, reproducing, and documenting issues uncovered during lab validation activities Focus on rework reduction through proactive integrity checks and preventive validation measures that ensure first-time deployment success time deployment success Communication & Stakeholder Engagement Clear, concise communication skills for both technical and nontechnical audiences across multiple organizational levels Ability to influence stakeholders to adhere to agreed templates, processes, and signoff criteria while maintaining collaborative relationships Cross Functional Interfaces The Senior Lab Manager will collaborate closely with: Network Operations Center (NOC): For coordination of activation timing, production readiness checks, and rollback strategies Schedulers / PMO: For alignment of lab timelines with deployment and commercial launch schedules MNO Technical Teams: For alignment on ATP content, lab access requirements, configurations, and final acceptance signoffs Vendors / OEMs: For coordination of vendor test plans, software deliveries, and resolution of lab identified issues Internal Engineering / Integration Teams: For definition of network integrity checks, lab configuration baselines, and defect triage processes Quality / Process Management: For governance of BPMS requests, documentation standards, and adherence to standardized validation processes KPIs / Success Criteria Ontime completion of ATPs and lab test cycles aligned to deployment and commercial launch schedules Reduction in rework or post activation issues attributable to lab validated features, configurations, or deployment processes Percentage of multimarket deployments achieving timely acceptance signoff according to established timelines and quality criteria Achievement of persistence targets through consistent delivery of validation milestones and sustained deployment success rates. Adherence to lab processes and BPMS governance, including change requests processed correctly and according to schedule Stakeholder satisfaction (MNOs, NOC, internal engineering, and vendors) with lab coordination quality, responsiveness, and delivery excellence Tools / Standards / Methods Lab & Test Management: Utilization of industry standard testcase and defect tracking platforms (e.g., test management systems, issue trackers) to manage ATPs, test execution, and acceptance evidence documentation Network Validation Methods: Implementation of UE probe-based testing, KPI monitoring, and regression testing techniques to validate network integrity before activation Process & Governance: Application of Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) or equivalent workflow tools to log, track, and approve lab requests and configuration changes Standards Alignment: Familiarity with 3GPPbased mobile network standards and general operator acceptance practices relevant to LTE/5G and satellite–terrestrial integration environments Physical Requirements Role will be based out of US Regular travel for MNO lab coordination, vendor meetings, and multisite validation activities (~40%) Ability to support lab escalations across global time zones including occasional off hours support for critical validation activities and deployment windows This job description may not be inclusive to the duties and responsibilities listed. Additional tasks may be assigned to the employee from time to time or the scope of the job may change as needed by business demands . AST SpaceMobile is an Equal Opportunity, at will Employer; employment is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.