[Japan] 5G/ORAN software engineer / technical lead - Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Develop software for an in-house DU (L1/L2) AI-RAN accelerator targeting O-RAN and post-5G/6G architectures.
About the role
This role involves developing high-performance software for an in-house DU (L1/L2) AI-RAN accelerator system across O-RAN and post-5G/6G wireless networks.
What you'll do
- Architect, design, and develop high-performance software for O-RAN and post-5G/6G wireless systems targeting an in-house DU (L1/L2) AI-RAN accelerator. - Drive end-to-end system definition and requirements from the ground up. - Lead R&D initiatives fusing AI/ML with RAN telemetry, including intelligent traffic steering, predictive beamforming, or energy saving. - Integrate and validate software with Software-Defined Radios (SDRs), advanced wireless testbeds, and embedded RF hardware. - Build, optimize, and maintain real-time and near-real-time wireless software pipelines. - Investigate and troubleshoot complex software, RF, and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) issues.
What you'll need
- Strong programming proficiency in C, C++, and Python within a Linux environment. - Hands-on experience with kernel-bypass and low-latency networking frameworks (e.g., DPDK, eBPF, XDP) or Linux device drivers. - Proven track record of developing, debugging, and profiling real-time software in Linux. - Experience with Software-Defined Radios (SDRs) and open-source wireless stacks (OpenAirInterface (OAI) or srsRAN/OCUDU). - Solid understanding of O-RAN / 5G NR standards and 3GPP architectures. - Experience in software development or integration for wireless communication systems.
Nice to have
- Deep expertise in building intelligent O-RAN applications or integrating with Near-RT / Non-RT RICs. - Experience applying Machine Learning to RF/wireless signal data, including real-time model deployment and edge inference. - Expertise in multi-threading, concurrency, and SMP-safe low-latency programming. - Familiarity with hardware acceleration APIs (e.g., DPDK bbdev) and FPGA/ASIC offloading. - Solid experience with Git, CI/CD pipelines, and modern DevOps tools for embedded/telco software.
Skills: 5G/RAN, O-RAN, Linux, kernel-bypass, C/C++/Python
This role has been open 8 days — well below the 67-day median for Systems Software Engineering roles.
Systems Software Engineering · Systems Software
|
Open roles in category
680
|
Median days open
67 d
|
Median salary
$209k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | EdgeCortix | All employers we track in this specialty (680 roles · 70 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 1 | 680 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 4 | 6292 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 8 d | 67 d (−59 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $209k |
Skills observed across this category: 5G/RAN, O-RAN, Linux, kernel-bypass, C/C++/Python
Who's hiring in this category
- Qualcomm · 176 open roles · median 81 d
- NVIDIA · 135 open roles · median 45 d
- AMD · 58 open roles · median 55 d
- Mobileye · 24 open roles · median 86 d
- Arm Holdings · 20 open roles · median 124 d
- Broadcom · 19 open roles · median 63 d
How we counted: 680 open Systems Software Engineering (Systems Software) roles from 70 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 27 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.