Senior Wireless Software Engineer (5G/6G Protocol Stack) - US-CA-Calabasas, United States
$149,850 - $249,750 USD yearly
Originally posted 9 October 2026 by the employer.
Work directly with customer engineering teams to diagnose, modify, and deploy 5G and 5G-Advanced protocol-stack software across Layer 1 to Layer 3.
About the role
As a Senior Wireless Software Engineer (5G/6G Protocol Stack), you will embed directly within customer environments as a software developer, systems engineer, and deployment lead to customize, integrate, and deploy technology into production systems. You will diagnose issues deep within the protocol stack (Layer 1 to Layer 3), modify software, validate fixes, and deliver controlled releases across 4G, 5G, and 5G-Advanced systems.
What you'll do
- Analyze signaling flows, traces, timing behavior, and performance data to isolate failures across Layer 1 through Layer 3 implementations. - Write and modify application and protocol-stack software, supporting firmware, and customer-facing Python APIs. - Build automation workflows and create diagnostic instrumentation when existing tools are insufficient. - Develop, validate, and deploy controlled patches, feature flags, and interim releases under Keysight's release process. - Run rapid prototyping loops directly with customers to test and iterate on new features based on live feedback. - Translate field issues into engineering requirements and defects for core R&D while incorporating broadly applicable improvements back into the core product.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's or Master's degree (or equivalent) with 8+ years of relevant software/systems engineering experience. - Proficiency in C/C++, Python (including API development), Linux, embedded or real-time software, and automated testing. - Experience debugging protocol interactions through logs, traces, packet captures, call flows, and timing analysis. - Familiarity with 3GPP specifications and the practical differences among standards compliance, interoperability, and implementation behavior. - Experience in design and test instrumentation and test emulation tools. - Specialized depth and breadth across multiple protocol layers, software stacks, and deployment domains.
Nice to have
- Expertise in at least one domain: PHY/L1, MAC/RLC/PDCP and L2, or RRC/NAS and L3, plus working knowledge of adjacent layers and end-to-end 4G, 5G, and 5G-Advanced system behavior.
Skills: C/C++, Python, Linux, embedded software, 5G, protocol stack
This role has been open 18 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 | Keysight Technologies | All employers we track in this specialty (680 roles · 70 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 16 | 680 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 158 | 6292 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 26 d | 67 d (−41 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $209k |
Skills observed across this category: C/C++, Python, Linux, embedded software, 5G, protocol stack
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.