Solutions Architect - RAN & OSS

About Zinkworks

Zinkworks partners with leading Telecommunications and Financial Services organizations to modernize legacy systems, migrate mission-critical platforms to the cloud, and engineer AI-driven automation. From OSS transformation to rApp development and network intelligence, our teams simplify complexity and turn it into competitive advantage. Based in Ireland and operating across the EU, UK, and US, Zinkworks combines deep domain expertise with delivery excellence to help clients modernize faster and operate smarter.

The Role

We are hiring a Senior Solution Architect to lead complex presales engagements across our telecom portfolio, with a particular focus on RAN automation, SON, OSS, network management, and AI-driven solutions.

This is a front-line commercial & engineering role, where you will own multiple parallel pursuits end-to-end, from early discovery through to technical close. You will work closely with Tier 1 operators and major ecosystem partners, run technical workshops, design winning solutions, and contribute to RFP and procurement processes as required.

Credibility in the RAN domain is central to the role. Our solutions do not stop at recommendations; they close the loop by writing configuration back into the live network. You will design the closed-loop actions behind a growing portfolio of rApp and AI application use cases, which means being as comfortable discussing MO attribute changes with an operator’s optimisation team as presenting value to their CTO.

What You Will Do

• Lead presales technical engagements across multiple concurrent opportunities.
• Design and architect scalable, cloud-native solutions across RAN automation, OSS, network management, and AI/ML.
• Define and design closed-loop actions across a portfolio of rApp and AI application use cases.
• Set the measurement basis for each loop: what triggers an action, what verifies it, and what impact assessment applies to surrounding cells.
• Own the configuration write path — target attributes, validation, guardrails, approvals, and rollback.
• Resolve contention where multiple closed loops target the same cells or attributes, defining precedence and conflict mitigation.
• Own and drive proof-of-concept implementations from a technical perspective, including RAN-connected trials.
• Run discovery sessions, technical workshops, and architecture reviews with customer stakeholders, including RAN engineering and operations teams.
• Own technical responses for RFPs, RFIs, and formal procurement processes.
• Translate complex customer problems into compelling, commercially viable solutions.
• Partner with delivery, product, and engineering teams to ensure solutions are buildable and defensible.
• Represent Zinkworks credibly with C-level executives and senior technical audiences.

What You Bring

• Deep telecom domain expertise across 2G/3G/4G/5G, core and transport, OSS, network management fundamentals, and service assurance.
• RAN subject matter expertise: 4G/5G mobile system architecture, cell and carrier configuration, neighbour relations, and mobility behaviour.
• SON experience across several use case families — ANR and neighbour management, mobility robustness, load balancing, traffic steering, PCI, slice orchestration, coverage and capacity, interference, energy saving etc.
• Fluency with RAN counters and KPIs on both sides of a closed loop: what triggers an action, and what proves it worked.
• Practical awareness of PM granularity, counter variation across vendors and releases, and separating real degradation from traffic noise.
• A working model of RAN topology and configuration as data: MO hierarchy, object relationships, and how PM, CM, FM, and topology data fit together.
• Hands-on RAN MO attribute manipulation via vendor northbound interfaces: parameter dependencies and valid ranges, bulk versus per-cell changes, change windows, audit trails, and the risk of writing to a live network.
• Vendor tooling such as Ericsson ENM/AMOS/MO Shell, Nokia NetAct, or Huawei U2020/MML, plus 3GPP configuration management and NETCONF/YANG.
• A feel for blast radius, how a change propagates through neighbour relations, handover boundaries, coverage overlap, interference, and load on adjacent sites with the judgement to turn that into scope and exclusion rules, cluster trials, soak periods, and neighbour-level monitoring.

Architecture and Engineering

• Proven experience designing and architecting OSS, NMS or SON solutions.
• Experience using EMS/NMS northbound APIs and protocols, including REST, NetConf & RESTConf, SNMP and File Import/Export handling.
• Strong software architecture fundamentals, with the ability to design modern, cloud-native systems.
• Hands-on cloud experience, preferably Google Cloud Platform, with solid cross-provider fundamentals.
• AI/ML literacy, able to articulate how machine learning applies to network and operations use cases for technical and business audiences.
• Proven presales or customer-facing solution architecture experience, including leading and winning complex deals.
• Ability to operate autonomously across multiple pursuits without close supervision.
• Excellent communication skills, confident whiteboarding with engineers and presenting to executives.
• Willingness to travel regularly across Europe, with periodic international travel.

Nice to Have

• O-RAN architecture — Non-RT RIC, Near-RT RIC, SMO, rApp and xApp patterns — and the O1, A1, E2, and R1 interfaces.
• Commercial SON or RAN automation platforms.
• Developing test specifications for network test or trial environments, used to validate new use cases and updated configurations.
• Multi-vendor RAN estates or shared networks such as MOCN.
• Balancing competing objectives, for example efficiency gains against user experience and SLA commitments.
• Experience with Tier 1 operators across Europe, North America, Asia, such as Vodafone, AT&T, or Deutsche Telekom.
• Familiarity with Ericsson, Nokia or other major vendor ecosystems, including vendor CPI and parameter documentation.
• Background in network automation, AIOps, or intelligent assurance platforms.
• Hands-on software development experience.

Inclusion & Diversity at Zinkworks

At Zinkworks, we are deeply committed to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, and belonging. We believe that our strength lies in the unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences of our team members. By embracing an inclusive environment, we empower innovation and collaboration across all levels of our organisation. Based in Ireland, we are proud to support and engage with our local communities through meaningful initiatives that promote equity and opportunity. Our commitment extends beyond the workplace, as we actively contribute to creating a more inclusive and connected society for all.