Core Network Lead

Airalo runs the world's first eSIM store, helping millions of travellers access affordable mobile data across 200+ countries. The team is 400+ people across 60+ countries, fully remote by design, and many of the people building the product were customers first.

The role

This is a hands-on Technical Team Lead position owning the global build and technical integration of Full MVNO systems. You would lead a dedicated Build Team responsible for architecting, integrating, testing and commissioning end-to-end Full MVNO capabilities across global markets.

The team operates a Build-to-Run model: you build new MVNO capabilities and host MNO integrations from the ground up, test them rigorously, then hand stable systems over to a dedicated Run team after launch.

What you would do

• Lead, mentor and manage a team of around five engineers and QA specialists, owning sprint planning, task allocation and technical reviews across concurrent global rollout streams
• Establish engineering best practices, integration templates, automated testing strategy and technical handover standards
• Lead technical integrations with host mobile network operators globally across signalling, packet core, voice and messaging
• Own architecture and setup of Full MVNO core components, from the subscriber database (HSS/HLR) through packet core, signalling routing and messaging platforms
• Direct implementation and troubleshooting across the signalling stack including Diameter and SS7
• Own end-to-end service readiness across data, voice and SMS, covering session management, policy enforcement, VoLTE, legacy circuit-switched voice and international interconnects
• Design and validate mobile number portability routing against country-specific regulatory frameworks
• Own regulatory compliance per market, covering lawful interception (ETSI ES 201 671 / TS 102 232, HI1/HI2/HI3) and emergency routing such as e112, 911 and 999
• Partner with QA on integration, stress and acceptance testing, then drive Operational Readiness Reviews and documented handovers to the 24/7 Run team

What you would bring

• 5+ years hands-on in mobile core networks and Full MVNO integrations
• 2+ years leading engineers and/or QA specialists in an agile or delivery-focused environment
• Strong knowledge of both packet core and voice core, including HSS/HLR, policy and charging, VoLTE and legacy circuit-switched voice
• Expertise across Diameter, SS7 and SIP
• Messaging architecture and SMS routing experience, including operator interworking
• Proven delivery of mobile number portability and lawful interception solutions
• Documentation good enough to hand a system over on

Nice to have

• CI/CD, infrastructure as code (Terraform, Ansible), containerisation (Docker, Kubernetes) or automated signalling test frameworks
• Hands-on with vendors such as Nokia, Ericsson, Mavenir, Oracle Communications, Cisco, Summa Networks, NetNumber or XIUS
• Cloud-native or virtualised network functions on AWS, Azure, GCP or private cloud
• Degree in telecoms engineering, computer science or electrical engineering

Compensation — disclosed across four European bands

• UK: £89,600 – £128,800
• Ireland: €76,800 – €110,400
• Western & Southern Europe: €50,800 – €116,117
• Central, Eastern Europe & Caucasus: €53,851 – €88,291

Your band depends on where you are based, and Airalo says the Talent team walks through it on the first call.

On-call — and unusually, how they handle it

Participating in the on-call rotation is a core expectation, needed to maintain 24/7 reliability across Airalo's global operations. What sets this apart is that the policy is spelled out rather than buried:

• Paid rotation — standby fees plus overtime pay
• Delayed start — no on-call duties for your first six months
• Rest and recovery — guaranteed rest periods and flexible hours after night incidents
• Shared load — rotations split between weekdays and weekends to limit fatigue

Airalo publishes the full policy in its public handbook. For anyone weighing a role with on-call against a location-independent lifestyle, that transparency is worth more than a vague promise.

Before applying

Full-time and permanent. English is the working language, in meetings and async. The role is open across Airalo's supported locations in Europe.

Airalo uses AI-assisted tools to review CV information, with human hiring decisions, and AI interview notes you can opt out of. Background checks may be requested at the end of the process, with consent.