Packet Core and Cloud Infrastructure SME

About the role

The Packet Core & Cloud Infrastructure SME is responsible for the architecture, deployment and operations of telecom packet core systems running on virtualized and cloud-native infrastructure. The role bridges telecom core network expertise with deep knowledge of cloud platforms, ensuring resilient, scalable and high-performing environments for 4G/5G services. The position is based in Lagos, Nigeria.

Key responsibilities

• Design and manage cloud infrastructure supporting Packet Core (EPC, 5G NSA & 5GC)
• Deploy and support virtualized (VNF) and cloud-native (CNF) network functions
• Manage cloud platforms (OpenStack, Kubernetes) for telecom workloads
• Oversee the infrastructure lifecycle: installation, upgrades, patching and scaling
• Ensure high availability, redundancy and disaster recovery readiness
• Perform capacity planning, performance tuning and resource optimization
• Lead complex troubleshooting across network, compute, storage and virtualization layers
• Drive automation and DevOps practices (CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code)
• Ensure compliance with security policies, hardening and best practices
• Work with vendors, RAN, transport and IT teams, and take part in incident management, root cause analysis and escalations

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Computer Science or a related field
• 6-10+ years of experience in telecom core networks and cloud infrastructure
• Ability to operate in 24/7 critical environments
• Preferred: experience with Ericsson telco cloud platforms, 5G NSA & 5G SA deployments, network slicing and edge/cloud-native architectures, and large-scale production environments

Required skills

• Packet Core: 2G/3G/4G EPC and 5G Core architectures, call flows, signaling and interfaces (GTP, Diameter, SCTP, PFCP, HTTP/2)
• Cloud infrastructure: hands-on OpenStack (preferred for telecom cloud), compute, storage and networking, virtualization and container orchestration
• Certifications preferred: Kubernetes (CKA/CKAD), OpenStack or VMware