Wireless, Research Manager

3 days a week together out of our Ipswich or Bristol sites (flexible 2 days remote wherever).

About the role

What you’ll be doing

• Lead applied research projects in wireless connectivity, guiding technical direction and execution from early investigation to proof-of-concept, standards influence, trial, or adoption.
• Identify key technology questions in cellular, WiFi, and wireless connectivity, turning them into practical research activities and personally contributing to modelling, analysis, experimentation, and recommendations.
• Build deep insight into emerging wireless trends, supplier roadmaps, standards evolution, and network architecture, shaping work that is technically credible and strategically relevant.

Essential Skills / Experience

• Senior-level technical expertise in wireless communications, with strong understanding of the mobile ecosystem, supplier landscape, standards activity, and technology evolution.
• Solid understanding of mobile network architecture, including planning, deployment, operation, and evolution of networks.
• Experience technically leading applied research, advanced engineering, or technology development projects from problem formulation through to evidence generation, proof of concept, recommendation, or adoption.

Desirable Skills / Experience

• Strong hands-on technical judgement, including assessing feasibility, maturity, risk, implementation complexity, performance trade-offs, and business value.
• Ability to communicate complex technical topics clearly to both expert and non-expert audiences.
• Collaborative technical leadership style, with enthusiasm for mentoring others and delivering high-quality research outcomes.
• Experience in 3GPP, IEEE 802.11, Wi-Fi Alliance, or other relevant standards bodies.
• Responsibility for standards features, work items, technical contributions, or ecosystem initiatives.
• Awareness of industry trends and technology developments in mobile, Wi-Fi, and broader wireless systems.
• Practical experience with carrier-grade testbeds, wireless labs, experimental platforms, simulation environments, or field trials.
• Experience with techno-economic analysis, including assessment of cost, deployment complexity, operational impact, and commercial opportunity.

Our Package

Tailored benefits make a real difference. That’s why we offer a comprehensive range to support your growth, wellbeing, and everyday life. You can design the package to suit you and your lifestyle. Your core benefits include:

• 10% on target annual bonus
• Access to an online private GP 24/7 for you and your immediate family
• Market-leading paid carers leave with up to 2 weeks off
• Equalised maternity, paternity, and adoption leave – 18 weeks’ full pay and 8 weeks’ half pay
• Discounted EE and BT products, including mobile and broadband
• Market leading Pension scheme – 5% from you and 10% from us
• Holiday purchase scheme

You can select additional benefits, including healthcare, dental, gym memberships and more when you’re ready.

BT Group is the UK’s leading communications group and the holding company behind some of the country’s most recognised brands – including BT, EE, Openreach and Plusnet. Our purpose is as simple as it is ambitious: we connect for good. Our customers include consumers, small, medium and large businesses, public sector organisations and other communications providers.

BT Group’s role is about setting direction, unlocking value and creating the conditions for our brands and businesses to thrive.

Having come through the most capital-intensive phase of our fibre investment, our focus now is on what comes next – simplifying how we operate, using technology and AI to work smarter, and organising ourselves to serve customers better and grow sustainably. Group teams shape strategy, policy, brand, capital allocation and transformation, helping the whole organisation perform at its best.

We have a singular culture that unites all our people: we are customer-first challengers, who are committed, clear and connected. These behaviours unite us as one team to deliver for our colleagues, our customers, our stakeholders and the country. Joining BT Group means working at the heart of a business that matters to the UK, with the opportunity to shape decisions, influence outcomes and help set the future course of one of the country’s most important companies.