2026 - Principal AI Researcher - Autonomous AI Agents for Telecommunication Networks - Permanent

Job description

Are you ready to define the next generation of global telecommunications? Join our world-class AI research team to lead the charge in developing true Autonomous AI Agents capable of managing and optimizing the future of zero-touch networks. About Huawei Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We are committed to bringing digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. At Huawei, we have two key drivers of innovation: science and technology, and customer needs. Both commercial value and market demands are driving our innovation and determining how we invest in science and technology. Breakthroughs in technology, in return, stimulate customer needs and allow us to create greater value for customers. About the IRC Huawei Ireland Research Centre's (IRC) mission is to position Huawei as a recognised technology leader and global information and communications technology (ICT) solutions provider. We are building an industry-recognised multi-disciplinary Research Centre of experts focusing on medium-term to long-term issues to achieve this. The IRC will work closely with an open, innovative ecosystem with Huawei customers to address real-world issues. The IRC will also engage with key European universities to build a basic research capability to support Huawei technical projects. About the job We are seeking a visionary and highly-skilled Principal AI Researcher to drive foundational research and innovation at the intersection of Agentic AI, Foundation Models, and Autonomous Telecommunication Networks. Traditional AI agents interact primarily with humans; our goal is to create truly autonomous agents that adapt to dynamic, complex network conditions, facilitating zero-touch operations. You will be instrumental in realizing ambitious goals like: Zero-Touch Network Self-Healing: Autonomous observation, diagnosis, reasoning, and planning to achieve instant, intelligent network recovery. Self-Optimization: Agents capable of observing network performance degradation, learning, and proactively implementing performance improvements without human intervention. While recent advancements in LLM-based Agentic AI have demonstrated remarkable decision-making potential, we aim to go further. This role involves pioneering work across: Next-Generation Foundation Model Architectures beyond standard LLMs. Robust and accurate Reasoning and Planning for mission critical network operations. Agentic Reinforcement Learning (RL) - RL-based model fine-tuning for complex, sequential decision-making. Agent Memory Management to enable robust, long-term learning and knowledge utilization. Multi-agent learning, coordination , negotiation , and semantic communication in multi-agent systems . This is a unique opportunity to shape the strategic direction of AI-driven network autonomy, pushing the boundaries of what is technologically possible. We offer a platform for globally impactful work and a solid compensation package designed to attract and retain the best talent. Responsibilities As a Principal AI Researcher, you will be expected to provide technical leadership and execute high-impact research, including: Continuously learn and assess the state-of-the-art of AI technologies, particularly those applicable to Autonomous Networks, and drive the adoption of relevant innovations. Collaborate closely with internal domain experts to gain a deep understanding of core challenges, technological gaps, and strategic opportunities within the telecommunication domain. Define the strategic research direction, develop cutting-edge solution designs, and provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior team members. Contribute to the rapid and iterative development of validated software prototypes based on novel AI technologies, benchmarking alternative solutions rigorously. Foster strong cross-functional relationships, working closely with Domain Experts, Data Engineers, other AI researchers, and product development teams to ensure successful research transfer. Synthesize technical insights, proactively contribute to strategic planning to maintain Huawei's technological leadership, and propose innovative solutions and disruptive ideas for the future of Autonomous Telecommunication. Requirements PhD in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and/or Natural Language Processing. 5+ years of industrial or post-doctoral research experience in Artificial Intelligence or Machine Learning, with a demonstrable history of high-impact research. Strong hands-on experience with language model technology, especially with Large Language Models. Crucially, strong experience with foundation models applied to complex decision-making tasks is required. Excellent mathematics and statistics background, with the ability to reason about algorithm properties and performance. Strong programming skills in Python. Practical, hands-on skills in the use of modern machine learning frameworks, such as PyTorch, TensorFlow, and Scikit-Learn. Demonstrated problem-solving ability and proven track record of developing new algorithms and methodologies inspired by leading open source initiatives and academic research papers. Preferred Qualifications Strong domain knowledge of telecommunication networks (Telco networks) is a great advantage. A strong publication track record in top-tier machine learning and computer science conferences and journals, including, but not limited to, ICML, ECML, NeurIPS (NIPS), AAAI, IJCAI, or IJCNN. Benefits Competitive salary package Long-term personal growth space Opportunities to collaborate with leading experts in software engineering, including Huawei Fellows and world-renowned professors A multi-cultural, international working environment Work for an international world leader, an established yet still rapidly growing Fortune 500 company DUE TO THE HIGH VOLUME OF REPLIES, ONLY CANDIDATES WHO ARE SHORTLISTED FOR INTERVIEW WILL BE CONTACTED. Privacy Statement Please read and understand our West European Recruitment Privacy Notice before submitting your personal data to Huawei so that you fully understand how we process and manage your personal data received.