What are the responsibilities and job description for the Software Development Engineer III, Launch Operations Software , Launch Operations Software Team position at Amazon?
Description
Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. Its mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world.
**Export Control Requirement:** Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.
The software our team builds is one of the last things that happens before a satellite leaves the ground. We own the automated health check systems that validate satellite readiness across all processing phases, the software configuration management tools that govern what runs on every satellite, and the fleet-wide dashboards that give the program real-time visibility into hundreds of satellites. When something is wrong, our tools find it. When something is ready, our tools prove it.
We're looking for a senior Software Development Engineer to own the technical direction of our most complex systems. You'll lead the architecture and delivery of software that runs on the critical path of every launch campaign — driving technical strategy, setting the bar for engineering quality across the team, and mentoring the engineers around you.
If you want to lead the technical direction of software that literally touches spacecraft — and see the results on the launch pad — this role is for you.
Key job responsibilities
Lead the design and delivery of software systems used to test, process, and validate Amazon Leo satellites for launch — including automated health checks, software configuration management, and launch readiness verification
- Own the architecture for assigned systems: provide technical guidance, ensure systems are secure, maintainable, and extensible, and guide others' designs to fit the broader picture
- Lead projects requiring work from multiple engineers; own the design even when you do not personally author every component
- Architect and build data aggregation and visualization services on AWS that provide real-time fleet status visibility to engineering and program leadership
- Drive adoption of engineering best practices across the team: code organization, testing, operational excellence, CI/CD, and documentation
- Identify and resolve architectural deficiencies that limit team delivery; simplify existing systems
- Lead design reviews for your team and participate in design reviews for adjacent teams
- Mentor and coach multiple engineers on the team, including less senior engineers
- Lead root cause analysis on operational issues and implement systemic fixes that eliminate entire classes of problems
- Based in Merritt Island, FL with up to 15% travel (domestic/international)
A day in the life
You own significant technical problems from concept through production. One day you're leading a design review for a new satellite readiness validation system. The next, you're pairing with a manufacturing engineer to debug a telemetry anomaly discovered during live satellite processing. The third, you're shipping a simplification to an existing system that reduces on-call toil for the whole team. You work with autonomy, your technical judgment sets the direction, and your impact is visible on every launch campaign.
About the team
We build the software that prepares every Amazon Leo satellite for launch. Our tools run at Kennedy Space Center on the critical path for every satellite that reaches orbit — written in Python, deployed on AWS, used by manufacturing engineers, mission teams, and launch operators. We're a small team that values technical ownership and direct communication. If you want to lead the technical direction of software unlike most engineering jobs, this is the team.
Basic Qualifications
- 8 years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 8 years of programming with at least one software programming language experience
- 5 years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team
- Export control: must be a US citizen, permanent resident, or lawfully admitted refugee/asylee
- Ability to pass Kennedy Space Center background checks
- Ability and willingness to receive vaccinations required for international travel (including yellow fever)
Preferred Qualifications
- 5 years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Master's degree in computer science or equivalent
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.