Satellite GNC Engineer, Amazon Leo

About the role

Amazon Leo is building a constellation of thousands of low Earth orbit satellites to deliver fast, reliable internet beyond the reach of existing networks. As a Guidance, Navigation & Control (GNC) engineer, you will design the algorithms, simulations, and onboard autonomy that keep every satellite precisely pointed and stable so the payload can serve customers below, and keep the fleet flying safely.

Responsibilities

• Design and analyze algorithms for state estimation, attitude determination and control, precise pointing, and payload cueing against demanding performance requirements.
• Write the production C++ flight code that runs these algorithms on the satellite.
• Develop momentum management strategies using reaction wheels and magnetic torquers, and help size and lay out the GNC sensor and actuator suite — star trackers, magnetometers, sun sensors, IMUs, and GPS receivers — and the algorithms that consume them.
• Develop onboard autonomy, including Fault Detection, Isolation, and Recovery, so the fleet operates safely at scale with minimal intervention.
• Develop and validate models and simulations of the satellite and constellation across a range of fidelity levels, including 6-DOF time-domain simulation and Monte Carlo analysis, and run hardware-in-the-loop testing to verify closed-loop performance.
• Support component-level environmental testing, functional and performance checkout, and subsystem and satellite integration in our labs.
• Analyze fleet telemetry in bulk and build the metrics, dashboards, and tooling that let us monitor and continuously improve pointing performance and payload operations as the constellation grows.
• Operate the GNC system on orbit — reviewing fleet data, supporting maneuvers, and resolving anomalies when on-orbit behavior diverges from the ground model.
• Contribute to architecture, design, and code reviews, and document your algorithms, analyses, and results clearly.

Requirements

This is satellite GNC with demanding pointing and performance requirements, and you will see your work go from concept to orbit on a constellation that is launching and growing today. Amazon Leo will delight customers with reliable connectivity regardless of where they are.

Qualifications

• PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of quantitative field research experience
• Experience developing guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for aerospace systems

Skills

Experience converting research studies into tangible real-world changes

Benefits

Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location.

Pay

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).

USA, WA, Redmond - 136,000.00 - 184,000.00 USD annually

Schedule

Not specified