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 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.

This position is part of the Satellite Attitude Determination and Control team, where we own the full lifecycle of our work — from algorithm design and flight software, through lab integration, to flying our own satellites on orbit.

Responsibilities

In this role, you will take your GNC algorithms from concept all the way to orbit, and stay close to them through integration, test, and on-orbit operations. You will solve hard precise-pointing, payload-cueing, and fleet-autonomy problems against demanding performance requirements.

• 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.
• Design concepts of operation that balance pointing and payload cueing, momentum management, power, thermal, and communications across all phases of the mission, including off-nominal and contingency scenarios.
• 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 time 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.

Qualifications

The basic qualifications for this role include a PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of quantitative field research experience, as well as experience developing guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for aerospace systems.

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

Preferred qualifications include experience converting research studies into tangible real-world changes, experience with discrete and continuous optimization methodologies and algorithms, and experience developing guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for spacecraft.

• Experience converting research studies into tangible real-world changes
• Experience with discrete and continuous optimization methodologies and algorithms
• Experience developing guidance, navigation, and control algorithms for spacecraft.

Benefits

Amazon offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance, 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. The base salary range for this position is $136,000.00 - $184,000.00 USD annually, and the package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs).

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off
• Parental leave