Software Development Engineer III, Launch Operations Software , Launch Operations Software Team
About the role
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. 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.
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.
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)
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.
Qualifications
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