Flight Director, Amazon LEO - Mission Operations

Amazon; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon seeks a Flight Director for the LEO Mission Operations team in Redmond, WA, to own and execute operational success at a systems level. You will coordinate across ground and space teams, drive automation, and lead launch and on-orbit activities with scalable solutions.

The role requires strong communication, organizational skills, and a solid background in space systems engineering, with demonstrated experience in aerospace operations and software practices.

Qualifications

• Automation of large-scale infrastructure
• Proficient in at least one modern language (Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust)
• Experience with Linux/Unix environments
• Experience with CI/CD build processes
• 3+ years in aerospace industry
• 1+ year in spacecraft operations or direct support role
• Technical understanding of space system architecture and subsystems

Responsibilities

• Own and execute the mission's operational success at a systems level
• Coordinate between engineering teams across ground and space systems
• Drive automation and operational excellence to improve fleet productivity
• Coordinate and prepare for launches and on-orbit demonstrations
• Develop concepts of operation and lead launch/early operations
• Analyze system data and identify improvements

Skills

Programming languages

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Linux/Unix

Job description

Flight Director, Amazon LEO - Mission Operations

Job ID: 10492298 | Amazon Kuiper Manufacturing Enterprises LLC

Amazon LEO is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

Key job responsibilities

As a Flight Director you will own and execute the overall operational success of the mission at a systems level and coordinate between engineering teams across ground and space systems to achieve it. Because of the scale of the mission, you will be focused on driving automation and operational excellence — identifying areas of improvement and initiating changes to improve the productivity of the fleet.

You will coordinate and prepare for each launch and on-orbit demonstration, design and conduct operational rehearsals, and drive automation efforts with scalability in mind, ensuring that the constellation functions at peak performance with no manual intervention. You will develop concepts of operation for missions and experiments, lead launch and early operations, develop and perform analysis on system data, and identify areas and mechanisms for further improvement.

The ideal candidate will be detail oriented, have strong verbal and written communication skills, strong organizational skills, able to juggle multiple tasks at once, able to work independently, and maintain professionalism under pressure. You should have knowledge in space system design and software engineering practices.

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.

A day in the life

You will work with internal engineering teams to define our operational process. You will identify opportunities to optimize and automate, and work with software and hardware teams to implement. You will be responsible for the operational success of the LEO mission.

About the team

Amazon LEO Mission Operations team owns the infrastructure that manages and operates the constellation, providing a stable foundation for the networking team to run customer-facing connectivity service.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience in automating, deploying, and supporting large-scale infrastructure
• Experience programming with at least one modern language such as Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust
• Experience with Linux/Unix
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines build processes
• 3+ years of experience in the Aerospace industry.
• 1+ year of prior experience in a spacecraft operations or direct support role.
• Technical understanding of space system architecture and subsystem functionality

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems at scale
• Familiarity with all of the following disciplines and demonstrated technical understanding of at least two:
  • Orbital mechanics and constellation design
  • Spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control hardware and software
  • Electrical engineering
  • Terrestrial and satellite communications systems and networking
  • Spacecraft structures and mechanisms
  • Embedded software
  • Satellite propulsion systems
  • Data-driven engineering approach and ability assess system performance with statistical analysis
• Strong communications skills, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, and enjoyment of learning and teaching new skills
• Demonstrated ability to drive requirements for concepts of operation and space systems
• Experience developing, working with, and scaling autonomous space mission operations
• Experience working through the software development lifecycle, including requirements development and integrated testing.
• Comfortable working with ambiguous problems, assessing risk, reducing uncertainty, and handling the pressure of mission critical operations

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.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems at scale
• Familiarity with all of the following disciplines and demonstrated technical understanding of at least two:
  • Orbital mechanics and constellation design
  • Spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control hardware and software
  • Electrical engineering
  • Terrestrial and satellite communications systems and networking
  • Spacecraft structures and mechanisms
  • Embedded software
  • Satellite propulsion systems
  • Data-driven engineering approach and ability assess system performance with statistical analysis
• Strong communications skills, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, and enjoyment of learning and teaching new skills
• Demonstrated ability to drive requirements for concepts of operation and space systems
• Experience developing, working with, and scaling autonomous space mission operations
• Experience working through the software development lifecycle, including requirements development and integrated testing.
• Comfortable working with ambiguous problems, assessing risk, reducing uncertainty, and handling the pressure of mission critical operations

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.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits .

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSU). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits .

USA, WA, Redmond - 129,200.00 - 174,800.00 USD annually

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.