Head of Flight Dynamics, Amazon Leo

Amazon Science; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 208,000 - 282,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Science in Redmond, WA seeks a Head of Flight Dynamics to lead the team responsible for orbital maneuvering, safety, and performance across Leo satellites.

You will build algorithms, ground systems, and tools enabling safe autonomous on-orbit operations at constellation scale, and partner with GN&C and Mission Operations to integrate with Flight Dynamics ground systems.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering, physics, or equivalent.
• 10+ years of people management, engineering teams.
• Experience leading spacecraft flight dynamics and mission design teams.
• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics and trajectory design.
• Experience with orbital maneuver design using low-thrust propulsion.
• Experience delivering large-scale satellite programs on time.
• Proven ability to influence technical direction across organizations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with Jira/Confluence/SharePoint and coding in Python/Java/C++.

Responsibilities

• Own the Flight Dynamics roadmap and technical strategy for Leo.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing organization of engineers and managers.
• Own architecture and deployment of ground software for safe orbital maneuvers.
• Develop algorithms for orbit determination and trajectory planning.
• Collaborate with GN&C and Mission Operations for autonomous on-orbit ops.
• Deliver products for spacecraft design, constellation planning, and ops.

Skills

Leadership

Orbital mechanics

Trajectory design

State estimation

Programming: Java

Programming: C++

Programming: Python

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Master's degree in engineering, physics, or equivalent

PhD in aerospace engineering or astronautics

Tools

Jira

Confluence

SharePoint

Git

Job description

Description

The Head of Flight Dynamics is the single-threaded leader responsible for orbital maneuvering, orbital safety, and orbital performance across Amazon Leo's current and future satellite constellations. This role directly impacts service reliability for millions of customers worldwide through safe, precise on-orbit operations and industry-leading space safety practices.

You will lead an organization of engineers, research scientists, and software developers building the algorithms, end-to-end ground system products, analysis tools, and infrastructure that enable safe and precise operation of Leo satellites at constellation scale. You will also lead special Flight Dynamics programs including GNSS independence, space traffic coordination services, and space situational awareness.

The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguity, operates autonomously while building alignment across organizations, and has a proven track record of delivering complex, cross-organizational technical programs that solve critical technical and business challenges. You will partner directly with engineering leaders, product managers, legal and regulatory teams, and senior Leo leadership to drive technical clarity, architect solutions, make strategic trade-offs, and deliver these enabling capabilities for Amazon Leo. You will embody Amazon's Leadership Principles - particularly Ownership, Dive Deep, Are Right A Lot, and Hire and Develop the Best.

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.

Key job responsibilities

• Own the Flight Dynamics roadmap and technical strategy, including forward-looking initiatives that enable Amazon Leo to deliver a best-in-class customer experience and leadership in orbital safety.
• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing organization of engineering managers and senior individual contributors; hire and grow top talent and foster a culture of innovation, operational excellence, and customer obsession.
• Own and lead the architecture, development, and deployment of resilient ground software services and infrastructure that manage safe orbital maneuver operations of Amazon Leo satellites - ascent, station keeping, collision avoidance, and end of life descent for re-entry
• Own and lead the development of algorithms for orbit determination, trajectory planning and guidance, and high-fidelity orbit modeling and prediction.
• Collaborate closely with GN&C and Mission Operations to enable safe, autonomous on-orbit satellite operations that integrate seamlessly with Flight Dynamics ground systems.
• Deliver the products needed by stakeholders for spacecraft design, constellation planning, and operations - including launch targets and launch-window assessments for launch and mission management teams
• Provide leadership oversight and direction to the GNSS independence and space situational awareness programs.
• Lead the development of metrics, monitoring, and response systems that leverage physical modeling and ML/AI to automate analysis of data from thousands of satellites for closed-loop assessment and improvement of on-orbit performance.
• Initiate and lead operator-to-operator collaboration for orbital safety, and partner with regulatory and legal teams to promote adoption of best practices in space safety across the industry.
• Own Flight Dynamics system risks and drive mitigations to minimize impact; manage program schedules and drive on-time delivery with support from technical program managers, balancing operational support against development efforts.
• As a key voice in on-orbit operations, work with Mission Operations and peer leaders to influence efficiency, safety, performance, and simplicity for customers.

Basic Qualifications

• Master's degree in engineering, physics, or equivalent
• 10+ years of people management, managing engineers experience
• Demonstrated experience leading spacecraft flight dynamics and mission design teams, including managing both senior individual contributors and managers of teams.
• Strong fundamentals in orbital mechanics, mission and trajectory design, state estimation, and orbital environments and perturbations.
• Experience with orbital maneuver design and implementation using low-thrust electric propulsion systems.
• Experience managing complex, large-scale satellite engineering programs and delivering products on time.
• Proven ability to influence technical direction and drive consensus across multidisciplinary organizations.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Highly organized, and knowledge of tools such as Jira, Confluence, Sharepoint, Git, etc.
• Experience with Java, C++, or other programming language, as well as with R, MATLAB, Python, or an equivalent scripting language

Preferred Qualifications

• PhD in aerospace engineering, astronautics, or a related field.
• Experience with large satellite constellation operations.
• Strong mathematical background with experience in numerical computation, probability, and statistics.
• Knowledge of adjacent spacecraft subsystems, particularly GN&C and Propulsion.
• Experience with software development workflows and engineering management.
• Experience with conjunction assessment, collision avoidance workflows, and regulatory compliance (FCC/FAA)

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.

USA, WA, Redmond - 208,300.00 - 281,800.00 USD annually