Senior Space & Radiation Effects Engineer, Amazon Leo

Socket.dev; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 159,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Leo is building a high‑throughput LEO satellite constellation to deliver fast, reliable internet globally for customers and partners. As a Senior Radiation Effects Engineer, you will ensure avionics and payload hardware performance under the challenging space radiation environment.

You will define testing data, qualify components, guide designers, and lead root‑cause analysis of on‑orbit events while developing standards and tools. Collaboration with reliability teams is essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field.
• 3+ years of experience in spaceflight avionics development, parts selection, and radiation test.
• 3+ years System design and component qualification experience with radiation environments and radiation tolerant hardware.
• Demonstrated understanding of the impact of SEE and TID effects on electronic systems.
• Experience with radiation environment modeling tools (IRENE, OMERE, SIRE2, SPENVIS, OLTARIS, CREME96, SAPPHIRE, ESP, PSYCHIC).
• Master's or PhD preferred in related technical fields.
• Experience with radiation transport codes such as GEANT4 or MCNP.
• Knowledge of NASA/Defense or Commercial Space programs is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define, collect, and analyze TID, heavy ion, and proton testing data to qualify components against space radiation and build a database of test data.
• Determine system-level impact of radiation-induced failures.
• Qualification of components including microcontrollers, memory devices, FPGAs, and power management hardware.
• Provide guidance to electrical design engineers on selecting radiation susceptible components.
• Lead root-cause analysis of on-orbit radiation events and develop tools to visualize events.
• Develop processes for managing test results and documentation.
• Develop testing and reporting standards for component and flight PCBA radiation tests.
• Collaborate with supply chain and reliability teams to refine preferred components.

Skills

Spaceflight avionics

Radiation testing

System design

Radiation environment modeling

SEE / TID effects understanding

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree or above in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics or Physics

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related technical field

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

AI-vibe coding

GEANT4

MCNP

Job description

Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network. Our mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet connectivity to customers beyond the reach of existing networks. From individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, and government agencies, Amazon Leo will serve people and organizations operating in locations without reliable connectivity.

As a Senior Radiation Effects Engineer on the Amazon Leo team, you will be responsible for ensuring avionics and payload hardware performance across our satellite constellation through the challenging LEO radiation environment. You will perform analysis, design guidance, and testing at the component, board, unit, and subsystem levels — working with a vast array of satellite electronics to ensure radiation reliability.

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

Amazon seeks a Senior Radiation Effects Engineer to be part of a small team focused on reliability against radiation effects.

• Candidate will define, collect, and analyze TID, heavy ion, and proton testing data to qualify components against space radiation and help build a database of electronic component test data
• Candidate will help to determine system-level impact of radiation-induced failures
• Candidate will be responsible for the qualification of a wide range of electronic components including microcontrollers, memory devices, FPGAs, and power management hardware
• Will work with an interdisciplinary team to offer guidance to electrical design engineers on the selection and proper utilization of radiation sensitive components
• Lead root-cause analysis of on-orbit radiation events. Develop tools and dashboards to organize and visualize on-orbit events.
• Develop processes for managing component and satellite hardware test results and documentation
• Develop testing and reporting standards for component and flight PCBA radiation tests
• Work with supply chain and component reliability teams to refine preferred components across programs
• Review PCN changes to ensure maintenance of radiation qualification status

About the team

At Amazon, we are working to build the world's most advanced low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation to deliver fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the globe. Project Kuiper (Amazon Leo) will provide connectivity for tens of millions of customers who lack reliable internet access. This is an ambitious, long-term program that combines Amazon's customer obsession with latest technology in aerospace engineering.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or experience working in electrical engineering field
• 3+ years of experience in spaceflight avionics development, parts selection, and radiation test
• 3+ years System design and component qualification experience with radiation environments and radiation tolerant hardware
• Demonstrated understanding of the impact of SEE and TID effects on electronic systems.
• Experience with one or more standard radiation environment modeling tools, including but not limited to IRENE, OMERE, SIRE2, SPENVIS, OLTARIS, CREME96, SAPPHIRE, ESP, or PSYCHIC.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or above in electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics or physics
• PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Mathematics, or a related technical field
• Experience in component selection and understanding of component reliability
• Experience with one or more radiation transport codes, including but not limited to NOVICE, FASTRAD, SHIELDOSE2, GEANT4, or MCNP.
• Experience with NASA, Defense or Commercial Space programs.
• Knowledge of any of the following: Python, LabView, AI-vibe coding.
• Experience collaborating with reliability team with vehicle-level reliability models.
• Knowledge of AWS tools such as S3 and DynamoDB.
• Proficiency with hardware blueprints/schematics and circuit functions based on designs.
• Proficiency with avionics hardware spanning integrated circuits, PCBA boards, sensors/transducers, functional troubleshooting, and defect detection

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 - 159,200.00 - 215,300.00 USD annually