Senior System Development Engineer, Leo Bus & Flight Operations

Amazon; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 151,200 - 204,600; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

A leading tech company is seeking a Senior System Development Engineer in Redmond, WA, responsible for leading release testing efforts for a Low Earth Orbit satellite initiative. The role involves designing testing strategies, mentoring engineers, and ensuring software quality before deployment. Candidates should have extensive system testing experience, strong programming skills, and a proven track record in technical leadership. This position offers a competitive salary between $151,200 and $204,600 annually, along with comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in system testing, QA engineering, DevOps, or related roles.
• 3+ years in technical leadership or senior engineering positions.
• Strong programming skills in Python, Java, or similar.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of System Development Engineers and contractors.
• Define testing strategy and best practices for SRM validation.
• Drive technical decisions on testing frameworks and infrastructure.

Skills

System testing

QA engineering

DevOps

Python

Java

Technical leadership

Communication

API testing

Performance testing

Scripting

Job description

Description

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.

We are seeking a Senior System Development Engineer to lead release testing efforts for our Software Release Management (SRM) team. This is a technical leadership role responsible for ensuring the quality and reliability of flight and ground software releases before deployment to our LEO satellite constellation. You will design testing strategies, lead a team of engineers and contractors, and accelerate our release velocity while maintaining the highest quality standards.

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.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in system testing, QA engineering, DevOps, or related roles
• 3+ years in technical leadership or senior engineering positions
• Proven experience leading and mentoring engineering teams
• Experience managing or coordinating with contractors and external teams
• Strong programming skills (Python, Go, Java, or similar)
• Experience designing testing strategies for complex distributed systems
• Track record of driving quality improvements and process optimization
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to balance speed and quality in fast-paced environments
• System integration testing and end-to-end validation
• API testing, performance testing, and load testing
• Monitoring, observability, and test analytics
• Scripting and tool development

Key job responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of System Development Engineers and contractors
• Define testing strategy, architecture, and best practices for SRM release validation
• Drive technical decisions on testing frameworks, tools, and infrastructure
• Set quality standards and testing methodologies across the organization
• Provide technical guidance and support to team members

System Integration & Validation

• Lead end-to-end testing across flight software, ground systems, and infrastructure
• Validate complex satellite communication protocols and operational workflows
• Oversee hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) and simulation-based testing efforts
• Ensure testing environments accurately represent production conditions

Basic Qualifications

• Experience leading the design, automation, deployment, and support of 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

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems at scale

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 - 151,200.00 - 204,600.00 USD annually