Software Development Engineer, Launch Operations

Amazon Kuiper Infrastructure LLC; Merritt Island (FL); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Kuiper Infrastructure LLC is seeking a senior software leader to design and deliver critical software used to test, process, and verify the Amazon Leo satellites for launch. You will own system architecture, drive security and scalability, and mentor a team of engineers located at Kennedy Space Center and beyond.

The role emphasizes leading multi-engineer projects, building AWS data services for real-time fleet visibility, and promoting best practices in CI/CD and operations.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of non-internship professional software development experience.
• 8+ years of programming experience in at least one software language.
• 5+ years leading design or architecture for new and existing systems, including patterns for reliability and scale.
• Experience serving as a mentor, technical lead, or engineering manager.
• US export control eligibility as a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.
• Ability to pass Kennedy Space Center background screening.
• Willingness to receive vaccinations needed for international travel, including yellow fever.
• 5+ years of full software development life cycle experience (preferred).
• Masters degree in computer science or equivalent (preferred).

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of software for testing, processing, and validating Amazon Leo satellites.
• Own architecture of assigned systems, ensuring security, maintainability, and extensibility.
• Guide designs to align with the broader system vision and architecture.
• Lead multi-engineer projects and own solution architecture beyond code.
• Architect and build AWS-based data aggregation/visualization services for real-time fleet status.
• Promote engineering best practices: code structure, testing, CI/CD, ops docs.
• Identify architectural weaknesses and simplify existing systems.
• Lead design reviews for our team and partner teams.
• Mentor and coach engineers, including junior staff.
• Conduct root cause analysis for incidents and implement lasting fixes.
• Work from Merritt Island, FL, with up to 15% travel domestically and internationally.

Skills

Software development

Programming languages

Leadership/architecture

Mentor/tech lead/manager

Export control eligibility

Background screening

Travel readiness

Full SDLC experience

Education

Master's degree in Computer Science

Tools

Python

AWS

Job description

Requirements

Must have:

• We require 8+ years of non-internship professional software development experience.
• We require 8+ years of programming experience in at least one software language.
• We require 5+ years leading design or architecture for new and existing systems, including patterns for reliability and scale.
• We require experience serving as a mentor, technical lead, or engineering manager.
• We require that candidates meet export control eligibility as a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, refugee, or asylee.
• We require the ability to pass Kennedy Space Center background screening.
• We require willingness to receive vaccinations needed for international travel, including yellow fever.
• We prefer 5+ years of full software development life cycle experience, including coding standards, code review, source control, build processes, testing, and operations.
• We prefer a masters degree in computer science or an equivalent qualification.

Responsibilities:

• We lead the design and delivery of software used to test, process, and verify Amazon Leo satellites for launch, including automated health checks, configuration management, and readiness validation.
• We own the architecture of assigned systems and provide technical direction so they remain secure, maintainable, and extensible.
• We guide the designs of others to ensure alignment with the broader system vision.
• We lead multi-engineer projects and take ownership of the solution architecture even when we do not write every component ourselves.
• We architect and build AWS-based data aggregation and visualization services that provide real-time fleet status to engineering and program leadership.
• We promote engineering best practices across the team, including code structure, testing, operational excellence, CI/CD, and documentation.
• We identify architectural weaknesses that slow delivery and simplify existing systems.
• We lead design reviews for our team and contribute to reviews for partner teams.
• We mentor and coach engineers across the team, including less experienced colleagues.
• We lead root cause analysis for operational incidents and implement lasting fixes that prevent recurring issues.
• We work from Merritt Island, Florida, with up to 15% domestic and international travel.

Company:

We are Amazon Leo, Amazons low Earth orbit satellite broadband network, on a mission to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities worldwide. Our software sits on the critical path before every satellite leaves the ground, powering automated health checks, software configuration management, and fleet-wide visibility for hundreds of satellites. We are a small team that values technical ownership and direct communication, and our tools are written in Python and deployed on AWS for manufacturing engineers, mission teams, and launch operators at Kennedy Space Center. This role offers the chance to lead software that directly supports launch campaigns and has visible impact on every satellite that reaches orbit.