Sr. RF Test Systems Development Engineer, Avionics Verification and Test, Amazon Leo

Amazon; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Leo Satellite Sr. RF Test Systems Development Engineer will own the full lifecycle of RF test systems for spacecraft avionics and payload subsystems, from architecture through production integration and on‑orbit support.

You will serve as the Responsible Engineer for your test set, collaborating across hardware, software, and manufacturing teams to verify requirements and drive test automation. The role requires comfort with ambiguity, high standards, and a hands‑on, entrepreneurial

Qualifications

• Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years’ experience developing and executing test plans for complex aerospace, automotive, or consumer electronics systems.
• 5+ years’ experience designing and integrating test systems for hardware/PCBA validation.
• 3+ years of scripting or programming experience (Python, MATLAB, C, or LabVIEW).
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple technical disciplines in a production or manufacturing environment.

Responsibilities

• Architect, design, build, and sustain RF test systems for satellite payload and avionics units through production and on‑orbit support.
• Own test planning end‑to‑end: decompose verification requirements into testable specifications, develop test procedures, and lead test readiness reviews.
• Drive cross‑functional alignment with electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, firmware, and manufacturing teams on verification strategy.
• Design and deliver test hardware, fixtures, and tooling that optimize throughput, yield, and fault coverage.
• Build quantitative models (test coverage, reliability, throughput) to inform design trade studies and process decisions.
• Automate and optimize test processes to meet production rate and first‑pass yield targets.
• Perform root cause analysis on test failures, lead corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement of production test systems.

Skills

Test planning

Aerospace testing

Test system design

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

RF test systems

Design verification

Root cause analysis

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or related field

Master's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent

Tools

Python

MATLAB

C

LabVIEW

PCB design

DFT

DFM

C/C++

NI

Job description

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.

As an Amazon Leo Satellite Sr. RF Test Systems Development Engineer, you will own the full lifecycle of complex RF test systems for spacecraft avionics and payload sub-systems — from architecture and design through production integration and post‑delivery support. You will serve as the Responsible Engineer (RE) for your test set, operating at the intersection of hardware design, test automation, and high‑rate manufacturing.

You should be comfortable with a high degree of ambiguity and relish the idea of solving problems that haven’t been solved at scale before. You’ll have relentlessly high standards for yourself and everyone you work with, and you’ll be constantly looking for ways to improve. We want individuals who want to reach beyond what is possible today. Everyone on the team needs to be entrepreneurial, wear many hats, and work in a highly collaborative environment.

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

• Architect, design, build, and sustain RF test systems for satellite payload and avionics units through production and on‑orbit support.
• Own test planning end‑to‑end: decompose verification requirements into testable specifications, develop test procedures, and lead test readiness reviews.
• Drive cross‑functional alignment with electrical, mechanical, thermal, software, firmware, and manufacturing teams on verification strategy.
• Design and deliver test hardware, fixtures, and tooling that optimize throughput, yield, and fault coverage.
• Build quantitative models (test coverage, reliability, throughput) to inform design trade studies and process decisions.
• Automate and optimize test processes to meet production rate and first‑pass yield targets.
• Perform root cause analysis on test failures, lead corrective actions, and drive continuous improvement of production test systems.

A day in the life

Our time is balanced between critical support/improvement of an existing factory process and designing future systems. This can be hands‑on support troubleshooting test systems or working to align teams around future needs, employing engineering best practices and tools.

The tasks and daily focus change rapidly, and you will often take on exciting new responsibilities to ensure project success. Expect to address complex problems by diving deep into the data, identifying the scope of the issue, and creating innovative and functional solutions.

About the team

This Interdisciplinary Engineer will be a member of the Avionics Verification & Test team working within the wider Satellite Vehicle Engineering team. This highly collaborative group of engineers has a diverse range of backgrounds and knowledge and works to build scalable and reliable test automation solutions to ensure reliable operation of satellite vehicles in space.

The team’s responsibilities include process development, test hardware and software development, and test execution supporting our 24/7 satellite manufacturing factory.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures.
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or related field.
• 5+ years’ experience developing and executing test plans for complex aerospace, automotive, or consumer electronics systems.
• 5+ years’ experience designing and integrating test systems for hardware/PCBA validation.
• 3+ years of scripting or programming experience (Python, MATLAB, C, or LabVIEW).
• Demonstrated ability to work across multiple technical disciplines in a production or manufacturing environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent.
• Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to execute product design from concept to production.
• 10+ years of experience with hands‑on RF sub‑systems, PCBA’s, power supplies, IMUs, sensors, or high‑speed signal characterization.
• Experience in development of test plans and protocols related to established space hardware test standards (GEVS / SMC‑S‑016).
• Experience bridging technical gaps across engineering disciplines and implementing data‑driven process improvements.
• Experience with PCB/CCA design, schematic capture, Design for Test (DFT), and Design for Manufacturing (DFM) principles, hardware validation, and configuration control.
• Experience with software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations.
• Experience with test automation frameworks (NI, Python, C/C++, LabVIEW) and software development practices (source control, code reviews, CI/CD).
• Track record of presenting design reviews and delivering final performance data packages to internal and external stakeholders.

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