SSL Engineering Manager, Amazon Leo

Socket.dev; Redmond (WA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Leo is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead the SSL Manufacturing Test engineering team. You will own the people, processes, and equipment that keep functional and environmental tests running at peak performance for satellite hardware.

You will set the technical direction, manage test equipment strategy, and partner with electrical, RF, mechanical, and software teams to maximize throughput, reliability, and quality in a fast-changing, high-ambiguity environment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading engineering teams in manufacturing or test environments.
• Strong leadership and people-management capabilities.
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguity and scale.

Responsibilities

• Directly lead the SSL Manufacturing Test engineering team, overseeing functional and environmental tests for satellite hardware.
• Define and drive the strategy for test equipment, maintenance, calibration, and bring-up of new systems.
• Develop and improve test processes to maximize output, quality, and throughput; troubleshoot root causes.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including electrical, RF, mechanical, and software to ensure integration and reliability.
• Hire, develop, and retain top engineering talent and foster a culture of ownership and continuous improvement.

Job description

Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. Its mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world, and we've designed the system with the capacity, flexibility, and performance to serve a wide range of customers — from individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in locations without reliable connectivity.

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.

We are looking for an experienced Engineering Manager to lead our SSL Manufacturing Test engineering team at Amazon Leo. In this role, you will own the people, processes, and equipment that keep our functional and environmental tests running at peak performance. You will lead a team of engineers, setting the technical direction and operational strategy for functional testing of satellite hardware. You will be responsible for building and developing a high-performing engineering team while also rolling up your sleeves to solve complex technical challenges alongside them.

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. Along the way, we guarantee that you will learn a lot, have fun, and make a positive impact on tens of millions of people.

Key job responsibilities

People Management & Team Leadership

• Directly manage a team of frontline support engineers supporting multiple LRU's via functional and environmental testing
• Hire, develop, and retain top engineering talent; conduct performance reviews and support career growth
• Set clear goals and priorities for the team; foster a culture of ownership, safety, and continuous improvement
• Serve as an escalation point for technical issues and unblock the engineering team during daily test operations

Technical Leadership & Operations

• Own the strategy and execution for all test equipment
• Serve as the primary technical authority and owner for test equipment systems: maintenance, calibration, troubleshooting, bring-up, and commissioning of new equipment
• Troubleshoot and identify root causes of issues in test processes; implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence
• Partner with IT Infrastructure professionals to resolve networking and communication issues with test equipment
• Establish and continuously improve functional test processes to maximize output and enable rapid transition from engineering development to rate production

Process Development & Operational Excellence

• Identify improvement opportunities and execute initiatives to ensure product quality, reduce lead time, and increase productivity
• Enable production test autonomy by challenging requirements, simplifying work procedures, and automating actions
• Participate in lean manufacturing improvement efforts and drive operational excellence initiatives
• Establish and maintain calibration procedures and visual management of production tooling and equipment

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Partner with cross-functional teams including electrical engineering, RF engineering, mechanical engineering, thermal engineering, test software, flight software, reliability,