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
* Design, develop, and optimize highly reliable flight software for optical inter-satellite link systems, spanning low-level device drivers and real-time control loops to high-level autonomous behaviors, fault management, and AI/ML-driven decision-making that target RTOS and bare-metal environments
* Architect and implement fault-tolerant, redundant software systems that keep optical links alive across a constellation of satellites, including health monitoring and autonomous recovery without ground intervention
* Build and maintain robust test, validation, and simulation infrastructure, from hardware-in-the-loop testbeds and software-in-the-loop virtualizations to automated regression suites
* Own the full lifecycle of embedded software delivery - from requirements decomposition and architecture design through implementation, code review, integration, deployment, and long-term maintenance of software running on satellites in orbit
* Collaborate deeply with cross-functional teams spanning hardware, optics, systems, communications, and operations engineers to design, integrate, test, and deploy high-speed optical communication systems that push the boundaries of space-based networking
* Develop and refine autonomous operational behaviors that enable satellites to independently acquire, track, and maintain optical links, adapt to changing constellation geometries, and respond to anomalies
* Drive continuous improvement of deployment and over-the-air (OTA) update processes, ensuring new capabilities and fixes can be safely and reliably delivered to hundreds of satellites on orbit with minimal operational risk
A day in the life
As a Software Engineer on the Optical Inter-Satellite Link team, you won't just write code - you'll see it fly. Your software will control and monitor high-speed laser communications between satellites moving at orbital velocities, and you'll be there for every stage of the journey: from early design and on-the-ground verifications to watching your code commission an optical link for the first time in orbit.
About the team
We are looking for a software engineer who combines deep technical and analytical capabilities with a demonstrated ability to get the right things done quickly and effectively, and someone who thrives at the intersection of hardware and software, space and ground, autonomy and operations.
You will join a multi-disciplinary team of top-notch engineers whose work spans an unusually wide aperture: embedded flight software running on satellites in orbit, cloud-based systems powering mission and network operations, automation frameworks that keep a growing constellation healthy, and AI-driven capabilities that make our optical links smarter with every orbit. We collaborate closely with optical, electrical, firmware, opto-mechanical, and operations teams - and with partner organizations including Mission Operations and Optical Network Operations - to deliver one of the most advanced optical communication systems ever built.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 3+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Experience with Linux-based development environments, cross-compilation toolchains, and hardware-in-the-loop or software-in-the-loop test frameworks
- Experience in Rust, C and/or C++ with strong understanding of memory management, concurrency, and deterministic execution.
- Experience with Python for test automation, simulation, or tooling in support of embedded development workflows.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience developing embedded software for space systems
- Familiarity with optical communication systems, laser terminals, or high-speed serial interfaces
- Experience with FPGA-adjacent software development, including register-level interfaces, DMA engines, or hardware/software co-design
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, CA, NORTHRIDGE - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Redmond - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually
