Software Development Manager, Amazon Leo - Payload Dataplane Team

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. In this position, you will be a valued member of payload network team designing and developing network stack (routing, forwarding, control, data and distribution planes) for an end-to-end system of satellites, interchanges, ground gateways & customer terminals.

Are you passionate about building and leading high-performing engineering teams that deliver software systems at scale? We're looking for a Software Development Manager to lead a team responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining satellite networking software systems that solve real customer problems. In this role, you will own the technical and strategic direction of your team's products, shaping a 1–2 year roadmap while tackling complex, ambiguous challenges. You'll collaborate across teams, drive architectural decisions, and create an environment where engineers do their best work. If you thrive on turning customer needs into impactful software and developing the next generation of engineering talent, we'd love to hear from you.

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

• Lead and grow a software development team through the full software lifecycle — design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance — ensuring delivery of high-quality, maintainable systems aligned with organizational goals.
• Define and own your team's technical vision, product roadmap, and architectural direction, balancing tactical needs against long-term strategic objectives to maximize customer impact.
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners including product management, technical program management, and peer engineering teams to align priorities, resolve dependencies, and deliver cohesive solutions.
• Coach, mentor, and develop engineers at multiple levels, creating growth plans, providing actionable feedback, and building a sustainable team culture where members can perform and advance their careers.
• Establish operational metrics and audit mechanisms to monitor system health, service quality, and team performance, proactively identifying and mitigating risks before they become roadblocks.

Take responsibility for designing and delivering a modern, flexible, high throughput, low latency data distribution network protocol architecture spanning space and ground segments.

• Lead and implement custom routing and L2/L3 control data distribution protocols that incorporate mission critical network security, quality of service and dynamic communications infrastructures for best-in-class network services that delight our customers.
• Develop flexible and cost-effective inter-networking solutions in support of connecting and peering with other public and private networks.

A day in the life

As a Software Development Manager of Amazon Leo's Payload Networking you will be responsible for leading the design of embedded networking software used in the Amazon Leo products. You will work in a collaborative environment with teams inside and outside of Amazon. You will mentor a team of software engineers on best practices while you guide your software designs from requirements gathering through mass production. You will need to be flexible and responsive to high priority issues.

Your morning might start with reviewing system metrics and operational dashboards, then shifting into a design review where you challenge architectural proposals and guide your engineers toward scalable solutions. After lunch, you could find yourself partnering with product and program managers to refine upcoming deliverables, followed by a one-on-one coaching session with a direct report on their career development. You'll balance time between technical depth and people leadership, ensuring your team has what it needs to deliver confidently.

About the team

Our team builds and maintains software systems that directly support Amazon's mission to be the most customer-centric company on earth. We operate in a collaborative, inclusive environment where engineers are empowered to take ownership of their work and innovate on behalf of customers. We are focused on building scalable, reliable solutions and investing in the growth of every team member. If you're excited about leading a team that values technical excellence, thoughtful problem-solving, and continuous improvement, this is the place for you. Basic qualifications

• 7+ years of engineering experience
• 3+ years of engineering team management experience
• 8+ years of leading the definition and development of multi tier web services experience
• 2+ years of providing technical leadership and project management for all aspects of the software development lifecycle experience
• 1+ years of developing large-scale, multi-tiered distributed software systems using Java, C#, or C++ experience
• 5+ years of Software Engineer, Software Developer, or related occupational experience
• Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field
• Knowledge of engineering practices and patterns for the full software/hardware/networks development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, certification, and livesite operations
• Experience partnering with product or program management teams
• Knowledge of fundamentals of networking, security, databases (relational or NoSQL), operating systems (Unix, Linux, and/or Windows)
• 2+ years of computer layer 1/2 networking (including troubleshooting and repair) experience, or experience with Network Protocols: TCP/IP, Ethernet, L2/L3 technologies

Preferred qualifications

• Experience in communicating with users, other technical teams, and senior leadership to collect requirements, describe software product features, technical designs, and product strategy
• Experience in recruiting, hiring, mentoring/coaching and managing teams of Software Engineers to improve their skills, and make them more effective, product software engineers

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

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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.

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