Software Development Engineer II, SDN Controller, Amazon LEO

Want to put code in space? Amazon's Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation is on the path to general availability, and we need engineers who can help make our network services scalable, resilient, and ready for millions of customers worldwide. As a Software Development Engineer on the Software Defined Network controller team, you will design and build the control plane software that orchestrates a global telecom network spanning satellites, ground stations, and cloud infrastructure. This is a rare opportunity to work at the intersection of distributed systems, networking, and space technology, solving multi-dimensional resource allocation problems at a truly global scale. If you are a collaborative, curious engineer who thrives on complex systems challenges, we want 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

• Design and deliver scalable, high-throughput, low-latency network architecture using AWS services such as Amazon Elastic Container Service, DynamoDB, Amazon Simple Storage Service, Amazon Kinesis, and Step Functions.
• Build and maintain highly available software that drives networking control plane operations across physical and virtual nodes, including satellite topology management and routing algorithms.
• Identify and implement automation, redundancy, and optimization improvements that strengthen network resilience as we approach general availability.
• Collaborate with engineers and stakeholders across multiple services and external partners to coordinate cross-service features and integrations.
• Participate actively in code reviews, operational support, and root cause analysis to ensure service reliability, and mentor teammates on software design and best practices.

A day in the life

You will split your time between heads-down engineering and close collaboration with teammates and cross-functional partners. On any given day you might be debugging a distributed systems issue, reviewing a colleague's design for a new routing optimization, or coordinating with an external partner on an integration point. The work is fast-paced as we close the gap to general availability, and your contributions will directly shape how proactive and resilient our operations become. As you grow, you can expect to take on broader scope, driving the roadmap for your services and leading alignment with both internal and external stakeholders.

About the team

The Software Defined Network controller team builds the brain behind the LEO satellite network. We design, implement, and operate the control plane that delivers a high-throughput telecom service composed of Low Earth Orbit satellites, customer terminals, gateways, cloud services, and terrestrial network infrastructure connecting into public and private networks. Our mission is to ensure reliable, high-quality connectivity for customers in unserved and underserved communities around the world. We are investing heavily in redundancy, automation, and performance optimization, and this is an exciting time to join as we prepare for general availability. Basic qualifications

• 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
• 2+ years of non-internship design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
• Experience programming with at least one software programming language

Preferred qualifications

• 3+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
• Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
• Knowledge of professional software engineering & best practices for full software development life cycle, including coding standards, software architectures, code reviews, source control management, continuous deployments, testing, and operational excellence

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

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.

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, WA, Redmond - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually