Senior Software Development Engineer, Amazon Leo Optical Inter-Satellite Link

Amazon is hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer, Amazon Leo Optical Inter-Satellite Link . It pays $168k-$227k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Works on AI ●●●○ is how Level rates this software engineer role: the daily work is on AI products, without building the model.
Pay on this posting starts in line with the typical software engineer posting on Level.
The posting mentions Embedded Linux, Rtos and C among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Design and optimize flight software incorporating AI/ML-driven decision-making for Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite constellation.

Embedded LinuxRtosC

flight-softwaredistributed-systemsfault-tolerancesatellite-communications

Amazon LEO is an initiative to increase global broadband access through a constellation of 3,236 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). Its mission is to bring fast, affordable broadband to unserved and underserved communities around the world. Amazon LEO will help close the digital divide by delivering fast, affordable broadband to a wide range of customers, including consumers, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in places without reliable connectivity.

Innovation is part of our DNA! Our goal is to be Earth’s most customer centric company, and we are just getting started. We need people who want to join this ambitious program that continues to push the state of the art in distributed systems and software design. Come work at Amazon!

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 embedded linux and RTOS (Real Time Operating System)

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

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

Partner with software and hardware teams to lead board bring-up and integration efforts, including developing and debugging low-level BSP (Board Support Package) components, validating peripheral connectivity (Ethernet, PCIe, SPI, I2C, flash devices), and ensuring seamless hardware-software integration from prototype through production

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
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

- 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience
- 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team
- 5+ years of experience with the Linux networking stack and/or consumer devices using embedded Linux, Yocto, and/or Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS)

Preferred qualifications

- Experience developing embedded software for space systems, including familiarity with optical communication systems, laser terminals, or high-speed serial interfaces
- Experience with ARM-based SoCs
- Experience with Linux system virtualization (QEMU/KVM)
- Experience with FPGA-adjacent software development, including register-level interfaces, DMA engines, or hardware/software co-design

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.

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 - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Redmond - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Senior Software Development Engineer, Amazon Leo Optical Inter-Satellite Link at Amazon rates 65 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Works on AI (AI Level 3 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Works on AI. The daily work is on AI products, without building the model.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Senior Software Development Engineer, Amazon Leo Optical Inter-Satellite Link is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 3 of 4: Works on AI.
The listed salary is $168k-$227k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Redmond.
The job was posted on August 12, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Flight SoftwareDistributed SystemsFault ToleranceSatellite CommunicationsEmbedded LinuxRtosC

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Python AWS LLM Java Kubernetes AI agents

Pay

This job starts at: $168k
Typical software engineer job: $167k

This posting starts close to the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where flight software was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where fault tolerance was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where satellite communications was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Embedded Linux in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Flight Software, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Satellite Communications, and Embedded Linux. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Show where AI is part of your daily process, not a one-off project. This role expects it to be a running habit.

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