AmazonSr. Software Development Engineer, Leo Autopilot
Amazon is hiring a Sr. Software Development Engineer, Leo Autopilot. 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.
- The listed pay starts close to the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Java, Python and AWS.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 21,000+ other open roles at Amazon.
AI in this role
Design and develop autonomous cloud-native software in Java and Python to manage and operate a satellite constellation at scale.
This Senior role offers a rare combination: the depth of hard systems problems — planning and scheduling under physical constraints, coordinating across a large fleet, designing safeguards you have to trust with spacecraft — alongside the ownership that comes with a small team and an expanding charter. Because the constellation and its software are both still growing, the architecture decisions you make now will run for the life of the fleet, and your work connects directly to delivering reliable broadband to people who don't have it today.
Export Control:
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
- Work with our peer teams and customers to design suitable software systems to fulfill the mission needs.
- Develop cloud native software systems in Java and Python.
- Utilize AWS and other Amazon technologies to build highly-available software services.
- Design and develop performant software systems that meet the mission criteria and requirements.
- Help on-board and mentor new team members.
- Lead technical roadmap definition efforts and decide which features and performance improvements to build.
A day in the life
You start the day with your team, aligning on what's shipping and where you can unblock each other. Most of your time goes to building: designing services, writing and reviewing code, and hardening systems that operate real spacecraft. You work closely with operators and mission teams, watching how they handle tricky situations, spotting patterns, and turning them into automation. Some weeks you go deep on a single system; others you're connecting several so they work as one. You'll also take turns supporting the systems you build, which keeps you close to how they behave in the real world.
About the team
Our mission is to operate a satellite constellation autonomously. We're building software that changes how satellites are managed: the ground sets the intent and guardrails, and the system schedules work, coordinates across the fleet, and recovers from faults on its own — with people supervising outcomes instead of issuing commands one at a time.
We're a small team with a large and expanding charter, which means engineers here have real influence over architecture and direction. We care about operational excellence, clear thinking, and building systems we can trust with spacecraft. You'll collaborate closely with operations, mission planning, and hardware teams, and you'll see your work make a direct difference for customers who don't have reliable broadband today.
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
Preferred qualifications
- 5+ 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
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 - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
How we rate this
Sr. Software Development Engineer, Leo Autopilot 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.
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.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $168k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
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 software engineering 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 automation was part of your work. What did you do?
- What's a project where you used Java hands-on?
- Walk me through how you've used Python in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Software Engineering, Distributed Systems, Automation, Java, and Python. 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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