Senior Software Engineer, Interfaces and Contracts, Amazon LEO, D2D Software

Amazon Leo is building a low Earth orbit satellite constellation to bring fast, affordable connectivity to customers around the world. Direct to Device (D2D) extends Leo to standard mobile phones and devices: a fully regenerative fifth-generation (5G) mobile base station on each satellite, delivering service to standard handsets through mobile network operators (MNOs). D2D Software builds the embedded software that flies, the cloud and ground software that runs the service, and the platform that connects them. Our target is under a day from a defect being found to the fix deployed across the entire constellation, achieved by automating everything that a person would otherwise do by hand.

This role leads interfaces and contracts in Software Architecture & Specifications, reporting to the Chief Software Architect, Software Architecture & Specifications. It owns hardware and software contracts, supplier interfaces, command dictionaries, and the telemetry and metadata contract. Before anything is handed on, the bar is: every interface states timing, resources, and a service level. It hands off to its customers as follows: ratified agreements to block teams within their service level.

What the team needs to achieve

• Every interface states timing, resources, and a service level.
• Hand-offs that meet their service level: ratified agreements to block teams within their service level.
• Measured, rising capability and efficiency of the team, with manual work falling release over release.

How the team is measured

• Interfaces whose contracts state timing, resources, and a service level.
• Agreements ratified inside their service level.

D2D Software is an evolving organization of many teams: Software Architecture & Specifications; Software Delivery & Business Ops; Software Integration, Verification & Reliability; DevOps & Release; Satellite Software Development; Ground Software Development; and Customer Software Engineering & Support. Each Director owns business outcomes: delivering the commitments, and the capability and efficiency of their teams. Teams work as internal customers and suppliers with agreed service levels, interfaces are agreed centrally while designs stay local, and engineers are expected to work directly with engineers across every boundary. Milestones are committed deadlines for delivery with quality, not gates to wait on, and every team runs on one toolchain and one system of record. Every measure is derived from the systems of record, never self-reported, and we improve release over release with a target of perfection.

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

• Own hardware and software contracts, supplier interfaces, command dictionaries, and the telemetry and metadata contract.
• Meet the bar before every hand-off: every interface states timing, resources, and a service level.
• Work directly with engineers in the boundary teams as partners, through agreed contracts and service levels.
• Automate everything a person would otherwise do twice.
• Lead the end-to-end design and delivery for this area, and represent the trade-offs of each approach.
• Mentor engineers and drive the use of best practices.
• Mitigate long-term risks, clear blockers with the right people, and escalate when appropriate.

About the team

D2D Software is an evolving organization of many teams: Software Architecture & Specifications; Software Delivery & Business Ops; Software Integration, Verification & Reliability; DevOps & Release; Satellite Software Development; Ground Software Development; and Customer Software Engineering & Support. Each Director owns business outcomes: delivering the commitments, and the capability and efficiency of their teams. Teams work as internal customers and suppliers with agreed service levels, interfaces are agreed centrally while designs stay local, and engineers are expected to work directly with engineers across every boundary. Milestones are committed deadlines for delivery with quality, not gates to wait on, and every team runs on one toolchain and one system of record. Every measure is derived from the systems of record, never self-reported, and we improve release over release with a target of perfection.