Amazon Leo is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network. Our mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet connectivity to customers beyond the reach of existing networks. From individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, and government agencies, Amazon Leo serves people and organizations operating in locations without reliable connectivity. As a Sr. Electrical Engineer embedded in the propulsion team you are the propulsion-side owner of the interface between the plasma thruster system and propulsion control electronics - owning design and test requirement definition and leading root cause investigations when propulsion operation couples anomalously with electronics.
Detailed design and production support of the propulsion control unit (PCU) is owned by a separate, matrixed electrical engineering (EE) organization - you provide the durable technical memory that persists across EE staffing changes, ensuring best practices are maintained based on an understanding of the dynamics of the plasma thruster load. You translate thruster physics into verifiable requirements for the EE org, validate their hardware against real propulsion behavior, and build prototype proof-of-concept circuits to de-risk new design concepts before handing it to EE for production design.
You will combine analytical rigor with build-and-test ownership to produce hardware that is efficient, cost-effective, and performs consistently at scale. This is a hands-on role which requires collaboration across functional boundaries to develop the hardware which controls and powers the Hall effect thruster. 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 the propulsion-to-electronics interface end to end: from initial definition to on-orbit performance monitoring that feeds back into design upgrades - Own the propulsion control electronics requirements set, translating thruster characterization and bus constraints into verifiable specifications for power, valve drive, telemetry, fault detection, and protection behavior - Lead system-level electrical trade studies and first-principles analysis to resolve ambiguity quickly, including stability into the thruster’s negative-resistance discharge and ignition and recycle transients - Set design intent for matrixed power electronics and PCB design engineers, and design and bring up circuitry directly when that is the fastest path to an answer - Produce interface specifications, worst-case and failure modes analyses, and test plans at a level of detail that drives qualification and production without ambiguity - Plan and execute PCBA bring-up, thruster-integrated vacuum chamber testing, and environmental and EMC qualification to validate analysis and demonstrate compliance - Lead root cause investigations for electrical failures, anomalies, and non-conformances; own corrective action through closure - Work cross-functionally with experts in plasma physics, mechanical, thermal, structures, materials, and software as an accountable technical partner across the full product lifecycle - Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent - 7+ years of technical engineering experience - Experience in motherboard design, PCB design including schematic capture, stackup and circuit board layout - Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures - Master's degree or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or related field - Experience designing and testing propulsion control units or high-voltage supplies for electric propulsion, including isolated DC-DC topologies, magnetics design, and ignition and recycle handling - Experience with analog and digital control loop design, compensation, and stability analysis for switching converters - Proficiency with circuit simulation and analysis tooling (SPICE, PLECS, Simulink, or equivalent) and with schematic and PCB tools (Altium, Cadence, or equivalent) - Experience with spacecraft power systems practices: EEE part selection and derating, radiation and single-event effects, worst-case circuit analysis, FMEA, and single-point-failure elimination - Experience with EMI/EMC design and qualification, including conducted and radiated emissions and susceptibility 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 - 159,200.00 - 215,300.00 USD annually
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