Hardware Test and Integration Manager, OISL

Amazon Leo is Amazon's low Earth orbit satellite network. Our mission is to deliver fast, reliable broadband connectivity to customers beyond the reach of existing networks. From households to small businesses, schools, hospitals, and government agencies, Amazon Leo will serve communities and organizations operating in places without dependable internet access.

We are seeking a Hardware Test & Integration Manager to lead a major share of the Prototyping and Integration (PI) Team. You will manage three engineering functions — Testing (development, qualification, and reliability test), Mechanical DVT, and Electromechanical Integration (harnessing, PCB fabrication, and related electro-mechanical build) — and the mixed team of engineers and technician staff who deliver them. You are accountable for the people, the mechanisms, and the hardware outcomes across all three.

This is a people-leadership role where the problem, opportunity, and strategy are often not yet defined. You set the metrics and long-term direction these functions run by, design the team structure and mechanisms that keep complex prototype hardware moving at quality and speed, and negotiate priorities across the organization when three disciplines compete for the same bench and the same week. You hire and grow bar-raising talent, build a team that delivers without you, and represent these functions to program leadership and partner engineering organizations.

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

• Manage the Testing, Mechanical DVT, and Electromechanical Integration functions of the PI-Team.
• Define the metrics, goals, and long-term strategy for development, qualification, and reliability test of OISL prototype hardware, and establish the mechanisms that make test results auditable, data-driven, and repeatable.
• Direct the team's electromechanical integration work — GSE and prototype design, harnessing, and PCB fabrication — setting the workmanship and quality standards the team executes to.
• Own configuration control for the team's hardware — ensure designs, drawings, BOMs, and test documentation are created, reviewed, and released through formal PLM structure and change control (Siemens Teamcenter or equivalent).
• Establish workflows, SLAs, and cross-pillar prioritization, and negotiate resourcing across teams when programs and disciplines compete for the same capacity.
• Build and scale process-improvement and operational-excellence mechanisms across all three functions.
• Partner with design, manufacturing, and program engineering upstream to influence hardware design and schedule decisions before they are finalized.
• Serve as the escalation point for cross-functional blockers, resourcing conflicts, and schedule delays.

A day in the life

You move across multiple labs in a day — a reliability test review in the morning, a design verification test plan midday, a harnessing or PCB integration issue in the afternoon. You spend real time with your engineers and staff: unblocking them, coaching ownership, and holding 1:1s that tie their work to where they want to grow.

When program demands create a resourcing conflict, you make the prioritization call and own the outcome. You carry status to leadership yourself, pulled from the work rather than reported up to you. The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical leader who manages through mechanisms, earns trust across engineering disciplines, and builds a team that runs well without them.

About the team

The Prototyping & Integration (PI) Team accelerates hardware development through rapid prototyping, manufacturing, and integration of novel Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and systems for the Optical Intersatellite Link organization. Our service areas span Hardware Fabrication, Electrical Integration, Systems Hardware Development, DVT and Qualification Testing, and Quality Assurance. Our learnings are directly applied to scale aerospace manufacturing processes and enable risk reduction through comprehensive Design Verification Testing and qualification testing. We seek candidates who thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments where ownership, operational excellence, and engineering-first approaches are valued.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Power Engineering, or a related field
• 10+ years of engineering team management experience
• Experience directly managing engineers and/or technicians, including hiring, setting deliverable expectations, and managing performance.
• Experience establishing engineering processes, standards, or operational-excellence mechanisms that a team executes to, driven to measurable results.
• Experience driving hardware through development and qualification phases (DVT/PVT or equivalent) in a prototype or low-volume development environment.
• Experience creating and releasing hardware designs and documentation — drawings, BOMs, and procedures — within a formal PLM structure and change-control process.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience managing multiple projects and priorities across teams in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• Experience building processes, project management, and schedules
• Experience in written and verbal communication with the ability to present complex technical information in a clear and concise manner to executives and non-technical leaders
• Experience in aerospace, defense, satellite, or other high-reliability hardware development.
• Deep working knowledge of at least one pillar — test strategy and reliability methods, design of experiment, or harnessing/PCBA and electromechanical integration — strong enough to set the standard and mentor senior individual contributors in it.
• Experience building out lab infrastructure, including executing facilities improvement projects and/or commissioning capital equipment.

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 - 151,000.00 - 204,300.00 USD annually