Principal Optical Quality Engineer, Leo Quality

Leo is Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband network. Its mission is to deliver fast, reliable internet to customers and communities around the world, and we’ve designed the system with the capacity, flexibility, and performance to serve a wide range of customers, from individual households to schools, hospitals, businesses, government agencies, and other organizations operating in locations without reliable connectivity.

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.

Have you ever wanted to be part of a team who is building industry changing technology? Amazon Leo is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband network connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world.

As a Principal Optical Quality Engineer, you will own the quality of optical communication systems between satellites. You will develop, drive and optimize mechanisms for quality assurance and control activities the supply chain for these optical components and assemblies.

The ideal candidate is a systems thinker with excellent analytical abilities, strong technical skills, effective written and verbal communication, and most importantly, a passion for developing suppliers to produce high-quality, mission-critical hardware in volume production.

Key job responsibilities
- Lead the quality elements in the design, build, and qualification of optical system and metrology for build, test, and manufacturing of optical Inter-satellite Link systems.
- Implement optical inspections and tests in the supply chain.
- Drive resolution of technical problems arising in optical testing and manufacturing by developing optimal strategies and guiding the team toward solutions.
- Champion the development of new and improvement of existing optical measurement methods, leveraging metrology equipment such as interferometers, cameras, imaging systems, and Hartmann sensors for optical module integration, alignment, and testing.
- Lead the quality elements in development of measurement processes and procedures for volume manufacturing.
- Collaborate with engineering, suppliers, supply chain, and manufacturing to optimize Design for Excellence.
- Move quality checks upstream and eliminate the need to inspect quality into the product by achieving high process capability.
- Foster a culture of quality, improvement and learning with Leo.

A day in the life
This role is an individual contributor and is the quality lead for Leo's optical communication systems between satellites. This role must identify and solve problems within a supply chain while coaching teams and developing mechanisms to consistently deliver high-quality products.

You will be challenged with solving problems that have never been tackled before at scale. We guarantee that you will get to work some of the smartest people in the industry, learn a lot, have fun and have the chance to positively impact the life of millions of people.

About the team
Here at Amazon, we embrace our differences. We are committed to furthering our culture of inclusion. Amazon has ten employee-led affinity groups, reaching 40,000 employees in over 190 chapters globally. We have innovative benefit offerings, and host annual and ongoing learning experiences. Amazon’s culture of inclusion is reinforced within our 16 Leadership Principles, which remind team members to seek diverse perspectives, learn and be curious, and earn trust.

At Amazon, our mission is to be the most customer-centric company on Earth. To get there, we need exceptionally talented, bright and driven people. We're dedicated to supporting new team members. Our team has a broad mix of experience levels and Amazon tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge sharing and mentorship.

Basic Qualifications

- 7+ years of experience in optical systems development across full product life cycles - concept to production
- Experience with mirrors, lenses, filters, lasers, detectors, modulators, optical fiber and devices, testing and characterization
- Experience with optical metrology (e.g. interferometers and profilometers) for component and system test, qualification, and failure analysis
- Experience with various optical thin film coating methodologies, failure modes, and processes
- Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or an equivalent field
- Experience in developing functional specifications, design verification plans and functional test procedures
- Must be able to visually inspect and distinguish fine scratch / dig requirements in precision optical/mechanical components
- Experience in physical and geometric optics, Gaussian beam propagation, and detection, with the ability to guide team members and review technical work in these domains.
- Experience in performing process audits, product audits, and QMS audits.
- 7+ years' experience with manufacturing & assembly of optical components and complex optical systems
- Proficient in ISO 10110-7 / ISO 9211 / MIL-PRF-14830 / MIL-C-48497
- Proficient in ISO 9001 / AS9100 / IATF 16949 requirements

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience working with interdisciplinary teams to execute product design from concept to production
- Master's degree or PhD in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electronics, or related discipline, or equivalent experience
- Ability to lead interdisciplinary discussions across Hardware, Reliability, Firmware, and Manufacturing teams to drive alignment on optical test strategies
- Experience working in high paced / high volume / high precision manufacturing environments
- Experience with fiber optics components and handling of optical fiber
- Familiar with interpreting MetroPro, Zemax, Code V files

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, San Diego - 163,400.00 - 221,000.00 USD annually
USA, CA, Sunnyvale - 187,900.00 - 254,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Bellevue - 163,400.00 - 221,000.00 USD annually