Sr. MFG Engineer - Solar, Amazon Leo

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 will serve people and 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.

The Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer (Process Owner) will provide senior-level manufacturing engineering ownership of solar panel and deploy mechanism assemblies for the Amazon Leo satellite program. This is a broad-scoped technical leadership position responsible for the end-to-end manufacturing processes across the solar array product line—from design for manufacturability input during early development through full-rate production optimization.

This individual will define, implement, and own the manufacturing processes for solar panel and deployment mechanism production lines. They will drive process robustness through statistical methods, lead capital equipment strategies, establish process control frameworks, and be accountable for meeting production delivery targets. The role requires deep technical ownership of complex automated and manual assembly processes, with a focus on yield improvement, throughput optimization, and cost reduction.

The ideal candidate combines strong technical depth in manufacturing process development with the ability to influence cross-functional stakeholders, including design engineering, supply chain, quality, and production leadership. They are comfortable operating at both strategic and tactical levels—defining the long-term process roadmap while personally driving root cause investigations and process qualifications on the production floor.

Key job responsibilities
-Own end-to-end manufacturing processes for solar panel and deploy mechanism assemblies, from process development through production sustainment
-Design and implement space hardware production processes and production lines for solar array manufacturing, including automated and manual assembly flows
-Provide design for manufacturability (DFM) review and sign-off for design releases, influencing design engineering decisions early in the development cycle
-Utilize statistical process controls (SPC) to monitor process health, ensure overall equipment effectiveness, and drive capability improvements
-Own root cause analysis efforts to validate manufacturing processes for robustness, yield, and reliability; implement corrective and preventive actions
-Report out delivery metrics to leadership and devise actionable plans to eliminate production blockers
-Lead equipment design, procurement, installation, qualification, and ongoing process validation for production tooling and automation
-Work with supply chain partners to manage critical vendors and ensure material readiness for production
-Define material flow planning and manufacturing process documentation with minimal existing definition
-Drive Assembly, Integration, and Test takt time and cost optimization planning across the solar array value stream
-Support space hardware testing, including tooling design, fixture development, and data analysis
-Lead process qualification and validation activities for new product introductions and engineering changes (block changes)
-Develop and maintain process FMEAs, control plans, and work instructions for owned assemblies
-Be accountable for meeting year-end delivery goals and production rate targets for owned product lines

A day in the life
The Aerospace Manufacturing Engineer (Process Owner) will start their day reviewing production performance data for their owned processes—checking yield trends, SPC charts, and any overnight quality escapes or line stoppages. They will prioritize their efforts around the highest-impact production blockers and active root cause investigations.

Throughout the day, they will split time between the production floor and their engineering work. On the floor, they will be validating process changes, observing operations for improvement opportunities, working with support engineers and technicians to troubleshoot issues, and verifying that corrective actions are effective. At their desk, they will be analyzing process data, developing qualification protocols for upcoming block changes, reviewing vendor equipment proposals, updating process documentation, and preparing delivery metric report-outs for leadership.

This role requires a thorough understanding of automated assembly and inspection techniques, power systems, and solar panel manufacturing processes. The Process Owner will lead cross-functional collaboration with design engineering, quality, supply chain, and production teams to ensure their processes are robust, capable, and optimized for rate production.

This is a fast-paced, intellectually challenging position, and you'll work with leaders in multiple technology areas. You'll have relentlessly high standards for yourself and everyone you work with, and you'll be constantly looking for ways to improve your product's performance, quality, and cost. We want individuals who are ready for this challenge and want to reach beyond what is possible today.

About the team
This is a fast-paced, intellectually challenging position, and you’ll work with leaders in multiple technology areas. You’ll have relentlessly high standards for yourself and everyone you work with, and you’ll be constantly looking for ways to improve your product’s performance, quality and cost. We want individuals who are ready for this challenge and want to reach beyond what is possible today.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, manufacturing engineering, aerospace engineering, or equivalent technical discipline
- 7+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, process engineering, or production engineering (or 5+ years with an advanced degree)
- 5+ years of experience working with high-volume automated manufacturing equipment
- 4+ years of experience with statistical process control and process capability analysis
- 4+ years using root cause analysis techniques (8D, 5-Why, DMAIC) to implement corrective actions
- 3+ years tracking, analyzing, and reporting production metrics to leadership
- Experience with equipment design, procurement, installation, and qualification

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience with solar panel manufacturing techniques and equipment (cell lay-up, soldering, lamination, deployment mechanisms)
- Experience in aerospace or space hardware manufacturing environments
- Knowledge of SolidWorks, CATIA, or Ansys Finite Element analysis tools
- Experience setting up and qualifying automated optical inspection systems
- Experience leading production report-outs and metric reviews with senior stakeholders
- Experience developing manufacturing process documentation from minimal existing definition (green-field or new product introduction)
- Familiarity with process FMEA, control plan development, and process validation protocols (IQ/OQ/PQ)
- Formal training or certification in Operational Excellence Systems (Lean, 5S, Six Sigma Green/Black Belt)
- Experience managing critical vendor relationships for capital equipment and production materials
- Strong project management skills with experience leading cross-functional initiatives
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence without direct authority
- Experience with deployment mechanisms, hinges, or actuator assembly and test

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, Kirkland - 137,300.00 - 185,700.00 USD annually