Sr. Communication Systems Design Engineer, Wireless Systems

Company: Amazon LEO
Location: Austin
Posted on: April 3, 2026

Job Description:

Amazon Leo is an initiative to launch a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that will provide low-latency, high-speed broadband connectivity to unserved and underserved communities around the world. As a Systems Engineer, this role is primarily responsible for the design, development and integration of Ka band and S/C band communication payload and ground terminal systems. The Role: Be part of the team defining the overall communication system and architecture of Amazon’s broadband wireless network. This is a unique opportunity to innovate and define groundbreaking wireless technology with few legacy constraints. The team develops and designs the communication system of Amazon Leo and analyzes its overall system level performance such as for overall throughput, latency, system availability, packet loss etc. This role in particular will be responsible for leading the effort in designing and developing advanced technology and solutions for communication system. This role will also be responsible developing advanced L1/L2 proof of concept HW/SW systems to improve the performance and reliability of the Amazon Leo network. In particular this role will be responsible for using concepts from digital signal processing, information theory, wireless communications to develop novel solutions for achieving ultra-high performance LEO network. This role will also be part of a team and develop simulation tools with particular emphasis on modeling the physical layer aspects such as advanced receiver modeling and abstraction, interference cancellation techniques, FEC abstraction models etc. This role will also play a critical role in the design, integration and verification of various HW and SW sub-systems as a part of system integration and link bring-up and verification. 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 • Design advanced L1/L2 algorithms and solutions for the Amazon Leo communication system, particularly Multi-User MIMO techniques. • Develop proof-of-concepts for critical communication payload components using SDR platforms consisting of FPGAs and general-purpose processors. • Work with ASIC development teams to build power/area efficient L1/L2 HW accelerators to be integrated into Amazon Leo SoCs. • Provide specifications and work with implementation teams on the development of embedded L1/L2 HW/SW architectures. • Work with multi-disciplinary teams to develop advanced solutions for time, frequency and spatial acquisition/tracking in LEO systems, particularly under large uncertainties. • Develop link-level and system-level simulators and work closely with implementation teams to evaluate expected performance and provide quick feedback on potential improvements. • Develop testbeds consisting of digital, IF and RF components while accounting for link-budgets and RF/IF line-ups. Previous experiences with VSAs/VSGs, channel emulators, antennas (particularly phased-arrays) and anechoic chamber instrumentation are a plus. • Work with development teams on system integration and debugging from PHY to network layer, including interfacing with flight computer and SDN control subsystems. • Willing to work in fast-paced environment and take ownership that goes from algorithm specification, to HW/SW architecture definition, to proof-of-concept development, to testbed bring-up, to integration into the Amazon Leo system. • Be a team player and provide support when requested while being able to unblock themselves by reaching out to RF, ASIC, SW, Comsys and Testbed supporting teams to move forward in development, testing and integration activities. • Ability to adapt design and test activities based on current HW/SW capabilities delivered by the development teams. - PhD, or Master's degree and 5 years of quantitative field research experience - 5 years professional experience working in wireless communications at the system or implementation level. - PhD with emphasis in broadband wireless or wireline communication systems. - Deep understanding of Multiple access systems such as OFDMA, TDMA, CDMA, etc. - Profound understanding of communication theory and digital signal processing, particularly related to topics such as multi-antenna signal processing, interference rejection, angle of arrival estimation, etc. - Great expertise in multi-user MIMO processing, including synchronization, channel estimation and equalization. - Deep understating of modem L1/L2 algorithms and architectures. - Experience in HW/SW co-design to achieve power/area efficient solutions to be integrated into heterogeneous/distributed computing architectures consisting of SoCs, FPGAs and general-purpose processors. - Experience in the development of link and system level simulators using Matlab/Python/C++. - Broad spectrum of knowledge to be able to understand end-to-end network system architecture from wireless physical layer all the way up to application end-point. - Experience with software defined radios (SDRs) and embedded programming in C/C++ and VHDL/Verilog is a plus. - Experience with lab test equipment such as channel emulator, spectrum analyzers and signal and network traffic generators. - Experience in test setup automation using Matlab/Python/Pearl. - Experience with current software development processes and tools including Agile, TDD, BDD, CI, Git. - Must have the ability to work in a small team and drive to go beyond expectations to deliver results. - Ideal candidate has a wireless communication systems or digital signal processing background, a passion for building real-world carrier-grade communication systems, and industry experience developing PHY/MAC layer HW/SW targeting SoCs, FPGAs, and general-purpose processors. - Experience with leading technical initiatives and key deliverables. 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, TX, Austin - 159,200.00 - 215,300.00 USD annually USA, WA, Redmond - 159,200.00 - 215,300.00 USD annually

Keywords: Amazon LEO, Round Rock , Sr. Communication Systems Design Engineer, Wireless Systems, Engineering , Austin, Texas