About this role
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. We are seeking an experienced R&D Maintenance Lead to support the reliability, maintenance, and operation of advanced satellite testing infrastructure within the Development Lab Operations (DLO) organization. In this role, you will be responsible for ensuring maximum uptime and sustained performance of mission-critical development test systems including thermal vacuum chambers, environmental test equipment, and specialized aerospace testing platforms that are foundational to our satellite development programs. As the R&D Maintenance Lead, you will bring hands-on technical expertise and a strong background in facility and equipment management to drive operational excellence in a fast-paced, engineering-driven environment. You will lead facility modifications, infrastructure support initiatives, and the maintenance of custom equipment essential to building flexible, scalable lab environments that meet the evolving demands of our R&D teams. This role requires a proactive leader who can anticipate infrastructure needs, coordinate across engineering and operations teams, and maintain the high standards of reliability that our development programs depend on. You will serve as a key partner to R&D engineers and program stakeholders, ensuring that lab environments remain fully operational and capable of supporting both current and next-generation satellite development activities. 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 • Work closely alongside the Development Operations Maintenance Manager and Facilities Manager to align on priorities, coordinate infrastructure activities, and ensure seamless execution of lab operations across the organization. • Lead a team responsible for lab infrastructure support, utility operations, and maintenance of development equipment, providing technical guidance, mentorship, and day-to-day direction. • Drive the planning and execution of infrastructure upgrades and utility installations including electrical, chilled water, compressed air, vacuum, and LN2 systems to support new laboratories, test equipment, and facility expansions. • Lead the maintenance, servicing, and modification of specialized, in-house-designed test equipment and tooling in direct collaboration with Design and Lab Engineers. • Develop and implement preventative maintenance schedules and service plans for facility utilities and specialized test hardware, ensuring consistent execution and continuous improvement. • Establish and maintain a critical-spares program to maximize equipment uptime and enable rapid recovery of essential infrastructure. • Track and manage approved Operational and Capital Expense (OpEx/CapEx) budgets in alignment with the organization's strategic roadmap, identifying opportunities to optimize spend. • Partner with engineering and operations teams to define, document, and deliver infrastructure requirements for new projects, labs, and equipment installations. • Maintain comprehensive infrastructure documentation, including facility maps, risk tracking systems, and contingency plans for all Development Operations–controlled areas. • Manage vendor activities, ensuring quality standards are met, compliance is maintained, and disruption to development schedules is minimized. • Champion continuous improvement initiatives across lab operations, utility systems, and equipment servicing processes to support rapid development and testing needs. About the team Development Lab Operations (DLO) Development Lab Operations owns the design, delivery, maintenance, and operational readiness of R&D laboratory infrastructure supporting satellite development programs. The team ensures mission-critical test environments—thermal vacuum, environmental, RF, and specialized aerospace platforms—remain operational and scalable to meet rapid hardware development demands. DLO's scope spans infrastructure project delivery, preventative and predictive maintenance, utility systems, equipment commissioning, and critical spares sustainment across a multi-site portfolio, partnering directly with R&D engineering to translate development requirements into reliable lab environments.