Applied Science Manager, Prime Air

Amazon • Seattle, WA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

The challenge involves orchestrating a fleet of autonomous drones for safe package delivery in under an hour, maximizing flight time, and scaling a mission planning system for thousands of concurrent deliveries in complex, shifting environments. Our team of scientists, engineers, and aerospace professionals is actively solving these problems. We are seeking an Applied Science Manager to lead the evolution of our Mission Planning and Orchestration System, defining how Prime Air achieves maximum efficiency. As an Applied Science Manager, you will lead a high-caliber team of scientists and engineers focused on the "brains" of our fleet orchestration. You will bridge Geospatial Intelligence and Machine Learning to revolutionize path planning and scheduling algorithms, with the primary goal of increasing deliveries per hour (DPH) through intelligent, automated optimization. In a typical day, you will lead an agile squad through high-velocity sprints, conducting stand-ups to unblock path-planning prototypes and ensure delivery milestones are met. You will bridge research and reality by reviewing code and design documents to ensure geospatial orchestration algorithms are production-ready and optimized for real-world drone throughput. You will also focus on people development through 1:1s and career growth path architecting, while collaborating with cross-functional leads to integrate team innovations into the live mission planning system. The team is comprised of software developers, applied and research scientists, geospatial experts, and system developers.

Requirements

• Experience managing a team of scientists and/or engineers in a production environment.
• PhD or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Operations Research, or a related field.
• Strong foundation in Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) and spatial data analysis.
• Proven track record of applying Machine Learning (e.g., Reinforcement Learning, Graph Neural Networks) to optimization problems like path planning or vehicle routing.
• 6+ years of applied research experience (required if holding a Master's degree).
• Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language.
• Experience with the Scrum methodology (or similar alternatives) for agile software development.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with autonomous systems, UAVs, or large-scale logistics networks.
• Knowledge of combinatorial optimization and real-time scheduling constraints.
• A knack for turning ambiguous "blue sky" research into deployed, high-impact features.
• Experience communicating with users, other technical teams, and management to collect requirements, describe software product features, and technical designs.
• Experience hiring and growing top talent.
• Knowledge of engineering practices and patterns for the full software/hardware/networks development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, certification, and livesite operations.

Responsibilities

• Manage a cross-functional team of Applied Scientists and Engineers, fostering a culture of scientific rigor and rapid iteration.
• Leverage ML/RL and heuristic search techniques to develop dynamic path-planning algorithms that navigate complex airspace and weather patterns.
• Drive the development of high-scale scheduling systems that manage battery life, maintenance cycles, and delivery windows to maximize fleet utilization.
• Utilize deep geospatial data (3D maps, urban topology, etc.) to improve situational awareness and mission safety.
• Define the long-term technical roadmap for mission orchestration, ensuring our systems are modular, scalable, and resilient.
• Partner with Hardware, Flight Safety, and Supply Chain teams to translate business requirements into technical breakthroughs.
• Lead the development of path planning and geospatial orchestration models to maximize deliveries per hour, ensuring complex algorithms are production-ready and integrated into the mission system.
• Build and scale a world-class science team by mentoring talent and fostering career growth, while maintaining a high bar for operational excellence to deliver mission-critical software on schedule.

Benefits

• sign-on payments
• restricted stock units (RSUs)
• 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
• parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree