Hardware Manager, Electric Propulsion Systems, Prime Air
Prime Air is Amazon's drone delivery program, working to safely deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less. We are looking for an experienced Hardware Manager to lead the Electric Propulsion Systems team, responsible for the design, development, and production of key subsystems powering the Prime Air drone — including motors, batteries, charging infrastructure, and power distribution.
This is a people-manager role with direct reports. You will own the technical roadmap and execution for electric propulsion hardware, driving innovation while meeting fast program timelines. You'll collaborate across disciplines (software, flight sciences, systems engineering, manufacturing) to deliver reliable, certifiable propulsion systems at scale.
Key job responsibilities
Own the technical direction and execution of electric propulsion hardware development.
Hire, develop, and manage a high-performing team of hardware engineers and research scientists ; provide mentorship, career development, and performance feedback.
Define and drive the propulsion hardware roadmap aligned with Prime Air program milestones.
Lead design reviews, trade studies, and risk assessments for propulsion subsystems.
Collaborate cross-functionally with systems engineering, software, flight sciences, manufacturing, and safety teams.
Manage supplier and vendor relationships for key propulsion components; drive make-vs-buy decisions.
Ensure designs meet safety, reliability, and certification requirements (e.g., DO-160, DO-254, FAA Part 135).
Drive continuous improvement in design processes, test methodologies, and manufacturing readiness
A day in the life
This role is responsible for managing the development of a portfolio of products.
Daily activities include deep diving into the designs and aiding the team in decision making process, working with the supply chain and quality engineering team to ensure the designs are manufacturable and planning and conducting the testing on these products.
As this is a developmental role it is also expected that this role will own the propulsion part of technical roadmap engaging with external organizations to identify and investigate new technologies.
About the team
This role is part of a larger team of hardware managers, systems engineers and technical program managers who own Prime Air's next generation drone designs.
This is a people-manager role with direct reports. You will own the technical roadmap and execution for electric propulsion hardware, driving innovation while meeting fast program timelines. You'll collaborate across disciplines (software, flight sciences, systems engineering, manufacturing) to deliver reliable, certifiable propulsion systems at scale.
Key job responsibilities
Own the technical direction and execution of electric propulsion hardware development.
Hire, develop, and manage a high-performing team of hardware engineers and research scientists ; provide mentorship, career development, and performance feedback.
Define and drive the propulsion hardware roadmap aligned with Prime Air program milestones.
Lead design reviews, trade studies, and risk assessments for propulsion subsystems.
Collaborate cross-functionally with systems engineering, software, flight sciences, manufacturing, and safety teams.
Manage supplier and vendor relationships for key propulsion components; drive make-vs-buy decisions.
Ensure designs meet safety, reliability, and certification requirements (e.g., DO-160, DO-254, FAA Part 135).
Drive continuous improvement in design processes, test methodologies, and manufacturing readiness
A day in the life
This role is responsible for managing the development of a portfolio of products.
Daily activities include deep diving into the designs and aiding the team in decision making process, working with the supply chain and quality engineering team to ensure the designs are manufacturable and planning and conducting the testing on these products.
As this is a developmental role it is also expected that this role will own the propulsion part of technical roadmap engaging with external organizations to identify and investigate new technologies.
About the team
This role is part of a larger team of hardware managers, systems engineers and technical program managers who own Prime Air's next generation drone designs.