Principal Engineer, EC2 Edge Frontier

Amazon Web Services is looking for a Principal Software Development Engineer to join EC2 Edge Frontier — the organization responsible for bringing the full AWS experience to wherever customers need it. Our products — including AWS Outposts, Local Zones, and Snow Family devices — extend AWS infrastructure, services, APIs, and tools beyond traditional data centers to deliver a truly consistent cloud experience at the edge.

This is a strategic technical leadership role. You will set the technical direction for systems that manage the full lifecycle of edge compute platforms — from provisioning and deployment through failure remediation and decommissioning — across a fleet of Nitro-based devices operating in customer-managed environments worldwide. You will work at the intersection of hardware platforms, distributed systems, and fleet-scale automation, solving problems that don't exist anywhere else in cloud computing.

Edge computing is one of the fastest-growing areas of AWS. You'll work on problems that push the boundaries of what's possible — running full-fidelity AWS infrastructure in places like factory floors, hospital operating rooms, 5G base stations, and remote field locations. The technical challenges are unique: hardware you can't physically access, networks you don't control, and customer environments you've never seen. If you thrive on ambiguity and want to shape the future of cloud computing beyond the data center, this is the role.

Key job responsibilities

• Define and drive the long-term technical strategy for edge platform infrastructure, influencing roadmaps across multiple teams and partner organizations within EC2
• Lead the architecture of next-generation instance platforms and fleet automation systems that must operate reliably in constrained, remote environments with limited connectivity
• Own technical decisions on resource allocation and system design for programs spanning hardware engineering, platform software, deployment safety, and lifecycle automation
• Drive clarity in ambiguous problem spaces — our edge environments introduce novel constraints around physical access, network availability, and hardware diversity that require creative, first-principles thinking
• Serve as a strategic technical advisor to senior leadership, translating complex technical tradeoffs into business decisions
• Mentor and develop engineers across the organization, grow the principal engineering community, and raise the technical bar through design reviews, code reviews, and written technical guidance

A day in the life

You'll split time between hands-on engineering and strategic technical leadership. Day to day, you might be debugging fleet automation code, leading design reviews, or writing vision documents that shape the org's roadmap. Your stakeholders include EC2 Instance Platform, Nitro, and edge networking teams. Your customers run AWS Outposts, Local Zones, and Snow devices in hospitals, factories, and telecom sites — environments where hardware access is limited and systems must self-heal. The core challenge: building fully autonomous lifecycle management for thousands of Nitro hosts in customer-managed environments without traditional data center safety nets.

About the team

EC2 Edge Frontier builds the products that bring AWS infrastructure to wherever customers need it. Our organization owns the platform software, fleet lifecycle, and deployment systems for AWS Outposts, Local Zones, Wavelength, and Snow Family devices. We manage everything from initial host provisioning through failure remediation and decommissioning across a global fleet of Nitro-based edge compute platforms. We are a team of builders first, we are passionate about building great software that delivers a consistent AWS experience outside traditional data centers. We're based in Seattle and operate at the intersection of hardware, distributed systems, and fleet-scale automation.

Basic Qualifications

• 10+ years of engineering experience
• 5+ years of engineering team management experience
• 10+ years of planning, designing, developing and delivering consumer software experience
• Experience partnering with product or program management teams
• Experience managing multiple concurrent programs, projects and development teams in an Agile environment

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience partnering with product and program management teams
• Experience designing and developing large scale, high-traffic applications
• Experience designing or architecting (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems

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, Seattle - 220,100.00 - 297,700.00 USD annually