Senior Systems Development Engineer Jobs in Washington

AWS Secure Connection Services (SCS) is looking for an experienced System Development Engineer to join our growing team that will be building solutions to complex problems that will scale for Amazon Dedicated Cloud (ADC). ADC’s bring AWS cloud solutions to a broad range of customers, countries, or organizations. Successful candidates will be able to grasp complex scenarios and find ways to innovate on behalf of the customer to deliver innovative solutions.

At Amazon Web Services, we like to “work backwards”: start by understanding what customers need and using that to guide our system development engineering. We’re looking for a System Development Engineer who is experienced in listening to customers, synthesizing their needs, and rapidly iterating our services to quickly put features into customers’ hands. Our best ideas become even better when we get feedback from real customer use. The sooner we can get that feedback, the more quickly we can grow.

This position requires that the candidate selected must be a US Citizen and obtain and maintain a security clearance at the TS/SCI with polygraph level. Upon start, the selected candidate will be sponsored for a commensurate clearance for each government agency for which they perform AWS work.

Key job responsibilities

• - Design and implement systems automation, infrastructure-as-code, and deployment pipelines for AWS Edge Connectivity Services across multiple regions
• - Build operational tooling and monitoring systems that enable efficient service management, troubleshooting, and incident response
• - Architect and develop site reliability engineering (SRE) practices, including runbooks, alerting strategies, and automated remediation systems
• - Collaborate with cross-disciplinary teams to integrate AWS Edge Connectivity systems with AWS infrastructure, third-party solutions, and government customer environments
• - Establish and maintain operational standards for service availability, performance, and security; drive continuous improvement through metrics and data analysis
• - Mentor teammates on systems engineering best practices, operational excellence, and automation techniques
• - Participate in on call rotation in support of our services, providing technical leadership during incidents

A day in the life

Our team follows an Agile development methodology with a strong emphasis on operational excellence. Team members participate in daily stand-ups and biweekly sprint planning sessions focused on automation, infrastructure improvements, and reliability initiatives. We conduct weekly reviews of operational metrics and reliability targets to align systems engineering efforts with organizational goals.

Systems Development Engineers, Program Management (PM) teams, and Single-Threaded Owners (STOs) collaborate to define and execute infrastructure and automation projects. Each engineer serves as on-call support approximately between four to eight weeks per year to maintain our service availability targets and respond to operational incidents.

About the team About AWS

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.

Why AWS?

Our team is dedicated to supporting new members. We have a broad mix of experience levels and tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge-sharing and mentorship. Our senior members enjoy one‑on‑one mentoring and thorough, but kind, code reviews. We care about your career growth and strive to assign projects that help our team members develop your engineering expertise so you feel empowered to take on more complex tasks in the future.

AWS Infrastructure Services (AIS)

AWS Infrastructure Services owns the design, planning, delivery, and operation of all AWS global infrastructure. In other words, we’re the people who keep the cloud running. We support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.

Diverse Experiences

AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.

Inclusive Team Culture

AWS values curiosity and connection. Our employee-led and company-sponsored affinity groups promote inclusion and empower our people to take pride in what makes us unique. Our inclusion events foster stronger, more collaborative teams. Our continual innovation is fueled by the bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and passionate voices our teams bring to everything we do.

Mentorship & Career Growth

We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.

Work/Life Balance

We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.

Basic Qualifications

• - 3+ years of administrative experience in networking, storage systems, operating systems and hands‑on systems engineering experience
• - 2+ years of designing or architecting (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
• - 1+ years of non‑internship professional software development experience
• - Experience programming with at least one modern language such as C++, C#, Java, Python, Golang, PowerShell, Ruby

Preferred Qualifications

• - Bachelor's degree, or CSSLP (Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional)
• - 6+ years of administrative experience in networking, storage systems, operating systems and hands‑on systems engineering experience
• - Experience building services using AWS products
• - Experience utilizing AWS cloud solutions in a DevOps environment
• - Current, active US Government Security Clearance of TS/SCI with Polygraph

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, VA, Herndon - 129,200.00 - 174,800.00 USD annually