Systems Development Engineer Amazon Jobs in Kentucky

Operations is at the heart of Amazon’s business. We are known for our speed, accuracy, and exceptional service. Our buildings deliver tens of thousands of products to hundreds of countries worldwide, every day. The Reliability & Maintenance Engineering (RME) team are the business partners that work tirelessly behind the scenes to make it happen. We drive continuous improvement, and maintain all of the robotics and material handling equipment (MHE) to ensure our customers are met with the Amazon smile. Come join us on our journey!
About the Role:
As the Regional Automation Engineer, you will engage on all aspects of high-level support for the control systems within a region of Amazon sites. This work takes the form of direct field engagement for launch and existing facilities, commissioning, on-call, continuous improvement, change management, project management, training, security, infrastructure and systems administration. You will deliver this through the use of statistics and data analytics, structured problem solving, implementation of global support mechanisms, system performance monitoring tools, identification and dissemination of best practices. In this role, you will also develop and implement standard operating procedures, optimal code/parameter sets, performance metrics, and feedback mechanisms to ensure reliability and operational efficiency of our equipment.
What Do We Offer?
Amazon offers competitive compensation packages including comprehensive healthcare benefits starting on Day 1, matching 401(k) program, and up to 20 weeks of paid parental leave. But wait, there’s more: We provide lightweight fire-resistant daily wear and composite toe safety shoes for your safety!
Key job responsibilities
Key job responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
- You will troubleshoot material handling control systems, including PLC/PC controllers, industrial networks (Ethernet, ControlNet, DeviceNet, Profibus, Profinet, ASi), motor control systems, servo drives, frequency drives, and electrical distribution systems
- You will apply Subject Matter Expertise (SME) on troubleshooting and dive deeps for engineering issues, supporting a region of onsite automation engineers to investigate the root cause and planning actions to eliminate/mitigate the downtime of critical assets
- You will provide technical guidance and decision making for collaboration projects or initiatives with other Amazon teams, being a key stakeholder in supporting technical and major network support requests
- You will provide escalation support to onsite automation engineers, during and after business hours, troubleshooting locally and remotely, to ensure that all hardware or controls software within the building is repaired on time
- You will travel up to 80% to support sites within an assigned region
A day in the life
You'll be the go-to technical resource for maintenance teams across seven air cargo facilities — controls, conveyors, robotics, and everything in between. About 70% of your time is proactive: reliability work, trend analysis, closing gaps before they become incidents. The other 30% is reactive — when a sort system goes down mid-operation, you're on the call helping diagnose root cause fast. Each site runs different equipment generations, so early travel is expected to learn the systems and build relationships. Once you're grounded, most support happens remotely from your home base in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky area. You'll be one of four engineers covering all sites around the clock, so rotational on-call is part of the job. This is a new role — there's real room to shape how it operates.
About the team
Our team's mission is straightforward: engineer the equipment that powers Amazon Air — resilient by design, where reliability is not just a metric, it's a promise. This is a group built around continuous improvement and the conviction that safety and speed are not tradeoffs.
Home base is Amazon's largest air hub in the Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky area — a high-profile, fast-moving operation where the work is visible and the stakes are real. Beyond the four-person regional team, you'll partner regularly with engineers embedded at each of the seven sites, giving you a broad technical network from day one.
What makes this moment unique: this team is new. The people who join now set the standard — the processes, the approaches, the culture. Amazon Air is a critical piece of how Amazon delivers for its customers, and this engineering team is a core part of keeping it moving. If you want scope, scale, and the chance to shape something from the ground up, this is the seat.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS- Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, automation engineering, or equivalent, or 4+ years of PLC programming or automation engineering experience
- Work a flexible schedule/shift/work area, including weekends, nights, and/or holidays
- 4+ years of process or production environment related PLC-controlled automation and issue diagnosis experience
- 4+ years of Siemens, Allen-Bradley or Codesys Ladder Logic and structure programming experience
- 4+ years of robotics work cells and control systems experience
- 4+ years of electrical theory, robotics, controls components, and automated equipment experience
- Travel up to 80% of the time
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS- Master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, automation engineering, or equivalent
- Master's degree, or Six Sigma Black Belt certification
- Experience leading controls in manufacturing or complex industrial environments
- Experience identifying, maintaining, troubleshooting, and modifying Motor Controls including motor starters, Variable Frequency Drives, DC drives, and standard electrical components
- Experience interpreting and modifying mechanical and electrical drawings
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, KY, Erlanger - 114,000.00 - 148,200.00 USD annually