Software Development Engineer - Linux Kernel and Embedded Systems

Amazon India Limited; Bengaluru; On-site; INR 4,200,000 - 6,600,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon India Limited in Bangalore is seeking an experienced Software Development Engineer II to lead low‑level device software, focusing on Linux kernel, drivers, and bootloaders for Alexa connectivity devices. You will optimize boot times, memory, and power while coordinating with SoC vendors and RTOS components across multiple projects.

The role requires strong C/C++, kernel development, and hands‑on experience with bootloaders.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of non‑internship professional software development experience.
• 2+ years of design or architecture experience in systems.
• 3+ years of Linux kernel development or systems programming.
• Experience Linux device drivers (character, block, network, platform).
• Proficiency in C/C++; working knowledge of ARM or RISC‑V assembly.
• Hands‑on with bootloaders (U-Boot, GRUB).

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Linux kernel configurations, device drivers, and BSPs.
• Optimize boot time, memory footprint, and power consumption at OS level.
• Implement and maintain bootloader chains with secure boot support.
• Port RTOS components for microcontrollers and collaborate with SoC vendors.
• Debug kernel panics, memory leaks, and low‑level system issues.
• Own kernel upgrade strategy and LTS branch management.

Skills

C/C++

Linux kernel development

ARM/RISC-V assembly

Device drivers

Memory management

Power management

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent

Tools

U-Boot

GRUB

Debug tools (ftrace, perf, kgdb)

Job description

Software Development Engineer II, Alexa Connectivity Devices

We are building a new device software team in Bangalore to power the next generation of Amazon connected devices. As an OS / Kernel Engineer, you will own the foundational operating system layer — Linux kernel, device drivers, RTOS, and bootloaders — on which all device software depends. You will optimize for boot time, memory footprint, and power efficiency on resource-constrained hardware, and partner with SoC vendors on low-level platform enablement.

Key job responsibilities

Develop and maintain Linux kernel configurations, device drivers, and board support packages (BSPs) Optimize boot time, memory footprint, and power consumption at the OS level Implement and maintain bootloader chains (U-Boot, custom) with secure boot support Port and adapt RTOS components (FreeRTOS, Zephyr) for companion microcontrollers Debug kernel panics, race conditions, memory leaks, and other low-level system issues Collaborate with SoC vendors on kernel patches, errata workarounds, and BSP updates Own kernel upgrade strategy and long-term support (LTS) branch management

A day in the life

As a member of the team, you will serve as the technical leader for device software development and operations. You will collaborate with stakeholders across Alexa Devices and Alexa Cloud teams to define roadmaps, plan requirements, make prioritization trade-offs, and feature development. You will partner with principal engineers to brainstorm solutions, solve problems, and deliver features.

About the team

The Alexa Connected Devices team delivers low-latency, low-cost, highly reliable, and scalable connectivity between Alexa-enabled devices and the Alexa Cloud. We improve the speed and reliability of customer interactions with Alexa while simplifying the developer experience by abstracting connection management. Our services handle tens of billions of transactions daily. This is a highly visible role spanning inception, feature development, and partnering closely with tier-1 Cloud Services. The ideal candidate is passionate about Alexa and thrives delivering high-quality device capabilities in a hyper-growth environment.

Basic Qualifications

• - 4+ years of non‑internship professional software development experience
• - 2+ years of non‑internship design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
• - 3+ years of Video Games Industry (supporting title Development, Release, or Live Ops) experience
• - Experience programming with at least one software programming language
• - 4+ years of experience in Linux kernel development or systems programming
• - Proficiency in C/C++; working knowledge of ARM or RISC‑V assembly
• - Experience writing or maintaining Linux device drivers (character, block, network, platform)
• - Deep understanding of memory management (MMU, DMA, cache coherency), scheduler internals, and power management frameworks
• - Hands‑on experience with bootloaders (U-Boot, GRUB, or custom)

Preferred Qualifications

• - 3+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
• - Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
• - Linux kernel upstream contributions (accepted patches)
• - Experience with real‑time patches (PREEMPT_RT) or Xenomai
• - Familiarity with ARM TrustZone, OP‑TEE, or secure world partitioning
• - Familiarity with kernel debugging tools: ftrace, perf, kgdb, crash utility
• - Background in RTOS development (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX)

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Experience Level Mid Level