Principal Engineer & Senior Principal Engineer, AWS Network Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS); Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 311,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Web Services, Inc. seeks Principal Engineers to join AWS Network Services in the Santa Clara area. You will define the technical direction for distributed systems powering AWS workloads where microseconds matter, and partner with Product Management to shape new, scalable network products.

You will own end-to-end delivery across multiple teams, turning customer and service intent into working network state across planes, with a focus on high reliability and performance at cloud scale.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience owning technical architecture, end-to-end delivery, and partnering with senior leadership.
• Track record of leading multiple concurrent technical initiatives and driving decisions across organizational boundaries.
• Experience influencing VP/SVP-level technical and business strategy.
• Deep expertise in at least one domain: real-time transport protocols (WebRTC, QUIC), DNS, distributed systems, network architecture, web security, game backend systems, large-scale packet processing, or cloud virtual networking and data-plane systems (e.g. VPC-style resource/distribution control, SmartNIC/DPU or Nitro-class pipelines).
• Strong programming skills in C/C++, Rust, Go, or Java

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for systems that power AWS workloads where microseconds matter.
• Lead architecture decisions with Product Management to shape product roadmaps.
• Drive end-to-end delivery of distributed systems, from concept to production.
• Turn customer and service intent into working network state across planes.
• Own contracts and scale models to keep VPC scaling fast and reliable.

Skills

Technical leadership

Architecture

Cross-functional collaboration

Delivery leadership

C/C++

Rust

Go

Java

Education

Advanced degree

Tools

C/C++

Rust

Go

Java

Job description

Description

We are hiring Principal Engineers and Senior Principal Engineers to join AWS Network Services.

Description

We are hiring Principal Engineers and Senior Principal Engineers to join AWS Network Services.

We meet our customers at the scale of quadrillions of transactions per second across every layer of connected applications.

Our millions of customers, from single-developer startups to the largest companies in the world, rely on us to present their business to the world — seamlessly, without limits.

We make use of innovative virtualization technology to make connectivity magical.

We don't build on top of the cloud. We build what the cloud is built on.

What You'll Do

You will work at the intersection of distributed systems, protocols, hardware, and security, and every system we ship goes straight into production, powering the world’s most demanding workloads. Nothing we build sits on a shelf.

You won't be tuning knobs on an existing system. You'll be deciding what the system is. As a Principal or Senior Principal Engineer, you’ll set the technical direction for the systems that make AWS possible where microseconds matter and billions of dollars of customer workloads depend on your decisions.

Here, great products start with Engineering. Principal Engineers work in close partnership with Product Management. You’ll propose new products born from deep technical insight and help shape and sharpen ideas. The roadmap grows with its Principal Engineers, so the systems you invent become the products customers rely on.

Key job responsibilities

Among The Areas We’re Hiring For Today

• Compute Connectivity: Deliver scale, security, and simplicity. Enable customers to focus on their applications and maximize their compute efficiency, while the connectivity underneath just works.
• Real-Time Media: Real-Time Media: Build the infrastructure for sub-second, bidirectional video and audio delivery at global scale, spanning interactive live streaming, AI-integrated experiences, real-time AI voice agents, and physical AI
• Security & Threat Defense: Ensure that connectivity brings only good to our customers' businesses. Innovate across traffic classification, adversarial defense, and application protection so that trust in AWS is never in question.
• Moving the Bytes that Move the World: AWS connectivity solutions power the largest companies in the world and provide critical support to governments. Other AWS services rely on our solutions too and even small features can support headline-driving events.
• VPC Core — Cross-Plane Networking Architecture: Turn customer and AWS-service intent into working network state across the planes that record it, deliver it, and enforce it in hardware. Own the contracts and scale models between those planes so a change that’s right in one never breaks another and keep VPC scaling as fast as the services built on it.

About The Team

Our team sits at the intersection of the most critical trends in cloud infrastructure — AI-scale infrastructure, real-time media at global scale, intelligent threat defense, and the reinvention of internet-scale identity and trust.

Our services, including Amazon Route 53, AWS Direct Connect, Elastic Load Balancing, AWS PrivateLink, Elemental Media Services, AWS Interactive Video Service, Amazon GameLift, AWS Cloudfront, AWS Transit Gateway — take on systems challenges few teams anywhere must solve.

You know these problems because you've lived them - building and operating at this scale - and now you get to define what comes next.

We foster a collaborative, inclusive environment where different perspectives drive better solutions and the best ideas win regardless of where they originate. We ship fast and iterate with purpose, and we believe work should be meaningful. You'll join a team that takes pride in building the foundation the rest of the cloud runs on.

Basic Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional software development experience
• Experience owning technical architecture, end-to-end delivery, and partnering with senior leadership
• Track record of leading multiple concurrent technical initiatives and driving decisions across organizational boundaries
• Experience influencing VP/SVP-level technical and business strategy
• Deep expertise in at least one domain: real-time transport protocols (WebRTC, QUIC), DNS, distributed systems, network architecture, web security, game backend systems, large-scale packet processing, or cloud virtual networking and data-plane systems (e.g. VPC-style resource/distribution control, SmartNIC/DPU or Nitro-class pipelines)
• Strong programming skills in C/C++, Rust, Go, or Java

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree (Master's or PhD) in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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, CA, SAN FRANCISCO - 230,100.00 - 311,200.00 USD annually

USA, CA, SANTA CLARA - 230,100.00 - 311,200.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Arlington - 200,100.00 - 270,600.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Herndon - 200,100.00 - 270,600.00 USD annually

USA, WA, Seattle - 200,100.00 - 270,600.00 USD annually

Company

Amazon Web Services, Inc. - A97

Job ID: A10579188