Principal Forward-Deployed Engineer: AI Systems & Strategy

Amazon Inc.; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 271,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Web Services, Inc. is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with strategic enterprise customers, defining technical strategy and standards for AI-powered production systems at scale.

You will write production-grade software, shape architecture across multi-workstream engagements, and create reusable platforms that scale the FDE practice. The role requires hands-on coding, architecture leadership, and travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

• Current, active TS/SCI US Government Security Clearance.
• 10+ years of non-internship professional software development experience.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of experience leading the design and architecture of large‑scale production systems in customer‑facing or enterprise environments.
• Experience building production AI or ML platforms used across multiple products or customers.
• Experience with enterprise‑scale agentic workflows, multi‑agent orchestration, or AI system governance.
• Experience communicating across technical and non‑technical audiences, including executive level stakeholders or clients.
• Experience in executive level engagement with SVP/VP/C‑Suite.
• Master's degree or above in computer science or equivalent.
• Experience creating reusable architectures or platforms adopted across an organization.
• Experience defining technical strategy and engineering standards as a principal engineer or tech lead influencing multi‑team decisions.
• Experience influencing product roadmaps through engineering insights.

Responsibilities

• Define technical strategy across engagements.
• Set the technical direction for the most complex, highest-stakes customer AI programs.
• Build production AI systems and reference architectures.
• Own production excellence at scale and establish readiness criteria.
• Accelerate customer transformation at the portfolio level.
• Raise the bar for the practice by defining engineering standards and guiding career growth.

Skills

Security clearance

Executive communication

Technical leadership

Strategic influence

Architectural design

AI/ML production systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

Master's degree or above in computer science or equivalent

Job description

Amazon Web Services, Inc. is seeking a Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with strategic enterprise customers, defining technical strategy and standards for AI-powered production systems at scale.

You will write production-grade software, shape architecture across multi-workstream engagements, and create reusable platforms that scale the FDE practice. The role requires hands-on coding, architecture leadership, and travel up to 25%.