Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, AWS Forward Deployed Engineering

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

Job ID: 10521876 | Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Application deadline: Oct 5, 2026

Job Overview

A Principal Forward Deployed Engineer (Principal FDE) embeds across multiple strategic enterprise customers to define the technical strategy and engineering standards for AI-powered production systems at scale. Principal FDEs write production-grade software, set the technical direction for complex multi-workstream engagements, and create the reusable architectures, patterns, and engineering mechanisms that scale the entire FDE practice — combining the technical depth of an AWS Principal SDE with the strategic influence required to deliver transformational customer business outcomes.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Define technical strategy across engagements.
  • Set the technical direction for the most complex, highest-stakes customer AI programs. Be a key influencer for strategic decisions, bringing technology and industry context to business decisions. Make architecture decisions that span multiple workstreams, services, and organizational boundaries. Requires up to 25% travel.
• Build production AI systems and reference architectures.
  • Design and build the foundational architectures — multi-agent orchestration frameworks, enterprise-grade retrieval systems, decision intelligence platforms — that become the template for future engagements. Tackle intrinsically hard problems, acquiring expertise as needed. Solve problems that are significantly complex not only because of technical complexity. Remain hands‑on, focusing time on code and code reviews that have the most impact.
• Own production excellence at scale.
  • Define the operational standards, evaluation frameworks, and production readiness criteria for AI systems across the FDE practice. Establish mechanisms that ensure AI systems remain healthy across all active engagements.
• Accelerate customer transformation at the portfolio level.
  • Identify systemic opportunities to expand AI adoption across multiple customer organizations. Create accelerators, reference architectures, and reusable platforms that reduce time‑to‑value. Influence AWS product roadmaps based on patterns observed across customers.
• Raise the bar for the practice.
  • Define engineering excellence standards for the FDE organization. Guide the career growth of the most senior technical talent. Participate in performance evaluations and advocate for the careers of others. Help the Principal Engineering community grow through internal reviews, interviews, and promotion assessments. Represent the FDE practice to AWS VP‑level leadership and customer C‑suite executives. Drive hiring bar and calibration for the FDE job family.

About the Team

ABOUT AWS:

• Diverse Experiences
  • Amazon 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.
• Why 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.
• 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.
• 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 and 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.

Basic 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

Preferred Qualifications

• 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

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, CO, Denver - 200,100.00 - 270,600.00 USD annually

USA, NY, New York - 220,100.00 - 297,700.00 USD annually

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

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