Senior System Architect, Hardware Architecture

Amazon; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 183,000 - 248,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon Lab126 in Sunnyvale seeks a Senior System Architect to define system architecture for Echo, FireTV and new concepts, leading cross‑functional teams from concept to production.

You will drive edge-cloud compute partition, SoC selection, compute architecture, and documentation; engage with silicon vendors and roadmap future platforms. You will collaborate with PM, EE, SW, ML, and Design teams to ensure meeting requirements and deliver scalable, high-performance electronics.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/EE required.
• 10+ years of industry experience or PhD in related fields.
• Background in SoC/Silicon engineering, computer architecture, ML or embedded software.

Responsibilities

• Define system architecture for Echo, FireTV, and future concepts.
• Lead technical contact between product management and engineering to align requirements and experience.
• Drive edge-cloud compute partition, SoC selection, compute architecture, and memory/storage decisions.
• Document architecture in architecture specifications for engineering teams.
• Collaborate with silicon vendors and drive roadmaps for next-gen compute IP and silicon platforms.
• Lead silicon design exploration from concept through prototyping to production.

Skills

System architecture

Hardware design

SoC architectures

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering

Master's degree or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Python

C/C++

SystemC

RTL design

FPGA design

Job description

Description

The Amazon Devices team designs high-profile consumer electronics, including the best-selling Amazon Echo, FireTV, Fire Tablets, Kindle, and Astro family of products. We are looking for a motivated individual contributor with a solid hardware or silicon background, great communication skills, and the passion to collaborate with a cross‑functional team to drive system architecture across Amazon devices.

Key job responsibilities

As a Senior System Architect, you will be responsible for defining the system architecture for consumer products such as Echo, FireTV and a range of new concepts not yet announced. You will serve as the lead technical point of contact that the product management and business teams rely on to interpret and clarify the product concept's desired user experience and requirements. You will define system architecture that can meet product requirements and work closely with the business team to understand and clarify requirements and user experience tradeoffs. In the process of architecture definition, you will drive key design decisions such as edge‑cloud compute partition, device SoC selection, compute architecture (CPU, DSP, GPU and ML accelerators), and other system component selections (chipsets, memory, storage). You will document the decisions in a system architecture specification document that will provide relevant design guidance for the engineering team. Besides directly defining product architectures, you will track market trends, interface directly with silicon and IP vendors, and define roadmaps for the whole organization on the next generation compute IP and silicon platforms. You will dive deep into silicon design, define specs for the next‑gen silicon platforms and work with our silicon suppliers to implement them. You will work on concepts that may have an existing reference architecture as well as emerging product ideas that do not have any precedence. As the product is developed from the initial concept, prototype development, validation, to production you will stay engaged as the system technical lead to ensure the product requirements are being met. Throughout this process you work closely with multi‑disciplinary product team including Program Management, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, ML Science, Product Design, Industrial Design, Reliability, and Operations.

A day in the life

• Gather business and functional product requirements from external/internal customers, and translate these requirements into technical specifications and architectures that are robust, scalable and supportable
• Perform architecture feasibility analysis, including profiling, benchmarking and prototyping new features (with the larger team) on available silicon platforms.
• Present architecture tradeoffs and recommendations to senior management (VP level)
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to develop and document architecture specifications that serve as a reference for development teams
• Serve as a technical lead throughout the full development lifecycle, end‑to‑end, from scoping, planning, conception, design, implementation and testing, to delivery and maintenance
• Provide design and validation reviews for other engineers, including feedback on architecture and design issues, as well as integration, performance and scalability.
• Drive technology roadmaps in areas of expertise to foster innovation and meet the needs of the long‑term product roadmap.
• Work closely with silicon and component suppliers and influence their roadmaps to meet Amazon Lab126 needs.

About The Team

The system architecture team is responsible for architecting Amazon Lab126 products including Echo, Fire Tablets, FireTV, Kindle eReaders, Hearables, Wearables and IoT. The team also owns the chipset and IP technology roadmap and drives strategies that enable reuse and scale across Amazon devices. The team is comprised of architects with varied hardware and software backgrounds. We are always on the lookout for capable architects who can raise the bar and add technical expertise and depth to drive architectures for next‑gen devices and emerging concepts. Come be a part of the system architecture team in Lab126 Hardware Architecture and technology! Employees who have experience with consumer electronics devices and have been EEs, embedded software engineers, systems engineers, etc. and would like to contribute at the architecture level to the exciting Lab126 roadmap are encouraged to apply.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering
• 10+ years of industry experience or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
• Background or education in SoC/Silicon engineering, computer architecture, machine learning or embedded software

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree or Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering or related field
• Strong understanding of heterogenous SoC architectures
• Experience in driving architecture and design decisions for consumer electronics devices
• Expertise in at least two of the following areas: computer architecture, SoC architecture, silicon design, graphics and multimedia, embedded Linux, video encoders/decoders, applied machine learning, ML accelerators, audio, wireless, sensors, power management, system performance benchmarking, etc.
• Hands‑on skills in either software development for prototyping (Python, C/C++, Java, etc.) or hardware development (System C, RTL design, FPGA design)
• Strong communication skills, ability to clearly document and present technical designs

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.

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, Sunnyvale - 183,000.00 - 247,600.00 USD annually

Company

Amazon.com Services LLC

Job ID: A10396821