Sr Forward Deployed Engineer, FDE US Government

Amazon Web Services (AWS); Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 168,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Job summary

Amazon Web Services, Inc. is seeking a Forward Deployed Engineer to embed with enterprise customers, designing, building, deploying, and operating AI-powered production systems.

The role demands production-grade software, end-to-end ownership, and deep collaboration with customer engineering teams. A TS/SCI with Polygraph clearance and US citizenship is required for this position in Arlington, VA.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of non-internship software development experience
• 5+ years of programming with at least one language
• 5+ years of leading design or architecture of new and existing systems
• Experience as a mentor or tech lead
• Current, active US Government Security Clearance TS/SCI with Polygraph
• Experience communicating technical concepts to diverse audiences
• Experience leading production-scale AI development
• Experience with AI tools: eval frameworks, agent tooling, RAG pipelines, prompt engineering

Responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and execution for complex, multi-workstream AI programs
• Design foundational architectures for enterprise engagements
• Define operational standards and production readiness criteria for AI systems
• Define engineering patterns, participate in hiring, and mentor FDEs
• Identify opportunities to expand AI adoption and create reusable accelerators for customers

Skills

Software development

Programming experience

Architecture design

Mentorship/leadership

US Government Security Clearance TS/SC

Technical communication

AI systems development

AI tools & pipelines

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science

Tools

AWS Services

React/TypeScript/Python/Go

Job description

Description

Application deadline: Sep 6, 2026

A Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) embeds directly inside a strategic enterprise customer to design, build, deploy, and run AI-powered production systems alongside the customer's engineering team. FDEs write production-grade software and own outcomes end-to-end, from prototype through enterprise-scale deployment combining the technical rigor of an AWS SDE with the urgency and ownership required to deliver measurable customer business outcomes. They create reusable architectures, patterns, and engineering mechanisms that scale the entire FDE practice.

This position requires that the candidate selected be a US Citizen and currently possess and maintain an active TS/SCI clearance with Polygraph.

Key job responsibilities

• Own the technical strategy and execution for complex, multi-workstream customer AI programs. Make architecture decisions that span multiple services and organizational boundaries. Align technical approach with the customer's long-term technology strategy. Requires up to 25% travel.
• Design the foundational architectures — multi-agent orchestration, enterprise retrieval systems, decision intelligence platforms — for the most complex customer engagements. Drive clarity where neither the business problem nor technology approach is fully defined. Build production systems that handle enterprise-scale traffic and reliability requirements.
• Define operational standards, evaluation frameworks, and production readiness criteria for AI systems across your engagement scope. Establish mechanisms (testing strategies, observability standards, incident response playbooks) that ensure AI systems remain healthy.
• Define engineering patterns, contribute to the interview and hiring process, and mentor junior FDEs into independent contributors. Coach others on system design, customer engagement, and production operations.
• Identify systemic opportunities to expand AI adoption across the customer organization. Create accelerators and reusable platforms that reduce time-to-value from months to weeks. Feed learnings back into AWS services and the FDE practice.

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

• 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
• 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience
• 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
• Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team
• Current, active US Government Security Clearance of TS/SCI with Polygraph
• Experience communicating technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences, including senior stakeholders
• Experience leading agentic and spec-driven development at production scale (developing AI agents a plus)
• Experience with AI tools: eval frameworks, agent tooling, RAG pipelines, and prompt engineering

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
• Experience working with AWS Services
• Experience building or deploying AI/ML applications at enterprise production scale
• Background as a founder, engineering lead, or startup builder with high ownership and urgency
• Experience architecting and delivering complex, multi-component systems in customer production environments
• Experience with React, TypeScript, Python, and/or Go
• Experience leading customer-facing technical projects or managing external stakeholder relationships
• 3+ years of experience working in an Agile, startup, or rapidly scaling environment

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.

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.

USA, CO, Denver - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

USA, NY, New York - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Arlington - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

USA, WA, Seattle - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

Company - Amazon Web Services, Inc.

Job ID: A10517566