Systems Development Enginer II, Amazon Security

Socket.dev; Herndon (VA); On-site; USD 129,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Paid time off

RSU program

Parental leave

Job summary

Amazon Optics, part of Amazon Security, is seeking a Systems Development Engineer II to design and operate deployment pipelines, fleet automation, monitoring, and tooling for a global, safety-critical access control system.

You will own solutions end-to-end, automate manual processes, and collaborate with software and infrastructure teams to harden systems for high availability and security by design. This role is based in Herndon, VA, with competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• Experience automating, deploying, and supporting large-scale infrastructure.
• Experience programming in at least one modern language (Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust).
• Experience with Linux/Unix.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and build processes.
• Preferred: experience with distributed systems at scale.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate automation, tooling, and CI/CD pipelines across AWS regions.
• Own production systems: define monitoring, alarming, and runbooks; reduce manual toil and MTTR.
• Lead technical design for infrastructure initiatives balancing complexity, scalability, security, and delivery speed.
• Develop Infrastructure as Code (e.g., AWS CDK/CloudFormation) to provision services and resources.
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues across stack from code to infrastructure and device connectivity.
• Improve deployment safety and release velocity via automated testing and gating.
• Partner with engineers, security, and operations to harden systems for high availability and security by design.
• Participate in on-call rotations and reduce operational load through engineering efforts.

Skills

Automation

Infrastructure as Code

CI/CD

Linux/Unix

Python

Distributed systems at scale

Job description

Build the automation and infrastructure that keeps every Amazon and AWS site on Earth physically secure.

Amazon Optics develops and operates the critical services that Corporate and AWS data center employees rely on to protect our physical sites and preserve the trust our customers place in us. As a Systems Development Engineer II, you sit at the intersection of software and infrastructure: you build the deployment pipelines, fleet automation, monitoring, and operational tooling that let a small team run a global, safety-critical access control system with minimal manual toil. When "can't be done" isn't an accepted answer, you find the extensible, scalable path and simplify along the way.

You’ll design systems that require minimal long-term maintenance, automate manual processes, and create tools that scale across Amazon's physical-access infrastructure, spanning AWS data centers, corporate offices, and Leo facilities worldwide. You own your solutions end-to-end: testable, maintainable, and efficient, with sound architectural and technical trade‑off decisions.

Key job responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate automation, tooling, and CI/CD pipelines that deploy Optics access control services safely across every AWS region.
• Own the operational excellence of production systems: define monitoring, alarming, and runbooks; drive down manual toil and mean‑time‑to‑recovery.
• Lead technical design for medium‑to‑large infrastructure initiatives, balancing complexity, scalability, security, and delivery speed.
• Develop Infrastructure as Code (e.g., AWS CDK/CloudFormation) to provision and manage services and their supporting resources.
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues across the stack, from service code to underlying infrastructure and device connectivity.
• Improve deployment safety and release velocity through automated testing, bake/rollback gating, and reduction of change‑related risk.
• Partner with software engineers, security, and operations teams to harden systems that must be highly available and secure by design.
• Participate in an on‑call rotation for the services you own, and continuously reduce operational load through engineering.

About the team

Diverse Experiences

Amazon Security values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the 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 Amazon Security?

At Amazon, security is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for security across all of Amazon’s products and services. We offer talented security professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores.

Inclusive Team Culture

In Amazon Security, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest security challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and voices.

Training & 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, training, and other career‑advancing resources here to help you develop into a better‑rounded professional.

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 flexible work hours and arrangements are part of our culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience in automating, deploying, and supporting large‑scale infrastructure
• Experience programming with at least one modern language such as Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust
• Experience with Linux/Unix
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines build processes

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with distributed systems at scale

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, VA, Herndon - 129,200.00 - 174,800.00 USD annually