Lead Software Engineer, ML Network Stack - Annapurna Labs

Amazon is hiring a Lead Software Engineer, ML Network Stack - Annapurna Labs in Cupertino, United States. It pays $193k-$262k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

On Level's scale, this software engineer role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
The listed pay starts 16% above the typical software engineer posting on Level.
Tools and skills the posting cites include Nccl, Nvshmem and CUDA.
Level classifies it as a lead role.
Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.

AI in this role

Lead software engineering for the network stack powering large-scale distributed AI and machine learning systems at Annapurna Labs.

NcclNvshmemCUDALinux

networkinghpcdistributed-systemsleadership

We are seeking an experienced engineer and technical leader to join our team that owns the network stack for EC2 distributed AI/ML systems. The team develops support for a variety of frameworks and communication libraries including NCCL, NVSHMEM, NIXL, NCCL GIN, and CUDA kernels. Solid knowledge of Linux, networking, and performant coding is important. Experience with embedded systems is valued, and experience with high-speed networking or HPC/RDMA interconnects is highly valued.

If you like solving hard problems, want to work with HPC and ML customers, iterate fast and deliver meaningful solutions at scale, then come join us! This truly is a role at the forefront of AI/ML—you'll be working on features for the largest clusters, with the largest customers, for the largest AI models.

The organization you would be joining is Annapurna Labs, an integral part of AWS that develops hardware and software components that are critical building blocks for EC2 infrastructure. Every instance in EC2 is running some type of hardware designed by Annapurna Labs. We specialize in designing software, systems, and chips that optimize the AWS customer experience.

Key job responsibilities
Be the Leader which works across the NVIDIA ML communication stack for enabling NVIDIA GPUs to work with the AWS EC2 machines. Knowledge of ML Networking, ML applications, and frameworks will be highly regarded. You'll be leading senior, mid-level, and junior SDEs and directing work to ensure the team delivers functions and features required for the latest and largest ML workloads.

Come be a part of an organization that has developed some of the foundational technologies in AWS and EC2. Annapurna Labs' inventions are routinely mentioned in keynotes and all of re:Invent. Do you recognize Nitro, Trainium, EFA, ENA-X, Inferentia, Graviton? Join us and help create the future. We are seeking Senior SDE's interested in moving to an SDM role after ramp.

About the team
Our team is dedicated to supporting new members. We have a broad mix of experience levels and tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge-sharing and mentorship. Our senior members enjoy one-on-one mentoring and thorough, but kind, code reviews. We care about your career growth and strive to assign projects that help our team members develop your engineering expertise so you feel empowered to take on more complex tasks in the future.

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.

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
Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences.

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 leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team, or experience in development in the last 3 years
- 5+ years of experience with programming language: C or C++

Preferred qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
- Experience working with ML Communication Libraries or RDMA Networking

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, Cupertino - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Lead Software Engineer, ML Network Stack - Annapurna Labs at Amazon rates 90 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Lead Software Engineer, ML Network Stack - Annapurna Labs is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $193k-$262k a year.
The role is based in US, CA, Cupertino.
The job was posted on July 31, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Amazon. Apply on Amazon

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

NetworkingHpcDistributed SystemsLeadershipNcclNvshmemCUDALinux

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Python LLM Machine learning AI agents Kubernetes Java

Pay

This job starts at: $193k
Typical software engineer job: $167k

This posting starts 16% above the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where networking was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where hpc was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where leadership was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Nccl in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Networking, Hpc, Distributed Systems, Leadership, and Nccl. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.

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