AmazonSenior Software Development Engineer
Amazon is hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer. It pays $168k-$227k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.
Level's read on this job
- Level rates this software engineer role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The listed pay starts close to the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include C, Python and Lidar.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.
AI in this role
Develop real-time perception, control, and simulation software for advanced robotic systems in Amazon fulfillment networks.
If you're passionate about building robust, scalable software for complex robotic systems and want to work across the full robotics stack—from low-level system interfaces to high-level application logic—then we'd like to talk to you about becoming part of an organization with global impact on millions of customers.
Key job responsibilities
The ideal candidate is enthusiastic about building the right solutions for our customers and will collaborate with other teams to ensure that our product meets Amazon-scale requirements. They will:
- Develop real-time sensor data processing pipelines, including implementing sensor fusion algorithms and computer vision models for robotic perception.
- Develop and optimize multi-modal data recording pipelines to support recording high-bandwidth data from multiple sensor sources simultaneously.
- Develop physics-realistic simulations of various sensor types (LiDAR, Radar, IMU, force/torque, tactile) to enable virtual testing and validation of perception and control algorithms prior to hardware deployment.
- Design, develop, and maintain production software for robotic systems in C++ and/or Python, spanning perception, motion planning, controls, and application layers.
- Work with multiple system components including sensor integration, networking, safety systems, and real-time actuation on modern robotic hardware.
- Debug and troubleshoot complex system-level issues across software, firmware, and hardware boundaries.
- Develop solutions that balance performance, reliability, and maintainability under the guidance of senior engineers.
A day in the life
As a Senior Software Development Engineer you will work within cross-functional teams to design, develop, test, and deploy software for robotic systems that operate in Amazon's fulfillment network. You will work across multiple domains of the robotics stack—interfacing with sensors, actuators, and control systems while also building higher-level application logic that coordinates robot behavior. The development process will involve contributing to system design, analyzing trade-offs of proposed approaches, and implementing production features. Testing efforts involve writing automated tests, building simulation environments, and performing live hardware testing to debug and root-cause issues on physical robot platforms.
Basic qualifications
- 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience
- 4+ 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
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Robotics, or related field
- Direct, hands-on experience developing software for robotic or complex mechatronic systems
- Proficiency in C++ and/or Python with experience building production-grade software
Preferred qualifications
- 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Experience with ROS/ROS2 frameworks and robotic middleware
- Exposure to multiple robotics domains: SLAM/navigation, manipulation/grasping, perception/computer vision, motion planning, or robot applications
- Experience with real-time software development, multithreaded programming, or embedded Linux environments
- Familiarity with simulation tools (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, MuJoCo, or equivalent)
- Experience deploying software to physical robotic platforms in industrial or production settings
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, MA, N.Reading - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
How we rate this
Senior Software Development Engineer at Amazon rates 85 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.
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.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Also common in software engineer jobs at this level
Pay
- This job starts at
- $168k
- Typical software engineer job
- $167k
This posting starts close to the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Walk me through a computer vision problem you solved, from raw data to a deployed model.
- Tell me about a project where robotics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where sensor fusion was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where motion planning was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where software engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Computer vision, Robotics, Sensor Fusion, Motion Planning, and Software Engineering. 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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