AmazonSenior Software Development Engineer, EC2 Hyperplane
Amazon is hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer, EC2 Hyperplane in Seattle, United States. It pays $168k-$227k 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 Uses AI ●●○○: an ordinary role that requires AI tools.
- The listed pay starts close to the typical software engineer posting on Level.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Generative AI, distributed systems and networking.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 21,000+ other open roles at Amazon.
AI in this role
Build scalable distributed cloud networking systems and apply generative ai to improve reliability and developer productivity.
Hyperplane delivers a distributed Network Function Virtualization (NFV) platform that powers customer-facing services such as NAT Gateway, Elastic File System, Load Balancers, and AWS service endpoints. We operate at massive scale on critical workloads, and we need engineers who are comfortable navigating ambiguity, making sound technical trade-offs, and mentoring others along the way. If you want to leave a lasting mark on cloud networking infrastructure that serves millions of customers, this is the role for you.
Key job responsibilities
- Design and build highly scalable distributed systems for AWS's network virtualization infrastructure, ensuring low-latency and high-throughput performance for millions of customer workloads
- Lead technical design and architecture decisions for critical Hyperplane components, balancing short-term delivery needs with long-term extensibility and system health
- Mentor engineers through code reviews, design discussions, and hands-on guidance, helping to reset and strengthen the team's engineering culture and maturity
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams — including network engineering, security, and product management — to define requirements and deliver customer-facing improvements
- Drive the greenfield rewrite of a core system, applying modern approaches including generative AI to improve reliability, performance, and developer productivity
A day in the life
You might start your morning reviewing a design proposal for the new greenfield system, providing feedback that shapes the architecture before code is written. After a stand-up with your team, you spend focused time writing or reviewing code for a distributed state-tracking component. In the afternoon, you pair with a teammate to debug a tricky concurrency issue, then join a cross-team sync to align on an upcoming integration. Throughout the day, you balance hands-on technical work with coaching conversations that help the team grow.
About the team
The Hyperplane team builds and operates the foundational network virtualization platform that powers Amazon EC2. Our systems process trillions of packets daily, providing secure network isolation, policy enforcement, and traffic management for millions of customer instances across AWS regions. We are in a period of deliberate investment — rebuilding our team with experienced technical leaders, expanding into generative AI, and planning a greenfield rewrite of a critical system. It is a rare opportunity to join at a moment when you can directly influence the team's culture, technical direction, and long-term roadmap.
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
Preferred qualifications
- 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent
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, WA, Seattle - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
How we rate this
Senior Software Development Engineer, EC2 Hyperplane at Amazon rates 45 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Uses AI (AI Level 2 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Uses AI. An ordinary role that requires AI tools.
- ●●●● 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
- Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where networking was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where software architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where java was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where c was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Distributed Systems, Networking, Software Architecture, Java, and C. 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.
- Put the AI tool in a bullet point about what you did, not just in a skills list. This role treats it as a required part of the job.
Want an expert to read your CV for this job?
Free. Send your CV and the role you want next. We reply by email within 2 to 4 business days.
Get new software engineer jobs (Uses AI ●●○○ or higher) by email
One email a week with the new software engineer jobs (Uses AI ●●○○ or higher), each rated for how much AI is in the work. No recruiter spam, unsubscribe in one click.
Free. One email a week. Unsubscribe in one click.
Similar roles
Software Engineering roles that use AI, at other companies.
What kind of AI work fits you?
Answer 12 practical questions in about three minutes. Get a simple profile, the work it points to, and live roles to explore next.
Find my next step