AmazonSenior Software Development Engineer, Robotics
Amazon is hiring a Senior Software Development Engineer, Robotics. It pays $168k-$227k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Level.
AI in this role
At Amazon we leverage advanced robotics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence to solve complex operational challenges at an unprecedented scale. Our fleet of robots operates across hundreds of facilities worldwide, working in sophisticated coordination to fulfill our mission of customer excellence.
We are building the brains of our next-generation robots - a stack that:
- Enables deployment of robots at Amazon scale
- Enables unprecedented generalization across diverse tasks
- Seamlessly integrates with large models and optimal control techniques
- Integrates with human-safe safety solutions
As a Senior Software Development Engineer on our on-robot software team, you will design and build the software that runs on our robots and turns perception, planning, control, and machine learning models into reliable behavior on real hardware. You will partner with applied scientists and hardware engineers, lead designs across teams, and help set the technical direction for your area. Relevant backgrounds include perception, SLAM and navigation, controls, autonomy and task execution, and real-time robotics software, as well as experience deploying learned behavior models such as vision-language-action (VLA) models or VLM- and LLM-based planners on robots.
Join us in building the next generation of intelligent robotics systems that will transform the future of automation and human-robot collaboration.
Key job responsibilities
- Lead the design and delivery of on-robot subsystems, such as perception, SLAM and navigation, dexterous manipulation, low level controls, or task execution, from architecture through deployment on robots, and guide the engineers building it with you
- Prototype quickly with applied scientists, then take the algorithms and learned models that work to production components that meet the robot's real-time, compute, and safety constraints on embedded GPU platforms
- Define the interfaces, timing, and data contracts between perception, planning, control, and the learned policies that run alongside them
- Make your components observable with metrics and telemetry, and lead system-level debugging of failures seen on real robots
- Lead design reviews for the team and partner teams, and write documents for both technical and non-technical audiences
- Mentor engineers on the team in robotics and software engineering, and raise the bar for how we build, test, and operate robot software
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
- Bachelors or Master's degree and 10+ years in CS, ME, EE or related field experience
- Experience with robotics middleware like ROS, ZCM, or Zenoh
- Experience designing and shipping software for physical robots or other real-time embedded systems, with deep expertise in at least one robotics area such as perception, SLAM, navigation, controls, or autonomy
Preferred qualifications
- Master's degree or PhD in Robotics, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
- Experience taking robotics algorithms or machine learning models from research prototype to production on real hardware, in close partnership with applied scientists
- Experience with mobile manipulation, locomotion, or dexterous manipulation
- Experience integrating learned policies on a real robot (e.g., imitation or reinforcement learning, vision-language-action models, LLM-based task planning)
- Experience with real-time systems, including scheduling, deterministic timing, and sensor synchronization
- Experience deploying and optimizing models and perception pipelines on embedded GPUs (e.g., PyTorch, CUDA, TensorRT, NVIDIA Jetson)
- Experience with test-driven development and automated testing of robotics software, including regression testing of robot behavior with logged data, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing
- Experience using AI coding assistants and agents to speed up development, with sound judgment about reviewing and verifying their output
- Excellent written and verbal communication, with a track record of leading technical work across science and engineering teams
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, Robotics at Amazon rates 91 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. Open the description and count.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- This job starts at
- $168k
- Typical software engineer job
- $168k
This posting starts close to the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- What's a project where you used PyTorch hands-on?
- How would you decide a model or AI system is ready to ship?
- Tell me about a time a model underperformed in production. How did you find out, and what did you change?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: PyTorch. 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.
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 (Builds AI ●●●●) by email
One email a week with the new software engineer jobs (Builds AI ●●●●), 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 build 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