Senior Software Engineer, AWS Applied AI Solutions

Amazon is hiring a Senior Software Engineer, AWS Applied AI Solutions 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

Builds AI ●●●● is how Level rates this software engineer role: 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 AWS, Python and AI agents.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.

AI in this role

Design and build identity architecture, governance, and audit systems for enterprise AI agents on AWS.

AWSPython

ai-agentsdistributed-systemssecurityidentity-managementsoftware-engineering

AWS Applied AI Solutions (AAIS) is building toward a future where every business innovates with Amazon AI teammates. To get there, we build AI solutions that improve human capabilities and transform entire business functions. We create end-to-end products that surprise and delight out-of-the-box, making complex things easy and hard things possible, with no cloud experience required. We start with customers who embrace the future and build bridges to meet the rest where they are. We pursue ambitious opportunities with conviction, and we are looking for builders who share that mindset.

On Agentic WorkSpaces our vision is to enable AI agents to work the way humans do: with access to real applications real interfaces and real computing environments. For enterprises to trust autonomous agents with their essential business applications they need to see what agents did control what agents can do and prove both to auditors. Our team builds the systems that make this possible. We record every agent desktop action as a reviewable visual audit trail enforce policy on every tool call before it executes pause agents for human approval on sensitive actions and package the evidence for compliance frameworks.

We are seeking an exceptional Senior SDE to own the identity architecture at the foundation of this system. When an agent acts inside a user's desktop session it inherits that user's identity. Every downstream system then attributes the agent's actions to the human. Solving this means deciding how agent identity is established propagated across protocol and service boundaries and preserved through to policy enforcement and audit. These decisions determine whether the rest of the governance stack - attribution enforcement approval evidence - can be trusted at all. You will make foundational architectural calls write code mentor the engineers around you and drive consensus with partner teams whose identity models were built for humans. This is a high-visibility high-ownership role on a small team solving problems with no established playbook. If you do your best work in ambiguity and want your technical decisions to set the direction for how enterprises govern AI agents this team is for you.

Key job responsibilities
• :
• Own the end-to-end identity architecture for agent governance: how agent identity is established propagated and preserved across desktop sessions protocol boundaries and downstream services * Design attribution and audit systems that distinguish agent actions from human actions within the same session at the infrastructure level where agents cannot tamper with the record * Own policy enforcement architecture including authorization models that evaluate agent actions before they execute * Evaluate build-vs-leverage decisions across identity and authorization primitives including assessments of existing internal and external components for reuse * Drive technical consensus with partner teams whose identity and permission models predate autonomous agents * Mentor and develop junior and mid-level engineers through code reviews and design reviews * Communicate architectural decisions and tradeoffs to senior leadership and non-technical stakeholders

A day in the life
Your mornings are usually free for focus work - architecture deep dives and hard problems. Around 11 you'll have standup then grab lunch with the team (if you like) before the afternoon opens up for design reviews CR feedback or unblocking an engineer. Some days you're deep in code; others you're presenting to leadership. You're the person who knows the system most deeply - and you work to ensure you're never the bottleneck. The problems are hard and the stakes are high - but we believe we can move fast do exceptional work and have a full life outside of it.

We're a small team building two greenfield projects within Agentic WorkSpaces. We're moving fast enough that our team name is still taking shape - but our engineering culture is well established. Here's what you can expect from AWS:

ABOUT AWS:

About the team
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.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world's most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that's why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.

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 in the cloud.

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. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity and AmazeCon conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.

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 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 Engineer, AWS Applied AI Solutions 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.

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

Senior Software Engineer, AWS Applied AI Solutions is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $168k-$227k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Seattle.
The job was posted on August 28, 2026.
Seniority: senior.
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

AI agentsDistributed SystemsSecurityIdentity ManagementSoftware EngineeringAWSPython

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Python LLM C++Machine learning Kubernetes Java

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

How do you decide when an AI agent can act on its own versus asking for approval first?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where security was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where identity management 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: AI agents, Distributed Systems, Security, Identity Management, 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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