Software Development Engineer, Amazon Java Runtime

Amazon is hiring a Software Development Engineer, Amazon Java Runtime 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

Little AI ●○○○ is how Level rates this software engineer role: aI is not part of the work.
Pay on this posting starts in line with the typical software engineer posting on Level.
The posting mentions Openjdk, Java and Hotspot among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a senior role.
Amazon has 20,000+ other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Optimize Java runtimes, garbage collection, and compilers in OpenJDK to improve performance for millions of AWS customers.

OpenjdkJavaHotspot

compilersgarbage-collectionruntime-optimizationsystems-programmingperformance-tuning

Are you fascinated by what happens beneath your code — how a compiler turns bytecode into blistering machine instructions, how a garbage collector reclaims memory without anyone noticing, how a runtime squeezes the last drop of performance out of the hardware? Maybe you've worked on garbage collection in a managed runtime like HotSpot, the .NET CLR, V8, or Chakra. Maybe you earned your expertise the hard way — tuning live services for performance and resilience under real production load. Whatever your path, the Java Runtimes Team at Amazon, owners of Amazon Corretto, would love to talk with you.

Java powers the majority of services at Amazon and nearly all public-facing AWS services. When we make the runtime faster or leaner, thousands of services — and millions of customers — feel it. You will work at the intersection of compilers, garbage collection, and systems software: finding bottlenecks in real running services, developing patches to the OpenJDK compiler, runtime, and libraries, and shipping them to every Amazon developer. You'll share what you learn with the broader engineering community and contribute your improvements back to OpenJDK — where the whole world runs them too.

This is deep, high-leverage systems work with an unusually direct line from your keyboard to global impact. We care about scalability, availability, and efficiency — and about going above and beyond to deliver the best possible Java experience for Amazon's internal teams, Corretto users, and the OpenJDK community.

Key job responsibilities
Identify areas for improvement using data from real running services, and turn those findings into concrete compiler, GC, and runtime optimizations.

Design, implement, and benchmark improvements to JIT compilation, garbage collection, and core runtime subsystems in the OpenJDK compiler, runtime, and libraries.

Contribute your changes upstream to OpenJDK and to Amazon Corretto, working through code review and the community process.

Tune runtime behavior for performance and efficiency across x86 and Graviton (AArch64) architectures.

Build profiling, observability, and auto-tuning tooling so runtime expertise scales across the fleet.

Share your findings with the engineering community and help service teams adopt runtime improvements and newer JDK versions

About the team
Amazon Software Builder Experience (ASBX), started in 2022, is working to make Amazon the best place to build software. Every day, hundreds of thousands of Amazon software builders rely on us for the tools they build with, and for the technology, training, and community behind them. One of our most important responsibilities is shaping the language ecosystem, both inside Amazon and across the open-source community, to improve the experience for every software builder.

In 2018 the team migrated Amazon's default JDK to OpenJDK, building rigorous security and quality mechanisms around it so that security and custom patches land internally the moment they are ready. We took that expertise and launched Amazon Corretto, Amazon's no-cost, production-ready distribution of OpenJDK — bringing our enhancements to customers and the OpenJDK community at large. Today we push the runtime forward across x86 and Graviton (AArch64) fleets, and we increasingly encode deep runtime expertise into tooling so that fleet-wide performance gains scale far beyond one-to-one consultation.

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
- Direct contributions to OpenJDK, the HotSpot JVM, or another production managed runtime (e.g. .NET CLR, V8, or Chakra).
- Compiler backend or optimization experience — instruction selection, register allocation, code generation, escape analysis, inlining, or intrinsics.
- Familiarity with JVM internals such as bytecode, class loading, JIT deoptimization, tiered compilation, or the JVMCI / Graal interfaces.

Preferred qualifications

- A track record of upstream open-source contributions, published performance work, or conference talks.
- A master's or PhD in Computer Science or a related field with a focus on compilers, runtimes, or systems.
- Experience mentoring engineers or leading technical initiatives across 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, WA, Seattle - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Software Development Engineer, Amazon Java Runtime at Amazon rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● 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

Software Development Engineer, Amazon Java Runtime is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $168k-$227k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Seattle.
The job was posted on September 24, 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

CompilersGarbage CollectionRuntime OptimizationSystems ProgrammingPerformance TuningOpenjdkJavaHotspot

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Python C++Kubernetes TypeScript React Docker

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

Tell me about a project where compilers was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where garbage collection was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where runtime optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where systems programming was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where performance tuning was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Compilers, Garbage Collection, Runtime Optimization, Systems Programming, and Performance Tuning. 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.

Get your CV reviewed before you apply

Send your CV and the role you want next. Your review arrives by email within 3 days.

Get a free CV review Check your resume with the ATS resume checker