Software Development Engineer II, Efficiency & Performance, Alloy

Amazon is hiring a Software Development Engineer II, Efficiency & Performance, Alloy in Seattle, United States. It pays $144k-$194k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The posting mentions AWS, GPU and software development among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a mid-level role.
Amazon has 21,000+ other open roles on Level.
Posted within the past week.

AI in this role

Software Development Engineer working on efficiency and performance optimization for cloud and GPU infrastructure workloads.

awsgpu

software-developmentperformance-profilingcost-optimizationdistributed-systemsresource-scheduling

Amazon runs one of the world’s most complex eCommerce platforms, where operational efficiency directly drives profitability and customer satisfaction. Efficiency is core to Amazon’s DNA, reflected in the Leadership Principle of Frugality and the Flywheel strategy that lowers cost structures to fuel growth. With the cost of operating Amazon’s global infrastructure measured in billions of dollars, achieving true economies of scale rather than allowing scale to increase costs is essential to our success.

The Alloy team serves as Amazon’s central efficiency organization, leading company-wide cost optimization through intelligent and automated use of AWS resources. Our work spans thousands of internal services, enabling large-scale efficiency improvements with minimal engineering effort from partner teams. We drive optimization across multiple layers of Amazon’s stack, focusing on GPU efficiency infrastructure for AI/ML workloads through centralized scheduling, software performance profiling, and end-to-end storage optimizations through data lifecycle management. These cross-cutting initiatives transform isolated team optimizations into scalable, safe, and reusable systems that continuously improve efficiency across Amazon.

As a Software Development Engineer in Alloy , you will collaborate with service and infrastructure teams across Amazon to identify and eliminate performance bottlenecks in large-scale distributed systems. You will design and build mechanisms to measure, analyze, and automate performance improvements, using data to set and drive company-wide efficiency goals. You will work closely with Principal and Distinguished Engineers, gaining exposure to Amazon’s most advanced systems while developing deep technical expertise and leadership skills. Your work will directly influence how Amazon’s software and services operate at scale, delivering measurable cost savings in the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars each year and advancing Amazon’s commitment to operational excellence and sustainability.

Key job responsibilities
- Design and implement software solutions across the full development lifecycle—from product definition and scoping through coding, testing, deployment, and ongoing maintenance—ensuring high-quality, maintainable, and well-documented code.
- Collaborate with customers, stakeholders, and cross-functional peers to understand business and customer needs, translating requirements into scalable system designs that account for performance, security, and extensibility tradeoffs.
- Identify and resolve operational issues at their root cause, driving improvements to team operations and reducing support costs through proactive problem-solving and process enhancements.
- Evaluate and integrate generative AI tools where appropriate to augment productivity and quality, applying responsible practices to refine outputs and accelerate development workflows.
- Mentor and coach fellow engineers through code reviews and knowledge sharing, actively training new team members on system architecture, construction, and operational best practices.

A day in the life
In this role, you will:

- Solve performance and efficiency problems that manifest at scale.
- Design metrics and measure performance and cost efficiency of services in Amazon's ecosystem.
- Collaborate with service teams to identify inefficiencies, and design and implement solutions.
- Design and develop highly available components and profiling tools.

About the team
Our team is focused on building reliable, scalable software that directly impacts Amazon's customers. We value collaboration, clear communication, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Every engineer has a voice in technical decisions, and we encourage thoughtful debate to arrive at the best solutions. We are investing in new capabilities and looking for engineers who are excited to help shape our technical direction, grow their skills, and contribute to an inclusive environment where everyone can do their best work.

Basic qualifications

- 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- 2+ years of non-internship design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- 1+ years of software development engineer or related occupational experience
- 1+ years of designing and developing large-scale, multi-tiered, multi-threaded, embedded or distributed software applications, tools, systems, and services using: C#, C++, Java, or Perl experience
- 1+ years of Object Oriented Design experience
- Bachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or a related field
- Experience programming with at least one software programming language

Preferred qualifications

- 3+ 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 - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Software Development Engineer II, Efficiency & Performance, Alloy at Amazon rates 30 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 II, Efficiency & Performance, Alloy is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $144k-$194k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Seattle.
The job was posted on October 29, 2026.
Seniority: mid.
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

Software DevelopmentPerformance ProfilingCost OptimizationDistributed SystemsResource SchedulingAWSGPU

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

Python Kubernetes TypeScript React Docker JavaScript

Pay

This job starts at: $144k
Typical software engineer job: $168k

This posting starts 14% below the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where software development was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where performance profiling was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where cost optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where resource scheduling was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Software Development, Performance Profiling, Cost Optimization, Distributed Systems, and Resource Scheduling. 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.

Want an expert to read your CV for this job?

Free. Send your CV and the role you want next. You get your review by email within 24 hours.

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