Software Development Engineer , OpenSearch AI Search Team

Amazon is hiring a Software Development Engineer , OpenSearch AI Search Team in Bellevue, 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 Builds AI ●●●●: 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 Java, Python and Opensearch.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.

AI in this role

Design and develop AI-driven search platforms and distributed systems for Amazon OpenSearch Service.

javapythonopensearchaws

software-developmentsearch-enginesdistributed-systemsartificial-intelligence

Are you interested in helping shape the future of search and the way AI systems interact with data? Do you want to have direct and immediate impact on a large number of AWS users? Do you want to be part of a fast-growing AWS service and work in a fast-paced, startup-style environment?

Amazon OpenSearch Service makes it easy to deploy, operate, and scale OpenSearch. It is a fully managed service that delivers OpenSearch's easy-to-use APIs and real-time capabilities along with predictable performance and seamless scalability for production workloads.

The Amazon OpenSearch Service team designs, develops and operates software that allows customers to index, search and analyze documents at scale in a secure, responsive, and reliable environment. The team is tackling tough data, search and analytics problems. As we expand at a tremendous rate, we are looking for innovative engineers with a passion for AI, search, analytics and distributed systems to join the team:

As a Senior Software Development Engineer on the Amazon OpenSearch Service team, you will:
- Design, develop, and support a world-class search platform serving customers of all sizes
- Produce robust, efficient, and maintainable code; our primary languages are Java and Python
- Work on OpenSearch open-source software with opportunities to contribute upstream
- Work on challenging problems in distributed systems, AI, data storage, query optimization, high availability, and security.
- Lead architecture and design decisions, and mentor other engineers on the team
- Continually challenge what exists and explore what should be changed to best meet evolving customer needs
- Drive algorithm and architecture design, execute and deliver results
- Invent the future of search and analytics in the cloud

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, Bellevue - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually

How we rate this

Software Development Engineer , OpenSearch AI Search Team at Amazon rates 90 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

Software Development Engineer , OpenSearch AI Search Team 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, Bellevue.
The job was posted on July 30, 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

Software DevelopmentSearch EnginesDistributed SystemsArtificial IntelligenceJavaPythonOpensearchAWS

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

LLM C++Machine learning AI agents Kubernetes Generative AI

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 software development was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where search engines 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 artificial intelligence was part of your work. What did you do?
Walk me through how you've used Java in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Software Development, Search Engines, Distributed Systems, Artificial Intelligence, and Java. 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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