AmazonSystem Development Engineer, Amazon Foundational Security Services (AFSS)
Amazon is hiring a System Development Engineer, Amazon Foundational Security Services (AFSS) in Seattle, United States. It pays $99k-$160k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Amazon.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include Active Directory, AWS and identity and access management.
- Level classifies it as a mid-level role.
- Level lists 20,000+ other open roles at Amazon.
AI in this role
Design and operate scalable identity and access management solutions across Amazon-native and Active Directory tooling.
As a Systems Development Engineer on our team, you will design, build, and operate scalable solutions at the intersection of Identity and Access Management (IAM) — spanning both Amazon-native and Microsoft Active Directory tooling. You will partner with experienced engineers to drive improvements to our technology stack, maintain high-availability services, and build observability through metrics and monitoring.
Your work will directly support automated systems that anticipate and resolve customer issues — delivering a seamless, self-service experience. You will collaborate with business partners, leadership, and cross-functional engineering teams to influence technical direction and build resilient, secure systems.
Key job responsibilities
Primary responsibilities include maintaining the IAM (Identity and Access Management) infrastructure at Amazon. We leverage Microsoft Active Directory to manage Amazonian identity and access globally. The candidate is expected to manage and drive secure configuration and features in IAM, with AWS technology at the forefront.
• Manage Active Directory patching cycles, ensuring timely deployment and compliance across the environment
• Develop and maintain monitoring solutions for AD services, including replication health, domain controller performance, and service availability
• Design, implement, and manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) to enforce security and configuration standards
• Monitor and maintain AD replication topology, troubleshooting and resolving replication failures across global infrastructure
• Drive security hardening initiatives for Active Directory, including attack surface reduction and configuration baselines
• Manage AD group lifecycle - creation, membership reviews, cleanup, and access governance
• Administer privileged accounts management, including access controls, auditing, and credential hygiene
• Diagnose and resolve production issues, perform software maintenance, and execute persistence solution queries
• Collaborate with development teams on Amazon Corporate and Divisional Software projects, enhancing current software and automating support processes
• Document systems and solutions to ensure knowledge continuity
• Manage AFSS org-level operational cadence and programs
• Participate in on-call rotations and incident response as needed
A day in the life
The systems development engineer in this team will spend time:
• Automating the world's most advanced cloud computing infrastructure
• Managing and administering AD directory, IAM, protocols, making secure decisions in application registrations with the least privileged roles.
• Simplifying and reinventing systems, processes, and tools to make things better for our customers
About the team
Diverse Experiences
Amazon Security values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the 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.
Why Amazon Security?
At Amazon, security is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for security across all of Amazon’s products and services. We offer talented security professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud, devices, retail, entertainment, healthcare, operations, and physical stores
Inclusive Team Culture
In Amazon Security, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest security challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas, perspectives, and voices.
Training & Career Growth
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, training, and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
Work/Life Balance
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.
Basic qualifications
- Experience in automating, deploying, and supporting infrastructure
- Experience programming with at least one modern language such as Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust
- Experience with Linux/Unix
Preferred qualifications
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines build processes
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 - 99,100.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually
How we rate this
System Development Engineer, Amazon Foundational Security Services (AFSS) 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.
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.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where identity and access management was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where systems engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where security hardening was part of your work. What did you do?
- What's a project where you used Active Directory hands-on?
- Walk me through how you've used AWS in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Identity And Access Management, Systems Engineering, Security Hardening, Active Directory, and AWS. 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.
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