Systems Development Engineer, Prime Air Drone

Amazon is hiring a Systems Development Engineer, Prime Air Drone 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

Little AI ●○○○ is how Level rates this role: aI is not part of the work.
Tools and skills the posting cites include systems engineering, aerospace and safety critical systems.
Level classifies it as a senior role.
Level lists 21,000+ other open roles at Amazon.

AI in this role

Design and verify safety-critical autonomous ground system features for drone traffic management.

systems-engineeringaerospacesafety-critical-systemscloud-architecturerequirements-management

We are seeking an experienced Systems Engineer who combines superb technical and analytical capabilities with a demonstrated ability to get the right things done quickly and effectively. This person must be comfortable working with a team of top-notch developers and collaborating with our engineering teams. We’re looking for people who innovate and love solving hard problems. You will work hard, have fun, and of course, make history!

Key job responsibilities
As a Systems Engineer you will define, design, verify, and launch safety critical autonomous ground system features in a variety of airspace environments. Key responsibilities include:
- Serve as the systems engineering lead and subject matter expert for subsystem(s) within the Airspace Mission Orchestration System, containing the safety critical cloud based operator interface, traffic management, communications, route planning, geospatial, and distributed system functions.
- Lead interdisciplinary trade studies across Prime Air software, system, product, and regulatory functions to determine the critical requirements for a scalable cloud based system architecture.
- Generate key systems engineering artifacts CONOPs, design documents, interface control documents, requirements, test cases, test procedure, test execution, and verification reports.
- Own the entire system life cycle, taking features from concept to production in a way that is safe, performant, and certifiable.

A day in the life
The Systems Engineer begins by reviewing the latest airspace regulations and industry standards. They then collaborate with cross-functional teams to define site-specific requirements for expanding the automated traffic management system to multiple locations within different jurisdictions. This is followed by a deep dive into the compliance matrix, validating the system's adherence to internal and external regulatory and safety requirements. The day concludes with writing a verification plan to ensure critical system requirements are adequately tested. Leveraging technical expertise, analytical skills, and collaboration, the engineer drives the successful integration and deployment of the automated traffic management solution.

About the team
The systems engineering team is a driven, focused, and experience team of aerospace professionals.

Our systems engineering team is driven by a relentless customer obsession, we tackle the toughest technical challenges, turning visions into reality. Our mission is to design, integrate, and verify innovative ground systems that push the boundaries of what's possible.

We are a collaborative group of problem-solvers, each bringing unique expertise from aerospace and technology sectors. Our culture is one of ownership and accountability - we take pride in our work and hold ourselves to the highest standards.

Here at Amazon, we embrace our differences. We are committed to furthering our culture of diversity and inclusion of our teams within the organization.

We’re working on the future. If you are seeking an iterative fast-paced environment where you can drive innovation, apply state-of-the-art technologies to solve massive-scale real world delivery challenges, and provide visible benefit to end-users, this is your opportunity.

Come work on the Amazon Prime Air team!

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

Systems Development Engineer, Prime Air Drone at Amazon rates 20 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

Systems Development Engineer, Prime Air Drone is an open job at Amazon.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The listed salary is $99k-$160k a year.
The role is based in US, WA, Seattle.
The job was posted on October 2, 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

Systems EngineeringAerospaceSafety Critical SystemsCloud ArchitectureRequirements Management

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where systems engineering was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where aerospace was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where safety critical systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where cloud architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where requirements management was part of your work. What did you do?

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Systems Engineering, Aerospace, Safety Critical Systems, Cloud Architecture, and Requirements Management. 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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