SDE II, EC2 Instance Networking, EC2 Nitro

About the role

Do you want to build the networking infrastructure that powers every virtual machine in the world's largest cloud? Are you excited by the challenge of writing systems software that runs on millions custom networking cards across millions of hosts?

The Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) Instance Networking team builds and operates the software-defined networking stack at the heart of AWS. Our code is what makes Virtual Private Clouds (VPC) work, what enforces customer security policies, and what enables workloads to scale from a single instance to clusters of tens of thousands. Every packet that enters or leaves an EC2 instance flows through software we write, running on custom silicon designed in-house.

This work sits at the intersection of cloud infrastructure and the AI revolution. As machine learning workloads grow to unprecedented scale - training runs spanning thousands of accelerators, clusters demanding millions of network endpoints, and fabrics pushing hundreds of gigabits per second. We build the networking primitives that make these workloads possible: high-performance interfaces, low-latency data plane protocols, and scalable network virtualization that operates predictably even under heavy churn. When the world's most ambitious AI companies scale on AWS, they're relying on the software we build.

You'll write low-level systems code in C and Rust running on custom hardware in a real-time embedded environment. You'll work on network virtualization protocols, packet processing pipelines, and availability mechanisms that must perform correctly at massive scale with sub-second latency requirements. You'll solve problems that span hardware, firmware, and software, and see the direct impact of your work on customers running some of the largest and most demanding workloads in the cloud.

Key job responsibilities

• Own the design, development, and delivery of data plane networking features for EC2 instances running on custom Nitro hardware
• Drive operational excellence for network virtualization systems serving millions of AWS customers worldwide
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and security of VPC connectivity and policy enforcement at scale
• Lead technical investigations into complex production issues across distributed embedded systems, delivering root cause analysis and long-term fixes
• Contribute to the technical roadmap for EC2 Instance Networking, identifying opportunities to improve performance, scalability, and customer experience
• Partner with cross-functional teams - including hardware, control plane, and ML platform teams - to define and deliver end-to-end solutions
• Raise the bar on engineering quality through code reviews, design reviews, and operational best practices

A day in the life

• Write low-level systems code in C and Rust running on custom hardware in a real-time embedded environment
• Design and implement data plane networking software across the full lifecycle - from design through deployment and operations
• Build and improve network virtualization systems that deliver VPC connectivity, security policy enforcement, and performance isolation for EC2 customers
• Develop packet processing pipelines and availability mechanisms that must perform correctly at massive scale with sub-second latency requirements
• Investigate and resolve complex production issues across distributed embedded systems, driving root cause analysis and permanent fixes
• Collaborate with partner teams across hardware, control plane, and ML platforms to deliver end-to-end solutions

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
• 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

• 4+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience
• Knowledge of system performance, memory management, and parallel computing principles
• Experience in embedded development in C/C++, or experience programming with at least one software programming language
• Experience in Linux OS and network troubleshooting, or experience in software development and experience in Linux and Networking protocols
• Experience with network programming - packet processing, network protocols (TCP/IP, UDP), or software-defined networking

Additional information

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If the country/region you're applying in isn't listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

Pay and benefits

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.

USA, WA, Seattle - 143,700.00 - 194,400.00 USD annually