Software Development Engineer, AWS Cognito, AWS Cognito

AWS Cognito is one of the highest-profile services in AWS Identity: it handles billions of authentication requests for thousands of companies. Our job is to make sign-in so reliable that no one thinks about it. At this scale, that's a hard engineering problem.

As agents, MCP tools, and non-human identities start acting on behalf of users, Cognito is building the solutions that let them sign in, carry scoped and verifiable authority, and be trusted the same way human identities are. If you want to help define what "agentic auth" means for AWS customers, this is the place.

We are deliberately installing a startup culture inside a foundational AWS service: small teams that own problems end-to-end, short paths from idea to production, and a bias toward shipping and learning over waiting for permission. And we are AI-native in how we build-we don't just use AI tools; we build our own agents for code review, operational investigation, and CR scaffolding, and we engage AI first on most tasks. You get the ownership and pace of a startup with the scale, customers, and impact of core AWS.

Key job responsibilities

- Design, build, and operate highly available, low-latency authentication services that real customers depend on 24/7.

- Own features end-to-end design, implementation, testing, deployment, and operations-for services in the Cognito User Auth space (sign-in, tokens, devices, and related data planes).

- Raise the bar on operational excellence: measurable availability, latency, and security improvements, and automation that removes manual work.

- Work AI-native: engage AI first, and build and extend the team's own agentic tooling for development, code review, and operational investigation.

- Dive deep on ambiguous, production-impacting problems and drive them to a root cause and a durable fix.

- Collaborate across AWS Identity teams and mentor other engineers.

A day in the life

The challenges SDEs solve for at Amazon are big and influence millions of customers, sellers, and products around the world. We are looking for individuals who are passionate about creating new products, features, and services from scratch while managing ambiguity and the pace of a company where development cycles are measured in weeks, not years.

Basic qualifications

- 3+ years of non-internship professional software development experience

- 2+ 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 software development engineer or related occupational 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

- Experience contributing to the architecture and design (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and current systems

- Experience leveraging AI (Artificial Intelligence) agents for security review automation, spec-driven development practices, or adversarial red teaming

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