Principal SW Sys Architect, Prime Air - Office of the Chief Engineer - Seattle | Amazon Job

Job Description

Prime Air is seeking a Principal SW Systems Architect with deep expertise in embedded systems to drive the architectural vision for our autonomous drone delivery platforms. This role is central to two critical mission areas: supporting the Block 30 system of systems design and supporting next-generation drone prototyping and development.
You will define and evolve the compute, sensor, and embedded architectures that underpin Prime Air's current and future delivery drone programs, working at the intersection of hardware, firmware, and flight software to deliver safe, certifiable, and scalable autonomous systems. This is a unique opportunity to work on one of the most ambitious and technically challenging programs at Amazon.




Key job responsibilities
Block 30 – System of Systems Design
- Define interface specifications, data flows, and communication architectures, author ICDs and system design specs, and ensure designs meet DO-178C, DO-254, and FAA certification requirements throughout the Block 30 lifecycle
- Lead architectural trade studies balancing power, weight, thermal, latency, and safety constraints, partnering with GNC, Perception, Flight Software, AMOS, PADDC, and Flight Test teams to support end-to-end mission requirements

Next-Generation Drone Prototyping & Development
- Define rapid prototyping strategies and establish reusable embedded platform patterns and reference architectures that accelerate development across future drone programs
- Support technology roadmap decisions for next-gen embedded platforms and build forward-looking embedded technology roadmaps tied to Prime Air's multi-year product and certification strategy
- Collaborate with external partners, semiconductor vendors, and research institutions to integrate embedded technologies into Prime Air's pipeline

Cross-Functional Technical Leadership
- Lead system-level design reviews and trade studies, and author key technical strategy documents, ADRs, and ICDs that shape organizational direction
- Drive alignment across Drone, BOSS, HAWK, and Simulation teams on embedded architecture standards and integration strategies
- Mentor senior engineers and SDMs, raising the embedded systems engineering bar across the organization

Basic Qualifications:

- 10+ years of non-internship professional software development experience
- Knowledge of object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience designing and building large-scale systems in a multi-tiered, distributed environment (Service Oriented Architecture)

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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 - 200,100.00 - 270,600.00 USD annually