When a global enterprise recovers from a catastrophic regional outage or a startup launches a fleet of new virtual servers, they are rarely thinking about the underlying plumbing of the cloud. However, the stability of those operations rests on a few critical distributed systems that must work perfectly at a scale most engineers only read about in white papers. At the center of this infrastructure is the team managing Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Block Store (EBS) Snapshots.
AWS is currently seeking a Software Development Engineer II, AWS EBS Backup Snapshot & Edge (Job ID: 10391764) to join its team in Seattle. This isn’t a standard feature-development role. it is a position within the critical path of AWS, focusing on the systems that handle backup workflows, cross-region disaster recovery, and the foundational data protection that millions of customers rely on to prevent permanent data loss.
For those familiar with cloud architecture, EBS serves as the primary block storage for EC2 instances. The snapshotting mechanism is the primary way users create point-in-time backups of their volumes. Because these snapshots are essential for durability and recovery, the engineering challenges involve managing massive data movement and maintaining strict consistency across multiple geographic regions—problems that require a deep understanding of distributed systems.
The Technical Challenge of Scale
The role of an SDE II on the EBS Snapshots team centers on the intersection of control plane APIs and large-scale data movement. In the world of distributed storage, “scale” is not just a buzzword; it refers to the physical reality of moving petabytes of data across the globe while ensuring that no single bit is lost or corrupted.
Engineers in this position will be tasked with managing the storage lifecycle and optimizing how data is moved and stored. This involves a constant negotiation of trade-offs between performance, availability, durability, and cost. In a system where a latency spike can ripple across thousands of customer environments, the focus shifts toward infrastructure modernization and the aggressive reduction of technical debt to ensure long-term system health.
A typical day for this role is designed to be varied, moving from the high-level design of new API capabilities in the morning to the granular debugging of latency issues within a distributed system in the afternoon. This requires a pragmatic approach to ambiguity, as the team often tackles problems that do not have established industry blueprints.
To better understand the technology this team supports, the AWS EBS Snapshots product page provides a detailed overview of how these point-in-time backups function within the broader AWS ecosystem.
Requirements and Professional Expectations
Amazon is looking for an engineer who has moved past the introductory phase of their career and can take end-to-end ownership of a feature. In other words moving a project from the initial design document through implementation, testing, and eventual deployment.
The basic qualifications for the position include at least two years of professional, non-internship software development experience. Crucially, AWS is seeking candidates with at least two years of experience specifically in the design or architecture of systems, with a focus on reliability and scaling patterns. Proficiency in at least one major programming language is required.
For candidates aiming to stand out, the company prefers those with more than three years of experience across the full software development life cycle (SDLC). This includes a track record of maintaining coding standards, participating in rigorous code reviews, and managing source control and build processes. A bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field is listed as a preferred qualification.
Compensation and Location
The position is based in Seattle, Washington, and carries a significant compensation package reflective of the role’s criticality. The base salary range is listed between $143,700 and $194,400 annually.
| Component | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base Salary | $143,700.00 – $194,400.00 USD |
| Additional Pay | Sign-on payments and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) |
| Location | Seattle, WA |
| Key Benefits | 401(k) matching, comprehensive health insurance, parental exit |
Beyond the base salary, the total package includes equity in the form of RSUs and sign-on bonuses. Amazon as well provides a wide array of benefits, including mental health support, adoption and surrogacy reimbursement, and various flexible spending accounts, as detailed on the Amazon benefits portal.
Culture and Team Integration
Beyond the code, the EBS Snapshots team emphasizes a culture of mentorship and empathy. SDE IIs are expected to not only contribute their own technical expertise but to raise the engineering bar for the entire team by mentoring junior engineers and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
The team operates with a high degree of autonomy, granting engineers real ownership of their decisions from day one. Because the work often requires collaborating across different organizational boundaries within AWS, the ability to communicate complex technical trade-offs to diverse stakeholders is as important as the ability to write efficient code.
For those interested in the application process, Amazon provides specific resources for candidates requiring workplace accommodations to ensure an inclusive hiring process, which can be found through the Amazon hiring accommodations page.
As AWS continues to expand its global footprint, the demand for more resilient, cross-region data operations will only increase. The next step for qualified candidates is to submit their application via the Amazon Jobs portal, where the recruitment team will evaluate technical experience against the current needs of the EBS infrastructure.
Do you have experience scaling distributed systems or working with cloud storage? Share your thoughts or questions in the comments below.
