Senior Solutions Developer, Prototyping and Customer Engineering (PACE)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Solutions Developer, Prototyping and Customer Engineering (PACE)

Company: Amazon

Location: Seattle, Washington; Arlington, Virginia; New York, New York; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: Customer Engineering / Solutions Development

Date Posted: 2026-06-11

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• This role focuses on building and prototyping innovative solutions for enterprise customers, leveraging expertise in cloud architectures and emerging technologies, particularly Generative AI.

• You will act as a trusted customer advocate, collaborating with customers and internal AWS teams to accelerate the adoption and validate the technical feasibility of solutions.

• The position requires a strong blend of deep technical skills, hands-on development capabilities, and excellent communication and interpersonal skills to translate complex use cases into tangible prototypes.

• You will be instrumental in shaping and building prototypes across diverse domains like AI/ML, AR/VR/Spatial, IoT, and Serverless, with a significant emphasis on exploring the potential of Generative AI.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the job title mentions "Solutions Developer," the description heavily emphasizes prototyping, customer engagement, and technical leadership, aligning it more closely with a "Customer Engineer," "Solutions Architect," or "Prototyping Specialist" role within a GTM or technical consulting function. The "Senior" designation and the extensive experience requirement (10+ years) suggest a high level of autonomy and technical influence.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement functional prototypes and proof-of-concepts for enterprise customers, addressing specific use cases and business challenges.

• Collaborate closely with customers and internal AWS teams (e.g., account managers, solutions architects, product teams) to understand requirements, define project scope, and deliver solutions within tight timelines (typically 6 weeks).

• Explore and experiment with cutting-edge technologies, with a strong focus on Generative AI, AI/ML, AR/VR/Spatial, IoT, and Serverless computing.

• Articulate technical concepts, prototype capabilities, and business value to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, including senior leadership.

• Contribute to the development of reusable code, architectural patterns, and best practices that can be leveraged across multiple customer engagements and internal initiatives.

• Act as a technical leader within customer engagements, guiding small teams of developers and driving projects to successful completion.

• Continuously learn and stay abreast of new AWS services, emerging technologies, and industry trends to identify opportunities for innovation and customer value.

• Identify opportunities to scale impact through internal initiatives, knowledge sharing, and mentoring junior team members.

📝 Enhancement Note: The core responsibility of "identifying opportunities to scale impact through internal and external facing initiatives" suggests a role that goes beyond direct customer delivery, involving thought leadership, content creation, and community building within the AWS ecosystem.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While not explicitly stated, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field is typically expected for roles of this seniority and technical depth.

Experience:

• Minimum of 3+ years in designing, implementing, or consulting on applications and infrastructures.

• Minimum of 8+ years of experience in specific technology domains such as software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, or data & analytics.

• A total of 10+ years of relevant professional experience is implied by the "Senior" title and combined experience requirements. Required Skills:

• Deep Technical Expertise: Proven ability to design, develop, and implement complex software solutions.

• Cloud Computing Proficiency: Strong understanding of cloud architectures, platforms, and services, with a significant portion of experience in AWS.

• Hands-on Development: Comfortable coding and building solutions, with experience in languages and frameworks relevant to cloud-native development.

• Prototyping & Experimentation: Demonstrated ability to quickly learn new technologies and build functional prototypes to explore the art of the possible.

• Customer Engagement: Experience working with customers to understand their needs, translate them into technical requirements, and deliver solutions.

• Problem-Solving: Ability to tackle ambiguous and complex technical challenges with a structured and analytical approach.

• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate technical concepts effectively to diverse audiences.

• Self-Management: Highly disciplined and self-guided, with strong time management skills to manage multiple projects and priorities effectively.

Preferred Skills:

• AWS Services Expertise: Experience designing and building applications using AWS services such as Lambda, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, and Kubernetes.

• Data & AI Technologies: 5+ years of experience with AI/ML, Generative AI (GenAI), Analytics, Databases, and/or Storage technologies.

• Solution Architecture: Experience in designing scalable, resilient, and cost-effective cloud solutions.

• Technical Leadership: Proven ability to lead technical discussions, mentor team members, and influence technical direction.

• Emerging Technologies: Familiarity with AR/VR/Spatial computing, IoT, and agentic design principles.

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Experience with tools like AWS CDK for defining and deploying infrastructure.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+ years" experience level, combined with specific requirements for 8+ years in technology domains and 3+ years in application design/consulting, strongly indicates that candidates with a long track record of technical innovation and customer-facing roles will be prioritized. The preferred qualifications point towards specialized expertise in cloud-native development and cutting-edge AI technologies.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Prototyping Projects: Showcase examples of rapid prototypes or proof-of-concepts developed for specific use cases, highlighting the problem, solution, and technologies used.

• Code Samples & Repositories: Provide access to code repositories (e.g., GitHub) demonstrating proficiency in relevant programming languages, AWS services, and IaC tools (like AWS CDK).

• Architectural Diagrams: Include diagrams illustrating the architecture of developed solutions, emphasizing scalability, resilience, and best practices.

• Impact & ROI Articulation: Clearly articulate the business value or technical feasibility validated by your prototypes, using metrics where possible to demonstrate impact.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Examples of how you've designed or optimized technical workflows for prototype development or customer solution implementation.

• System Implementation: Documentation or case studies detailing the implementation of solutions using AWS services, including configuration, deployment, and integration strategies.

• Performance Analysis: Evidence of how you've measured and analyzed the performance, efficiency, or effectiveness of your developed solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a role heavily focused on prototyping and customer engineering, a portfolio is crucial. Candidates should prepare to walk through 1-2 key projects that demonstrate their ability to quickly build functional solutions, articulate technical trade-offs, and convey business value. The emphasis on "6-week engagements" means showcasing speed and effectiveness is paramount.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Seattle, Washington: $153,600 - $207,800 USD annually

• Arlington, Virginia: $153,600 - $207,800 USD annually

• New York, New York: $169,000 - $228,600 USD annually

• Chicago, Illinois: $153,600 - $207,800 USD annually

• Dallas, Texas: $153,600 - $207,800 USD annually

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance package including medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.

• Basic Life & AD&D insurance with options for supplemental life plans.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and Mental Health Support.

• Medical Advice Line for quick health consultations.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for healthcare and dependent care expenses.

• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.

• 401(k) matching program to support retirement savings.

• Paid Time Off (PTO) for rest and personal time.

• Parental Leave to support new parents.

• Sign-on payments and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) as part of the total compensation package.

Working Hours: The role is listed with standard working hours, implying a 40-hour work week. However, given the customer-facing and prototype-driven nature of the role, flexibility and occasional extended hours may be required to meet customer deadlines and project milestones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided are competitive for Senior Solutions Developer/Engineer roles in these major US tech hubs, particularly for a company like Amazon. The "New York" range being higher reflects the higher cost of living and market demand in that area. The inclusion of sign-on bonuses and RSUs indicates a highly competitive total compensation structure beyond base salary.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cloud Computing / Technology / E-commerce / Artificial Intelligence. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a global leader in cloud infrastructure, offering a vast array of services that power businesses worldwide. The PACE team operates at the forefront of technological innovation, exploring new applications and solutions.

Company Size: Amazon is a massive global corporation (over 1 million employees), with AWS being a significant and rapidly growing division. This size offers immense resources, opportunities, and stability, but also requires navigating large organizational structures.

Founded: Amazon was founded in 1994. AWS was launched in 2006, revolutionizing the cloud computing landscape. The PACE team, as part of AWS, embodies Amazon's "Day 1" philosophy, emphasizing continuous innovation and customer obsession.

Team Structure:

• The Prototyping and Customer Engineering (PACE) team is a specialized group within AWS, focused on rapid solution development and customer adoption.

• Team members come from diverse backgrounds and experience levels, spanning various technical domains and geographical locations (US and EMEA).

• The team operates with a lean, agile approach, often forming small, project-specific teams for customer engagements.

• Collaboration is key, with frequent interaction between developers, Customer Success Managers, and subject matter specialists. Methodology:

• Customer-Centric Design: All activities are driven by customer needs and use cases, aiming to validate technical feasibility and accelerate adoption.

• Agile Prototyping: Emphasis on rapid iteration, building functional prototypes within short timeframes (e.g., 6 weeks).

• Data-Driven Validation: Utilizing prototypes to gather data, test hypotheses, and demonstrate the business value of AWS solutions.

• Continuous Learning & Experimentation: A culture that encourages exploring new technologies, experimenting with innovative approaches, and sharing knowledge.

Company Website: https://www.amazon.com/ | https://aws.amazon.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's culture is characterized by a strong emphasis on metrics, data-driven decision-making, and a high pace of innovation. For the PACE team, this translates into a need for individuals who can not only build technically sound prototypes but also demonstrate their value quantitatively and adapt quickly to evolving customer needs and technological advancements.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a "Senior Solutions Developer" within the Customer Engineering function of AWS. It signifies a highly experienced individual contributor with deep technical expertise and the ability to lead technically on customer engagements. This role is crucial for driving adoption of new AWS services and technologies by demonstrating their practical application.

Reporting Structure: While the exact reporting line isn't specified, senior technical roles like this typically report into a Manager or Director of Engineering/Customer Engineering. They work closely with Customer Success Managers and Solutions Architects, often collaborating with senior leaders from various customer organizations.

Operations Impact: The PACE team's work directly impacts AWS's ability to acquire and retain enterprise customers by demonstrating the power and potential of AWS services. By building successful prototypes and validating technical feasibility, this role helps de-risk adoption for customers, ultimately driving revenue and market share for AWS.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in rapidly evolving areas like Generative AI, Serverless, IoT, or AR/VR, becoming a recognized subject matter expert within AWS.

• Leadership Development: Progress into technical leadership roles, managing larger teams, or taking on more strategic customer engagements.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into broader Solutions Architecture, Product Management, or even Sales Engineering roles within AWS.

• Mentorship & Knowledge Sharing: Contribute to the growth of junior engineers through formal and informal mentorship, and by developing reusable assets and best practices.

• Industry Influence: Present at AWS events, contribute to technical publications, and influence the direction of AWS services based on customer feedback and prototype insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Senior" title and the nature of the work (prototyping, customer engagement) suggest a path for individuals who excel at individual contribution and technical leadership. The emphasis on learning new technologies and working with cutting-edge domains like GenAI provides clear avenues for continuous skill development and career advancement within the vast AWS ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role, indicating the expectation of working from one of Amazon's major office locations. The environment is likely to be a modern, collaborative office space designed to foster innovation and teamwork.

Office Location(s): The role is open across several major US tech hubs: Seattle, WA; Arlington, VA; New York, NY; Chicago, IL; and Dallas, TX. This offers candidates flexibility in choosing a location that best suits their needs.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices will feature open work areas, meeting rooms, and collaboration zones designed for team interaction and brainstorming.

• Technology-Rich Environment: Access to high-performance computing resources, development tools, and potentially specialized hardware for prototyping.

• Team Interaction: Regular opportunities to collaborate with a diverse group of engineers, architects, and customer representatives, both in person and virtually.

• Fast-Paced Innovation: The work environment supports Amazon's "Day 1" culture, encouraging experimentation and rapid iteration on new ideas.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is implied, the nature of customer-facing projects and prototyping often requires flexibility to meet project deadlines and customer availability. This may involve occasional extended hours or weekend work to ensure successful delivery.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "on-site" requirement suggests a preference for in-person collaboration, crucial for the rapid iteration and hands-on nature of prototyping. Candidates should expect a dynamic, high-energy workspace typical of major tech companies.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will likely review your application and conduct an initial phone screen to assess basic qualifications and fit.

• Technical Phone Screens: Expect one or more technical interviews focusing on core development skills, AWS knowledge, and problem-solving abilities.

These may involve coding challenges or architectural design questions.

• On-site/Virtual Loop: A comprehensive interview loop, typically involving 4-6 interviews with various team members and stakeholders. This will include:

  • Coding/Development Exercises: Hands-on coding challenges to assess practical implementation skills.
  • System Design & Architecture: Questions focused on designing scalable and resilient cloud solutions.
  • Prototyping Scenarios: Hypothetical customer use cases where you'll need to outline a prototyping approach, technologies, and potential outcomes.
  • Behavioral Questions: Assessing leadership, teamwork, customer obsession, and problem-solving through STAR method responses.
  • Portfolio Presentation: You will likely be asked to present 1-2 key projects from your portfolio, detailing your role, the challenge, the solution, and the impact.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final discussion with the hiring manager to assess overall fit, career aspirations, and alignment with team culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Selectively: Choose 2-3 of your strongest, most relevant projects that showcase your prototyping skills, technical breadth (especially AWS), and ability to deliver value quickly.

• Structure for Clarity: For each project, clearly outline:

  • The Problem: What customer need or technical challenge did you address?
  • Your Role: What specific contributions did you make?
  • The Solution: Describe the prototype, architecture, and key technologies used.
  • The Process: How did you approach development, iteration, and validation?
  • The Outcome/Impact: What was achieved? What was learned? What was the business value?

• Highlight AWS Expertise: Emphasize your use of AWS services, IaC (like CDK), and cloud-native development patterns.

• Focus on Generative AI (if applicable): If you have relevant GenAI projects, ensure they are prominently featured given the role's emphasis.

• Practice Your Pitch: Be prepared to present your projects concisely and engagingly within a limited timeframe. Anticipate follow-up questions about technical trade-offs, scalability, and future enhancements.

Challenge Preparation:

• AWS Services Deep Dive: Refresh your knowledge on core AWS services (Lambda, EC2, S3, IAM, etc.) and more advanced services relevant to AI/ML, Serverless, IoT, and containerization (Kubernetes).

• Coding Proficiency: Practice coding in languages common for AWS development (e.g., Python, Node.js, Java). Be ready for algorithm and data structure questions.

• System Design Principles: Review principles of distributed systems, scalability, fault tolerance, and cost optimization in the cloud.

• Behavioral Question Practice: Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for common leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving scenarios.

• Prototyping Mindset: Think about how you would approach building a quick, functional prototype for various hypothetical customer problems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "6-week engagement" timeframe is a critical clue for interview preparation. Candidates should be ready to discuss how they prioritize features, manage scope, and deliver tangible results under tight deadlines. The emphasis on "builder's mentality" means demonstrating hands-on capability and a proactive approach to problem-solving is key.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• AWS Services: Extensive use of core AWS services is expected. Specific mention of Lambda, Elastic Beanstalk, and Kubernetes highlights key areas of focus for application deployment and management.

• Generative AI / AI/ML Platforms: Experience with frameworks and services for building AI/ML models and applications, including Generative AI models and platforms.

• Programming Languages: Proficiency in languages commonly used for cloud development, such as Python, Node.js, Java, or Go.

• Infrastructure as Code (IaC): AWS CDK (Cloud Development Kit) is explicitly mentioned, indicating a strong preference for defining and deploying infrastructure programmatically.

• Containerization Technologies: Kubernetes is mentioned, suggesting experience with container orchestration. Docker is likely also relevant.

Analytics & Reporting:

• AWS Analytics Services: Familiarity with services like Amazon S3 for data storage, AWS Glue for ETL, Amazon Athena for querying data, and potentially Amazon QuickSight for visualization.

• Performance Monitoring: Tools for monitoring application performance and infrastructure health within AWS (e.g., CloudWatch).

CRM & Automation:

• While not explicitly mentioned for this role, understanding how prototypes integrate with customer systems or CRM platforms could be beneficial.

• Automation within development workflows (CI/CD pipelines) is likely expected.

📝 Enhancement Note: The technology stack leans heavily towards AWS native services and modern cloud-native development practices. A strong command of serverless (Lambda), containerization (Kubernetes), IaC (CDK), and the rapidly evolving Generative AI landscape is essential. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience with these technologies in detail.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A core Amazon principle. The PACE team embodies this by working directly with customers to solve their problems and accelerate their success with AWS.

• Bias for Action: Encouraging quick decision-making and rapid prototyping to move projects forward efficiently.

• Invent and Simplify: Continuously seeking innovative solutions and finding ways to make complex technical challenges simpler for customers.

• Deliver Results: A strong focus on achieving tangible outcomes and demonstrating business value through developed prototypes.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for projects and driving them to completion, acting as a trusted advisor to customers.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration with various AWS teams, including Sales, Solutions Architecture, Product Management, and Customer Success.

• Agile & Iterative: Working in short cycles, incorporating feedback quickly, and adapting to changing requirements.

• Knowledge Sharing: An environment that encourages sharing learnings, best practices, and technical insights across the team and with customers.

• Mentorship: Senior members actively mentor junior team members, fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional development.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's core leadership principles are deeply ingrained in its culture. For this role, demonstrating Customer Obsession, Bias for Action, and a drive to Invent and Simplify will be critical for aligning with the team's values and operational ethos.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Rapid Technology Evolution: Keeping pace with the fast-changing landscape of cloud computing, AI/ML, and Generative AI requires continuous learning and adaptation.

• Diverse Customer Needs: Addressing a wide range of industry verticals and unique customer challenges demands broad technical knowledge and creative problem-solving.

• Tight Deadlines: Delivering functional prototypes within short engagement periods (e.g., 6 weeks) requires efficient planning, execution, and prioritization.

• Ambiguity: Working with new technologies and exploring uncharted technical territory often involves dealing with ambiguity and defining solutions from scratch.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge Technologies: Direct exposure to and hands-on experience with the latest advancements in AI/ML, Generative AI, Serverless, and IoT.

• AWS Ecosystem Mastery: Deepening expertise across the vast portfolio of AWS services and solutions.

• Professional Development: Access to Amazon's extensive training resources, internal workshops, and opportunities for certifications.

• Industry Exposure: Working with a diverse set of enterprise customers across various industries provides broad market and application insights.

• Mentorship Programs: Opportunities to learn from and be mentored by senior leaders within AWS.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge and growth opportunity are intertwined: mastering rapidly evolving technologies like Generative AI and applying them to solve real-world customer problems. Success in this role hinges on a proactive learning mindset and the ability to translate complex technical possibilities into customer value.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to quickly learn a new technology to solve a customer's problem. How did you approach it, and what was the outcome?" (Assesses learning agility, problem-solving, and customer focus)

• "Walk us through a complex prototype you built. What was the technical challenge, how did you design and implement it, and what business value did it provide?" (Assesses prototyping skills, technical depth, and value articulation)

• "Imagine a large enterprise wants to explore Generative AI for customer support. How would you approach building a proof-of-concept within 6 weeks?" (Assesses strategic thinking, technical approach, scope management, and GenAI understanding) Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do you embody Amazon's 'Customer Obsession' principle in your work?" (Assesses cultural alignment)

• "Describe a situation where you had to work with ambiguity. How did you navigate it?" (Assesses comfort with uncertainty and problem-solving)

• "How do you ensure your technical solutions align with business objectives?" (Assesses business acumen and value-driven approach) Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the "So what?" – the business impact, technical validation, or customer adoption facilitated.

• Highlight Your Role: Be specific about your individual contributions, even within a team context.

• Technical Deep Dive (as needed): Be prepared to answer detailed questions about your architectural choices, trade-offs, and implementation details.

• Showcase Speed & Agility: Emphasize how you delivered value quickly, especially if the project was time-bound.

• Connect to PACE Mission: Frame your projects in the context of helping customers explore new technical grounds and accelerate adoption.

📝 Enhancement Note: Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just technical proficiency but also a strong understanding of customer needs and business outcomes. The ability to articulate complex technical concepts simply and persuasively, especially in the context of prototyping and emerging technologies, will be key.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs portal, ensuring your resume highlights your extensive experience in software development, cloud computing (especially AWS), and customer-facing roles.

• Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to emphasize experience with prototyping, rapid development cycles, specific AWS services (Lambda, Kubernetes, Elastic Beanstalk), and any work with AI/ML or Generative AI. Quantify achievements wherever possible (e.g., "Reduced prototype development time by X%," "Validated technical feasibility for Y customer").

• Prepare Your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most compelling projects that demonstrate your prototyping capabilities, technical depth, and ability to deliver rapid solutions. Be ready to present these with clear explanations of the problem, your solution, and the impact.

• Practice Interview Responses: Rehearse answers to common technical, behavioral, and situational questions, particularly those related to customer engagement, problem-solving, and working with new technologies. Use the STAR method for behavioral questions.

• Research AWS & PACE: Familiarize yourself with Amazon's leadership principles, AWS's core offerings, and the specific mission of the PACE team. Understand current trends in cloud computing and AI/ML.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.