Software Development Engineer, Hydro

Want to help advance the state of the art in open source distributed programming, AI agents and scalable systems? We’re looking for engineers to join the leaders of the open source Hydro framework for Rust, solving novel problems at the intersection of distributed systems and AI. Much like Rust originally guaranteed memory safety, Hydro provides distributed safety: compile-time checks that prevent a wide class of distributed bugs. The Hydro team is working with novel compiler, AI and distributed systems technologies—including deep integrations with the Rust type system, formal verification techniques, agentic code generation and distributed system optimizations. As a member of this team, you will work on developing novel features for Hydro driven by our customers, in collaboration with the open source community and research partners. Challenges remain in compiler design, distributed-aware AI agent design and distributed systems engineering—all while meeting AWS's exacting standards for scale, reliability, and security. Your impact will be immediate and visible in both open source and coding agents. You'll ship features that directly improve how developers work. You can expect to engage with AWS-internal customers from critical cloud services, and external customers as well. From day one, you'll have opportunities to lead—whether that's owning projects, defining technical direction, or shaping how the team operates. This is your chance to work with the next generation of technologies for intelligent, cloud-scale software engineering.Key job responsibilitiesYou'll work on the open source Hydro framework and its integration with Amazon's Kiro family of coding agents. Working directly with customers running some of the world's biggest distributed systems, you'll uncover real-world development challenges and translate them into product capabilities—staying true to Amazon's customer-obsessed approach. You'll build and deploy novel software engineering technology, advancing the safety, reliability and simplicity of building the cloud-scale software our customers demand. Your responsibilities span the full lifecycle: from compiler technologies to agent training and steering to scalable deployment. You'll balance innovation with operational excellence, making technical choices that enable Hydro open source and Kiro agents to work smoothly for a wide class of developers while meeting AWS's standards for scale and security.A day in the lifeYou will engage with teammates on software engineering in Hydro, engage with internal customers to enable their success using Hydro, and engage with open-source users and contributors publicly.About the teamYou'll join a team that bridges novel research and production engineering. We collaborate closely with UC Berkeley's Hydro research group, where the framework originated, maintaining strong ties to the academic community while building commercial-grade software. Our team culture emphasizes open source collaboration—you'll work directly with external contributors, engage with the broader Rust community, and help shape the future of distributed programming in the open. We value both deep technical expertise and the ability to translate research innovations into practical tools that developers love.Basic qualifications- 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience- 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience- 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience- Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team- 3+ years working on concurrent, parallel or distributed systems OR 3+ years working on compilers (LLVM, GraalVM, etc.) or modern build tools (Nix, Bazel, etc.)Preferred qualification - 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience- Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent- Fluency in Rust- - Experience building complex software systems that have been successfully delivered to customers- Experience leveraging AI based development tools to build production softwareAmazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.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 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 .USA, CA, San Francisco - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually