Director of Software Development - Language Foundations, Software Builder Experience

Description

Amazon Software Builder Experience (ASBX), started in 2022, is working to make Amazon the best place to build software. Every day, hundreds of thousands of Amazon software builders rely on us for the tools they build with, and for the technology, training, and community behind them. One of our most important responsibilities is shaping the language ecosystem, both inside Amazon and across the open-source community, to improve the experience for every software builder.

The Role
We are seeking a Director of Software Development to lead Language Foundations, the organization that owns Amazon's programming-languages strategy across our strategic languages (Java, Rust, Python, TypeScript, Go, C/C++, Kotlin, and Swift) and represents that strategy to the language community: the engineers who specialize in language design, compilation, and optimization, along with standards bodies and the open-source ecosystems Amazon depends on. This leader recruits and leads some of the world's foremost language specialists, many of them Principal Engineers with deep standing in their fields.

Language Foundations shapes and influences the direction of the world's most critical programming languages. Amazon sits on the Rust Foundation board, is one of the distributors of OpenJDK (Amazon Corretto), and sponsors resident engineers who are among the top contributors in their communities. This leader is central to Amazon's large-scale language modernization, owning the tooling and language foundations that enable teams to move to modern languages and runtimes and transform the performance, efficiency, and safety of the software they run. It is simultaneously a community-shaping and an internal-modernization challenge: strengthening the ecosystems that Amazon and the industry rely on, while helping modernize some of the largest services in the world.

Key job responsibilities
● Own the vision, strategy, and multi-year roadmap for Language Foundations, connecting it to builder impact: code quality, reliability, security, performance, and the enablement of agent-supervised development.
● Deliver best-in-class support for Amazon's strategic languages (Java, Rust, Python, TypeScript, Go, C/C++, Kotlin, and Swift), aligning internal toolchains with industry conventions so builders and agents work on modern runtimes out of the box.
● Lead Amazon's language modernization through the tooling and language foundations that transform the performance, efficiency, and safety of the software teams build and run, including large-scale Rust and Java runtime investments.
● Build the trusted, secure repository for the third-party software Amazon depends on, curating out unmaintained and vulnerable dependencies so builders start from a safe default.
● Shape the external direction of strategic programming languages through Amazon's participation in standards bodies, foundations (e.g., the Rust Foundation, OpenJDK), and the open-source community, while maintaining the cultural norms of those communities.
● Lead and grow a multi-team engineering organization: recruit and develop world-class language specialists and Principal Engineers and build the leadership bench.
● Influence strategy and technical direction at the most senior levels of the company through clear written narrative and data; briefs at CEO-level reviews.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent work experience.
- 10+ years of software development experience, including systems software, compilers, language runtimes, or developer toolchains.
- 5+ years managing people, with 3+ years managing multiple managers or teams.
- Experience developing long-term technical vision and strategy and influencing leadership decisions.
- Experience delivering large-scale technical programs across multiple teams or organizations.

Preferred Qualifications

- Master's or PhD in Computer Science or Engineering, with 10+ years of relevant experience.
- A leadership position on a team delivering solutions at Amazon or industry scale.
- Proven track record of attracting, developing, and retaining top language and systems specialists, including engineers with standing in the open-source community.
- Active participation in the language community, including membership or leadership in standards bodies, foundations, or major open-source projects.
- Deep expertise in programming language design, runtimes, compilers, or developer ecosystems, with recognized standing in the language community.
- Experience leading large-scale language or platform migrations in complex, multi-service environments.

Amazon 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.

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.