The role
From Amazon's own posting.
MONA builds and operates the management plane, out-of-band (OOB) network, and automation systems that keep AWS's global network infrastructure running. Today that means the tooling and platforms network engineers and automated systems use to deploy, monitor, and remediate the physical and logical network ,spanning device management, out-of-band connectivity, Initial Access and network automation at scale.
But the bigger opportunity ahead of us is bigger than keeping the lights on: we are building the next generation of management networks for AWS, purpose-built to support Resilient Network Graphs (RNG), Machine Learning, and Intent-Driven Controls. That means designing and developing controllers across every layer of the business, from device-level control planes to fleet-wide orchestration systems and using software, not manual process, to solve problems that have historically been solved by people, runbooks, and tickets. This is a green-field, product-building mandate as much as an operations one: we want engineers who see a recurring network problem and build a product to solve it, not just a fix.
We're hiring a Software Development Manager to lead a team based in San Jose, combining software engineers and network development engineers. This is a hybrid technical/network organization: you'll manage people who write production automation and controller software alongside engineers who own network-facing systems and integrations, and you're expected to be credible with both disciplines. You'll set the technical bar for how we design controllers, and the product bar for how we turn internal network pain points into reusable solutions for the rest of AWS.
Key job responsibilities
Own delivery and technical direction for a team of SDEs and NDEs designing and building the next generation of management network controllers, spanning device, fabric, and fleet-level control planes
- Set technical strategy for evolving MONA's network platforms to support Resilient Network Graphs (RNG), Machine Learning, and Intent-Driven Controls, moving from manual/runbook-driven operations to software-driven, intent-based control loops
- Drive a product mindset on the team: identify recurring network problems across the business, turn them into reusable controllers and platforms, and own their adoption as internal products with real customers
- Partner with peer SDMs, NDMs and Sr. Managers across MONA's other sub-teams to align controller architecture, roadmaps, and dependencies
- Drive hiring, performance management, and career growth for a team spanning two disciplines (software and network engineering)
- Represent SJC-based engineering in org-wide planning, ensuring the site has a strong technical voice in controller architecture and prioritization decisions
- Balance operational excellence (on-call, incident response, fleet health) with delivery of new controller products and automation roadmaps
- Contribute to MONA's broader network, using data (dwell times, ticket throughput, fleet growth) to decide which network problems get solved with a new controller/product vs. incremental automation
A day in the life
You start with fleet signals, a change shipped caught a degrading link before it became an incident, and you dig into the one case it missed. Mid-morning is a design review on how customers are actually utilizing the network and planning port capacity, and how that translates into clean platform API contracts between device-level hardware and controller software. Afternoons mix cross-team architecture alignment with peer SDMs, 1:1s and promotion coaching, and strategising how to present your team's progress and roadmap to leadership. You close the day deciding which recurring network problem becomes the next product.
About the team
MONA sits inside AWS Network Fabric Engineering (NFE) and owns the management plane, out-of-band networks, and automation that keep AWS's global network running. The org currently spans four sub-teams, expanding to six, each a blend of network and software engineers working side by side rather than in separate disciplines. This role leads the San Jose site, one of four hubs alongside Sydney, Seattle, and Dublin, reporting to the Sr. Manager for MONA. The fleet is growing fast (545K to 985K devices by end of 2027), and the team's mandate is shifting from keeping that growth operable to redesigning the control layer underneath it.
- 3+ years of engineering team management experience
- 7+ years of working directly within engineering teams experience
- 3+ years of designing or architecting (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience
- Knowledge of engineering practices and patterns for the full software/hardware/networks development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, certification, and livesite operations
- Experience partnering with product or program management teams
- Experience in recruiting, hiring, mentoring/coaching and managing teams of Software Engineers to improve their skills, and make them more effective, product software engineers
- Experience in communicating with users, other technical teams, and senior leadership to collect requirements, describe software product features, technical designs, and product strategy
- Experience with large-scale fleet management, automation-driven operations, or SLO/operational excellence frameworks
- Background in network operations, data center infrastructure, or Network engineering
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.
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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, CA, Santa Clara - 212,700.00 - 287,700.00 USD annually