Are you passionate about Linux kernel development or have an interest in low-level or embedded software development? Then this position in the EC2 CoreO team is for you. ​

Who we are: We are the EC2 CoreO Team. We own the AWS burstable instance types (T). T instances are the low cost burstable general purpose instance type that provide a baseline level of CPU performance with the ability to burst CPU usage at any time for as long as required.

What you will do: You will work alongside talented software engineers solving challenging problems whilst taking ownership of key projects. We do some really groundbreaking work on the CPU scheduler to give our customers the best compute experience at the lowest cost, making T instance types the preferred platform for most customer workloads.

Why it matters: EC2, while a mature business, is still growing at an incredibly fast rate. Your job will be to ensure we build the right platform to enable the best customer experience at the cheapest rate.

Why you’ll love it: This is an exciting team that provides plenty of space to innovate and grow. You will have ownership, not just responsibility.

Key job responsibilities

As a Software Development Engineer, you’ll be responsible to build and operate core EC2 infrastructure that runs on the hardware that enables launches of thousands of EC2 instances every day.

As an experienced engineer in this team, you will play an active role in developing high quality software designs & solutions to complex problems. You are successful at working autonomously in delivering software. You work with your team to invent, design and build software that is stable and performant. You write code that is easy to understand and your solutions are pragmatic. You regularly evaluate and improve your team’s internal development processes.

Proficiency in at least one modern programming language, such as C, C++, Rust or Java is required.

A day in the life

Work/Life Balance

Most of our team is based in Cape Town. Currently we work mostly remotely with the option of going to the office. This can change and will be aligned to Amazon’s future remote work policy. From time-to-time, we work with our colleagues across the world meaning we accommodate the different time zones.

On-Call Responsibility

We rotate our on-call responsibilities which means that every 4-6 weeks, you would need to be contactable outside of office hours, however, due to the team largely focusing on investigations and monitoring, this rarely happens.

Mentorship & Career Growth

Our team is dedicated to supporting new team members. Our team has a broad mix of experience levels and Amazon tenures, and we’re building an environment that celebrates knowledge sharing and mentorship.

About the team

The EC2 CoreO team forms part of the EC2 organisation in Cape Town. You will have the opportunity to work with the some of the best engineers in virtualization and kernel development. The team has specialised skills in CPU oversubscription and many of the senior engineers have been around since the inception of EC2.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Computer Science, Engineering or related field or relevant work experience.
• 2-5 years professional experience in commercial or web-scale system software development and delivery

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree or equivalent is plus
• A good understanding of Windows and Linux operating systems
• A basic understanding of virtualization or hypervisors

Amazon is an equal opportunities employer, and we value your passion to discover, invent, simplify and build. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, sex, disability, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief. Amazon is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from South African citizens who are members of designated groups who may contribute to Employment Equity within the workplace and the further diversification of ideas.

In this regard, the relevant laws and principles associated with Employment Equity will be considered when appointing potential candidates. We are required by law to verify your ability to work lawfully in South Africa. Amazon requires that you submit a copy of either your identity document or your passport and any applicable work permit if you are a foreign national, along with an updated curriculum vitae.