Hardware Development Engineer - Storage, AWS Nitro SSD

AWS Hardware Engineering Services support all AWS data centers and all of the servers, storage, networking, power, and cooling equipment that ensure our customers have continual access to the innovation they rely on. We work on the most challenging problems, with thousands of variables impacting the supply chain — and we’re looking for talented people who want to help.

You’ll join a diverse team of software, hardware, and network engineers, supply chain specialists, security experts, operations managers, and other vital roles. You’ll collaborate with people across AWS to help us deliver the highest standards for safety and security while providing seemingly infinite capacity at the lowest possible cost for our customers. And you’ll experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.

The AWS Hardware Engineering team is driving rapid innovation in the server and storage infrastructure used by Amazon Web Services. Our designs are industry-leading in frugality and operational excellence, and are critical to the success of the AWS business and the more than one million customers who use AWS today. Our Firmware Engineers solve challenging technology problems, and build architecturally sound, high-quality components to enable AWS to realize critical business strategies. 


We are seeking experienced Hardware Design Engineers to build the next generation of our Nitro SSD hardware platform that is deployed through various storage platforms across their entire lifespan from inception to retirement. As noted in re:Invent 2021, Nitro SSD is the fastest growing vertically integrated NAND flash based storage solution at AWS.

What you will do: As a member of the Storage Hardware Engineering team you will be responsible for the design of our storage platforms and AWS specific hardware components. You will interact with engineers across the company, and work with an interdisciplinary team to execute product designs from concept to production including design, development, validation, and the successful implementation of your work at large scale. You’ll provide leadership in the application of new technologies to large scale server deployments in a continuous effort to deliver a world-class customer experience. This is a fast-paced, intellectually challenging position, and you’ll work with thought leaders in multiple technology areas. You’ll have high standards for yourself and everyone you work with, and you’ll be constantly looking for ways to improve your products performance, quality and cost. We’re changing an industry, and we want individuals who are ready for this challenge and want to reach beyond what is possible today.

Why it matters: Public cloud IT services represent the majority of growth in the overall IT services market and will continue to do so for several years to come. The scale of AWS, combined with an understanding of how our hardware is used, creates a unique opportunity for hardware customizations that will directly benefit our customers.

Why you will love it: You will work directly with engineers across the company to enable the rapid development of next-generation storage solutions.
You will have a direct impact on our bottom line and the ability to deliver improvements for our customers. You will be part of a growing, fast paced, and fun team. You will have ownership for the implementation of your work.


Key job responsibilities
As the member of Nitro SSD hardware team, you will participate in the full hardware design and product development lifecycle for Nitro SSD, including high-speed mixed signal board design, component selection, validation, qualification, operations and sustain. The team drives platform integration and continuity of supply of the Nitro SSD product and associated system integration elements. As the Cloud Hardware Dev Engineer II, you will closely work with Platform Storage teams, Annapurna teams, Commodity and Supply-chain teams and our firmware and storage software teams to deliver bar-raising vertically integrated storage solutions for our customers. You will work with CM's and ODM's to drive the quality, availability and yields for the platform.

A day in the life
Drive product design, integration, qualification, launch and sustain of the Nitro SSD hardware and associated server integration elements. Work closely with Platform and Annapurna teams to define long-term product roadmap and deliver differentiated value-adds for our customers. Work with Supply chain, Manufacturing Quality, CM's and ODM's to ensure continuity of supply and cost optimization while raising the quality bar for the product.

About the team
Nitro SSD teams are distributed across Seattle, Cupertino, and Austin. The team builds and operates the Nitro SSD storage solution that is used by EC2 and EBS to deliver high performance, low-latency scalable storage for AWS customers.

Basic Qualifications

- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent
- 2+ years of experience in hardware design and development of high volume storage solutions and SSD.

Preferred Qualifications

- Master's degree in electrical engineering or equivalent
- 5-7+ years of experience in storage component and/or platform design (PCB Schematic and Layout) and architecture for large scale applications.
- 5-7+ years of hands-on hardware design, debug, operational and customer support experience with NAND Flash based storage systems.
- Deep expertise with one or more of the following protocol stacks including block storage (NVMe, SAS/SATA), networking (Ethernet, TCP/IP) and interfaces (PCIe, I2C, ONFI, DDR, and NAND).
- Experience with deploying and operating hardware and Cloud applications across large data centers within infrastructure constraints.
- Able to work in a diverse team.
- Meets/exceeds Amazon’s leadership principles requirements for this role
- Meets/exceeds Amazon’s functional/technical depth and complexity for this role

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.

USA, CA, Cupertino - 157,300.00 - 212,800.00 USD annually