Unified Authorization is responsible for securing customer and corporate communication across all of Amazon. Whether it's the retail website, Alexa, Prime Video, or Kindle, we ensure actors are authenticated and authorized to take the requested action. Every aspect of Amazon's business interacts with our systems, including enabling the next generation of retail services on AWS infrastructure. As a global security provider, we're at the intersection of resiliency, availability, and the need to move at agile internet speed.
You are an experienced development leader to lead a team of software development engineers. You work closely with product management and other business partners to define strategy and requirements, and lead development teams from concept through delivery and subsequent operation. You have regular communication with senior management on status, risks and product strategy. You have excellent listening, writing skills and very strong technical competency. You're a thought leader, but you don't just know how to solve the problem, you prove it by leading team to build the solution. Last but not the least; you have a high bar for code quality and passion for design and architecture.
As the ideal candidate you will be experienced in leading a team of software development engineers and have a proven track record of shipping complex software solutions through an agile methodology. You will have the ability to dive deep into the understanding of problems in order to help your team make the right technical decisions for the product and the business. You will have a proven track record of working across organizational lines. You will also be a strong communicator and will have proven abilities in managing through ambiguous situations.
Key job responsibilities
As a Senior Manager, Software Development, you will lead multiple engineering teams responsible for building and operating critical authorization services that protect customer and corporate resources across Amazon. You will define long-term technical and organizational strategy, drive execution of large-scale initiatives, and ensure the delivery of highly available, secure, and scalable systems that operate at Amazon scale.
You will partner closely with Product Management, Security, AWS, and business leaders across Amazon to define roadmaps, align investments, and deliver solutions that simplify secure access for millions of users, services, devices, and emerging AI-powered applications. You will influence technical direction across organizational boundaries, balancing innovation, operational excellence, and customer trust.
You will be responsible for developing engineering leaders and building high-performing teams by hiring exceptional talent, setting a high bar for technical excellence, and fostering a culture of ownership, accountability, and continuous learning. You will mentor managers and senior engineers, helping them grow their technical depth, leadership capabilities, and business impact.
You will establish mechanisms to ensure operational excellence, resiliency, security, and compliance for mission-critical services. You will regularly review architecture, software quality, and operational metrics, driving improvements that enhance reliability, availability, and developer productivity.
Successful candidates will demonstrate strong business judgment, exceptional communication skills, and the ability to lead through ambiguity. They will combine strategic thinking with technical depth, diving deep when necessary while maintaining focus on long-term organizational outcomes. They will have a proven track record of delivering complex distributed systems, influencing senior stakeholders, and leading organizations through periods of growth and transformation.
About the team
Unified Auth secures every service transaction within Amazon SDO’s service-oriented architecture by authenticating services, authorizing API access, and enforcing least-privilege access to business data such as Cart, Orders, Customer Identity, and Employee Information. Classified as a Maximally Secure Application, it governs access across all Amazon services. A single customer interaction (e.g., checkout) spans tens to hundreds of inter-service calls that must be secured and observed. Stores, Alexa, Prime Video, Ads, Selling Partners, Payments, Fulfillment, and internal systems rely on Unified Auth to meet evolving security and privacy standards, including DMA, GDPR, and SOC 2 Type II.
- 10+ years of engineering experience
- 5+ years of engineering team management experience
- 10+ years of planning, designing, developing and delivering consumer software experience
- Experience partnering with product or program management teams
- Experience managing multiple concurrent programs, projects and development teams in an Agile environment
- Experience partnering with product and program management teams
- Experience designing and developing large scale, high-traffic applications
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.
