Software Development Manager - Core distro, Amazon Linux

Amazon is looking to hire an experienced engineering leader to lead our core packaging teams within the Amazon Linux organization. Amazon Linux is a Linux distribution optimized for AWS, powering millions of EC2 instances worldwide. This role focuses on leading teams responsible for building, maintaining, and delivering RPM packages for foundational components.

The successful candidate will own own the end-to-end delivery of high-quality, secure, and performant packages that enable developers to build and run applications efficiently on AWS. As an SDM, you will combine strong technical expertise in Linux systems and packaging with exceptional people management skills to drive innovation, scalability, and operational excellence in a fast-paced environment.

After joining, you will quickly become a key partner to the leadership team, where you will understand its core business goals and priorities. In the first three months, you will review existing processes and understand them. You will be guiding your team of initially 8-12 engineers to collaborate with internal teams and the Open Source community.

In the upcoming months, you will drive continual improvements to the efficiency and flexibility of the platform while keeping a high bar for security and availability. You will own key parts of the software stack that is running on most Amazon servers worldwide.

Key job responsibilities

Lead and manage a team of software development engineers focused on RPM package maintenance, building, testing, and release for core components such as compilers, linkers, debuggers, and related toolchains.

Own the technical roadmap, architecture, and delivery of packaging pipelines, ensuring packages are secure, reproducible, and optimized for performance on AWS architectures.

Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including kernel engineers, security teams, and AWS service owners, to prioritize features, resolve dependencies, and address customer pain points.

Hire, mentor, coach, and develop top engineering talent; foster an inclusive team culture focused on innovation and high standards.

Partner with product management and stakeholders to define priorities, working backwards from customer needs (e.g., developer productivity, compatibility, security).

Influence long-term strategy for Amazon Linux packaging, including tools, processes, and contributions to open-source projects.

Ensure operational excellence: monitoring, incident response, and continuous improvement of build and release systems.

Communicate effectively with senior leadership on progress, risks, and technical designs.