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Kernel/Hypervisor Engineer, EC2 Core Compute

Amazon

Santa Clara, CAJob$165–224K/yrSeen 1w agoSeen in employer's feed 2 days ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$165–224K/yr
Location
Santa Clara, CA
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Amazon’s EC2 Core Compute team develops the EC2 Nitro Hypervisor and other components at the lowest layer of the AWS software stack. The engineer will build virtualization solutions, operate hardware and off-host software, and help develop new EC2 instance families. The role also contributes to the team’s technical roadmap and works with hardware, software, and firmware teams to improve hypervisor quality and platform operations.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

LinuxSoftware DevelopmentEmbedded DevelopmentC/C++Computer ArchitectureSystem ArchitectureDesign PatternsReliabilityScalingUNIX/LinuxLinux Operating SystemsVirtualizationHypervisorsVMwareXenLinux/RHELKernel DevelopmentCUTLASSFlashInferInterrupt Service Routines

Qualifications

Professional Software Development Experience

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off
Parental Leave

Full job description

Description

EC2 Core Compute is looking for an experienced Kernel & Hypervisor Engineer for one of our virtualization organizations. As part of the team, you will be given the chance to have a significant impact on our systems, our business and most importantly our customers, working in diverse work environment with a flexible schedule.

You will be building the lowest layer of the Amazon Web Services software stack, developing the EC2 Nitro Hypervisor for AWS, operating the hardware and off-host software components and engineering new EC2 Nitro instance families. You will have the opportunity to innovate, make new engineering proposals, and explore new areas.

For more information please feel free to visit https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/nitro/

Utility Computing (UC)

AWS Utility Computing (UC) provides product innovations — from foundational services such as Amazon’s Simple Storage Service (S3) and Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), to consistently released new product innovations that continue to set AWS’s services and features apart in the industry. As a member of the UC organization, you’ll support the development and management of Compute, Database, Storage, Internet of Things (Iot), Platform, and Productivity Apps services in AWS, including support for customers who require specialized security solutions for their cloud services.

Key job responsibilities

  • Take end to end ownership of the software development life cycle: You will build new solutions across the virtualization software stack; developing virtualization components and automating infrastructure flows. This includes design, testing and deployment.

  • Drive operational excellence, improving the quality of the hypervisor and our instance platforms.

  • Influence and contribute to the technological roadmap of your team.

  • Work with other EC2 teams like hardware, software and firmware groups across the globe, driving innovative solutions.

  • Openness to leveraging AI tools and technologies to enhance productivity and technical problem-solving.

A day in the life

You will:

  • Work with your manager and other engineers in delivering to the roadmap.

  • Focus on high quality delivery and operational excellence.

  • Solve technical challenges impacting our customers.

About the team

EC2 Core Compute has a two-fold mission:

  • Leave no customer workload on-premises by engineering new EC2 instance families with latest generation of CPUs

  • Build the most secure, performant and feature-rich virtualization technology in the cloud.

About AWS

Diverse Experiences

AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.

Why AWS?

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.

Inclusive Team Culture

AWS values curiosity and connection. Our employee-led and company-sponsored affinity groups promote inclusion and empower our people to take pride in what makes us unique. Our inclusion events foster stronger, more collaborative teams. Our continual innovation is fueled by the bold ideas, fresh perspectives, and passionate voices our teams bring to everything we do.

Mentorship & Career Growth

We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.

Work/Life Balance

We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

Basic Qualifications

  • Experience working with Linux

  • Experience in professional, non-internship software development, or experience in embedded development in C/C+- Experience in computer architecture, or experience leading the architecture and design (architecture, design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and current systems

  • Knowledge of UNIX/Linux operating system

Preferred Qualifications

  • 4+ years of Linux operating systems experience

  • Experience with virtualization (Hypervisors, VMware, Xen), or experience in Linux/RHEL

  • Experience in performant kernel development (CUTLASS, FlashInfer), or experience with interrupt service routines

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, SANTA CLARA - 165,200.00 - 223,600.00 USD annually

How this job compares

Set against the 42,014 open Software Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 7, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$165–224K/yr
  • California median$165–247K/yr7,795 salary ranges
  • US median$135–219K/yr33,394 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $194K, is 5% below the California median midpoint ($205K) — in the middle half of Software Engineer salary ranges in California.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 9,716 open Software Engineer jobs in California and 42,014 across the US. 8% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in California
Experience
Software Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 3 to 7 years (34,413 postings).
Education
13,315 of the 42,014 open Software Engineer jobs (32%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 7, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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