Specialist Solutions Architect

Are you a builder that lives and breathes PostgreSQL? Have you spent years tuning vacuum behavior, diagnosing lock contention under heavy OLTP workloads, reasoning about query planner decisions, managing replication topologies, and guiding large-scale migrations from commercial engines like Oracle and SQL Server? Are you the person your organization turns to when a Postgres system is misbehaving at 3 AM and when leadership needs a whiteboard session on where the data platform is headed next? As a Specialist Solutions Architect for Aurora PostgreSQL, you will be the technical authority that AWS's largest and most complex customers rely on to architect, migrate, and operate PostgreSQL workloads on Amazon Aurora and Amazon RDS.

This is not a generalist database role. You will focus on Aurora PostgreSQL, going deep where others go broad. You will partner directly with customer engineers and CTOs to design well architected production architectures that hold up under real-world pressure and the operational patterns that distinguish battle-tested Postgres practitioners from those with only surface-level familiarity. You will have experience with migrations (Oracle/SQL Server/on premises Postgres to Aurora). You will collaborate closely with the Aurora service team to surface customer patterns, escalate feature gaps, and drive the product roadmap on behalf of the customers you serve.

Equally important, you will operate as a thought leader and force multiplier across the broader Specialist SA organization, mentoring teammates, publishing technical content, presenting at AWS re:Invent and AWS Summits, and establishing repeatable frameworks that raise the bar for PostgreSQL engagements worldwide.

Key job responsibilities
• Serve as the technical advisor for AWS's key customers running or migrating to Aurora PostgreSQL and RDS for PostgreSQL, providing hands-on architectural guidance from design through production operation.
• Guide customers on Aurora PostgreSQL operational best practices including performance & scaling, high availability & durability, monitoring & observability, maintenance & patching, backup & recovery, security and operational hygiene
• Design and validate Aurora PostgreSQL architectures that leverage Aurora-specific capabilities including storage auto-scaling, read replica scaling, Global Database, HA/DR, Serverless, ensuring customers realize the full value of the platform.
• Partner with the Aurora service team as the voice of the customer, surfacing recurring pain points, advocating for feature enhancements, and participating in roadmap reviews.
• Engage with customer engineers in whiteboard sessions, architecture reviews, and technical deep dives, providing candid guidance and pushing back diplomatically when a proposed design will not hold up at scale.
• Develop and publish technical thought leadership content including blogs, reference architectures, white papers, and re-usable artifacts, that elevate the broader PostgreSQL community on AWS.
• Advise customers complex database migrations (Oracle, SQL Server, and other engines to Aurora PostgreSQL).
• Present at key industry events including AWS re:Invent, AWS Summits, PostgreSQL community conferences (PGConf, PGDay), and customer-facing workshops.
• Stay current with PostgreSQL community developments (new major versions, extensions ecosystem, community tooling) and translate those advancements into actionable guidance for AWS customers.

About the team
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

- 8+ years of specific technology domain areas (e.g. software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, data & analytics) experience
- 3+ years of design, implementation, or consulting in applications and infrastructures experience
- 10+ years of IT development or implementation/consulting in the software or Internet industries experience
- Hands on experience with Aurora PostgreSQL, RDS for PostgreSQL, or significant hands-on time with AWS database and migration services (DMS, SCT).
- Led migrations to Aurora as the technical owner.
- Experience with Aurora-specific features: storage architecture, fast cloning, Global Database, Performance/Database Insights, and Blue/Green Deployments.
- Experience architecting or operating PostgreSQL solutions at scale (multi-TB databases, tens of thousands of connections, cross-region replication).
- Have software development experience (Python, Java, etc.), and fluency with AI tooling (Kiro, Claude Code, Codex, etc.)

Preferred Qualifications

- 7+ years of infrastructure architecture, database architecture and networking experience
- 5+ years of hands-on experience designing, operating, or engineering PostgreSQL-based systems in production environments at scale.
- Expertise in PostgreSQL internals and operational practices: MVCC and vacuum behavior, query planner and optimizer internals, pgvector, indexing strategies (B-tree, GIN, GiST, BRIN), replication (streaming, logical), extension ecosystem/architecture, and connection management.
- Demonstrated experience with database migrations, including schema conversion, data migration tooling, and performance validation.

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.

Pursuant to the San Francisco 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, San Francisco - 176,600.00 - 239,000.00 USD annually
USA, NJ, Jersey City - 169,000.00 - 228,600.00 USD annually
USA, NY, New York - 169,000.00 - 228,600.00 USD annually
USA, TX, Dallas - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually
USA, VA, Arlington - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually
USA, VA, Herndon - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually