Lead the technical strategy for a greenfield startup team building AI-powered vertical advertising products — simplifying full-funnel solutions at internet scale with agentic AI models across strategic verticals including financial services, automotive, and local businesses. There is no known answer or existing pattern to follow — we are defining the space from the ground up. Amazon Advertising is building this team to diversify demand and transform how vertical advertisers grow on Amazon through specialized, AI-driven advertising experiences. You'll partner closely with Principal Engineers and Scientists to define the engineering roadmap, translating ambiguous business problems into scalable system architectures and making foundational technical decisions that will shape the product for years to come. This is an ambiguous, fast-moving environment where the problems are big, the solutions are yet to be invented, and the impact is immediate. If you're energized by building state-of-the-art products from scratch and shaping the future of AI-driven advertising, this is your team. Key job responsibilities - Own the technical strategy and architectural direction for a business-critical initiative — designing, developing, launching, and maintaining AI-powered advertising solutions that simplify the advertiser experience across strategic verticals - Partner closely with Principal Engineers and Scientists to define the engineering roadmap, translating ambiguous business problems into scalable system architectures - Design and build end-to-end services and platforms from the ground up, making foundational technical decisions that shape the product for years to come - Drive cross-functional collaboration across engineering, science, and product teams to deliver integrated solutions that balance advertiser needs with customer experience - Evaluate and adopt emerging technologies — including agentic AI models — to accelerate product development and unlock new advertising capabilities - Mentor engineers, establish engineering best practices, and raise the technical bar as the team scales - Influence the long-term technical vision while delivering iterative, high-impact results in a fast-paced startup environment Basic qualifications - 5+ years of non-internship professional software development experience - 5+ years of programming with at least one software programming language experience - 5+ years of leading design or architecture (design patterns, reliability and scaling) of new and existing systems experience - Experience as a mentor, tech lead or leading an engineering team Preferred qualifications - 5+ years of full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations experience - Bachelor's degree in computer science or equivalent Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status. 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, NY, New York - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually USA, WA, SEATTLE - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually