Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto, CA
Senior Software Development Engineer jobs in Palo Alto are in strong demand, concentrated in the Stanford Research Park, Downtown University Avenue corridor, and the Palo Alto Technology District, across enterprise software, AI infrastructure, semiconductor design, and biotech platforms. Employers hiring right now include GEICO, Amazon, and JPMorganChase. See the openings below and apply to the ones that match your experience.
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Showing 5 of 52+ Senior Software Development Engineer jobs
DESCRIPTION
The goal is to give millions of sellers and brands the kind of advanced optimization tools that used to be available only through agencies or expensive third-party providers. You'll own the architectural direction for the team's AI systems in an ambiguous space, where both the business problem and the solution approach still need to be defined. The work ranges from guiding less experienced sellers through campaign setup to automatically surfacing optimization opportunities that help advertisers succeed.
Key job responsibilities
- Own the architectural direction for full funnel optimization systems that combine LLMs, traditional optimization and first-party shopper data, making foundational decisions on how they evolve
- Lead the design and delivery of complex end-to-end AI solutions in problem areas where both the business problem and the technical approach need to be defined
- Drive the team's engineering strategy and influence the product roadmap, giving context on current and future technology choices
- Build agentic capabilities that reason, plan and act for advertisers, from guided campaign setup to automatically surfacing optimization opportunities
- Build consensus with stakeholders, scientists and engineering peers across multiple teams, and make strategic recommendations on system architecture and implementation
- Mentor engineers and help set the engineering foundations of a newly formed team
About the team
We're a newly formed team in Amazon Advertising building the next generation of Full Funnel Optimization. We combine large language models, traditional optimization and Amazon's first-party data on shopper behavior and conversion patterns to build intelligent systems that reason, plan and act on behalf of advertisers. Our goal is to give millions of sellers and brands the kind of advanced optimization tools that used to be available only through agencies or expensive third-party providers.
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.
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, Palo Alto - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually
USA, NY, New York - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, SEATTLE - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
The goal is to give millions of sellers and brands the kind of advanced optimization tools that used to be available only through agencies or expensive third-party providers. You'll own the architectural direction for the team's AI systems in an ambiguous space, where both the business problem and the solution approach still need to be defined. The work ranges from guiding less experienced sellers through campaign setup to automatically surfacing optimization opportunities that help advertisers succeed.
Key job responsibilities
- Own the architectural direction for full funnel optimization systems that combine LLMs, traditional optimization and first-party shopper data, making foundational decisions on how they evolve
- Lead the design and delivery of complex end-to-end AI solutions in problem areas where both the business problem and the technical approach need to be defined
- Drive the team's engineering strategy and influence the product roadmap, giving context on current and future technology choices
- Build agentic capabilities that reason, plan and act for advertisers, from guided campaign setup to automatically surfacing optimization opportunities
- Build consensus with stakeholders, scientists and engineering peers across multiple teams, and make strategic recommendations on system architecture and implementation
- Mentor engineers and help set the engineering foundations of a newly formed team
About the team
We're a newly formed team in Amazon Advertising building the next generation of Full Funnel Optimization. We combine large language models, traditional optimization and Amazon's first-party data on shopper behavior and conversion patterns to build intelligent systems that reason, plan and act on behalf of advertisers. Our goal is to give millions of sellers and brands the kind of advanced optimization tools that used to be available only through agencies or expensive third-party providers.
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.
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, Palo Alto - 193,300.00 - 261,500.00 USD annually
USA, NY, New York - 184,900.00 - 250,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, SEATTLE - 168,100.00 - 227,400.00 USD annually
See All 52 Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto
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Find JobsSenior Software Development Engineer Job Market in Palo Alto
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software11
- Retail2
- Science & Research2
- Staffing & Recruiting2
- E-Commerce & Online Marketplaces2
Senior Software Development Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a senior software development engineer job in Palo Alto?
Focus your search on Palo Alto's dense clusters of enterprise software companies, AI and machine learning startups, and semiconductor firms anchored around Stanford Research Park and the University Avenue corridor. Employers here prioritize deep systems experience, contributions to open-source projects, and comfort with rapid iteration cycles. Familiarity with the toolchains common in those sectors, combined with a portfolio showing end-to-end ownership of large-scale features, gives candidates a measurable edge in this market.
Which companies hire senior software development engineers in Palo Alto?
Employers hiring senior software development engineers in Palo Alto right now include GEICO, Amazon, and JPMorganChase, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. The local market is anchored by a mix of established technology firms, venture-backed AI and platform companies, and R&D divisions of larger enterprise software and semiconductor organizations.
Are there remote senior software development engineer jobs in Palo Alto?
Yes, and senior software development engineering is one of the more remote-compatible roles given that core work like architecture, code review, and feature development happens on a laptop. About 63% of senior software development engineer openings tied to Palo Alto are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, with the remote share strongest in backend platform, cloud infrastructure, and developer tools roles rather than positions requiring close hardware or lab integration.
How can I get a senior software development engineer job in Palo Alto with little or no experience?
The most realistic path is landing a software engineer II or mid-level role at one of Palo Alto's growth-stage software or AI companies, where promotion timelines to senior are shorter than at larger incumbents. Many Palo Alto startups and R&D labs in Stanford Research Park also hire contract or rotational engineers who convert to full-time. Building visible contributions to projects in distributed systems, ML pipelines, or developer tooling aligns well with what local employers are actively building and hiring around.
Which industries hire the most senior software development engineers in Palo Alto?
Palo Alto senior software development engineer roles concentrate in Technology & Software, Retail, and Science & Research, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Palo Alto's proximity to Stanford and its long history as a hub for venture-backed technology companies means those sectors have deep local roots and consistently generate the highest volume of senior engineering openings in the area.
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