Systems Development Engineer Jobs in USA with Visa Sponsorship
Systems Development Engineers build and optimize large-scale infrastructure at tech companies like Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. Most positions qualify for H-1B visa sponsorship as specialty occupations requiring computer science or engineering degrees. The role's technical depth and clear degree requirements make visa approval highly likely. For detailed occupation requirements, see the O*NET profile.
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Get Access To All JobsDESCRIPTION
This is a builder role at the intersection of software/systems development, security, and compliance. You will design, build, and operate tooling that helps Amazon Foundational Security Services (AFSS) support its compliance programs more efficiently — reducing manual, repetitive effort in areas such as evidence gathering and data organization so that compliance specialists can focus their time on analysis, judgment, and control ownership.
As a Systems Development Engineer, you own the technical solution end to end: you write the code, design the pipelines and integrations, and apply modern tooling — including AI where appropriate — to streamline how compliance data and evidence are collected, organized, and surfaced for the team. Compliance specialists remain the owners of controls, assessments, and decisions; your tooling supports their work by removing manual toil and helping the team keep pace with growing demand.
You will partner closely with compliance specialists, security engineering teams, and Security Assurance, developing enough fluency in our compliance domain (audit programs, controls, evidence) to build the right tools and to explain how those tools work when needed. You will also work across government cloud environments, including FedRAMP and air-gapped (isolated) regions, and integrate with efforts like the compliance evidence library while ensuring the security and sovereignty of our data.
Key job responsibilities
- Design, build, and operate automation and tooling that eliminates manual compliance work — starting with standard evidence collection, control testing, and audit response
- Apply AI tooling hands-on — building agents, LLM-based systems, and RAG pipelines — to automate compliance workflows and improve accuracy at scale
- Write, review, and maintain production-quality code and design the systems, pipelines, APIs, and integrations that support continuous, automated compliance monitoring
- Force-multiply the compliance team — build the tools that let compliance specialists take on 2–3x more scope and reduce the manual surface area of auditor and evidence interactions
- Integrate with the compliance evidence library (ARCL) and other Security Assurance systems while ensuring data sovereignty and security
- Build tooling that operates across government cloud environments, including FedRAMP and air-gapped (isolated) regions, accounting for their unique evidence-collection and connectivity constraints
- Develop enough compliance-domain fluency (audit programs such as SOX, FedRAMP, ISO, SOC 2) to build the right solutions and to credibly represent automated systems to internal and external auditors
- Partner with security engineering, compliance specialists, legal, and product to translate compliance requirements into engineered solutions
- Instrument, monitor, and continuously improve the reliability and correctness of the compliance automation you build
A day in the life
Amazon has a fast-paced environment—“Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History.” In this role, you will spend your time building: designing and shipping automation, writing code, applying AI tooling to compliance problems, and partnering with compliance specialists and engineering teams to identify the next manual process worth eliminating. You will look for new ways to automate operational compliance work and use AI and Amazon Security services to solve design problems.
Our team also puts a high value on work-life balance. A healthy balance between your personal and professional life is crucial to your happiness and success here.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience leading the design, automation, deployment, and support of large-scale infrastructure
- Experience programming with at least one modern language such as Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines build processes
- Experience leading the design, build and deployment of complex and performant (reliable and scalable) software solutions in production
- Experience with any combination of the following: application security frameworks, identity and access controls, incident response, mobile security, cloud computing and security, AI security, threat intelligence, and penetration testing
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with distributed systems at scale
- Experience in communicating with executives to describe software product features, technical designs, and product strategy
- Experience communicating across technical and non-technical audiences, including executive level stakeholders or clients
- Experience building tooling or automation in a security, compliance, audit, or GRC context
- Experience integrating with data/evidence repositories or building data pipelines with appropriate governance and access controls
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.
LOCATION
USA, VA, Arlington - 151,200.00 - 204,600.00 USD annually
DESCRIPTION
This is a builder role at the intersection of software/systems development, security, and compliance. You will design, build, and operate tooling that helps Amazon Foundational Security Services (AFSS) support its compliance programs more efficiently — reducing manual, repetitive effort in areas such as evidence gathering and data organization so that compliance specialists can focus their time on analysis, judgment, and control ownership.
As a Systems Development Engineer, you own the technical solution end to end: you write the code, design the pipelines and integrations, and apply modern tooling — including AI where appropriate — to streamline how compliance data and evidence are collected, organized, and surfaced for the team. Compliance specialists remain the owners of controls, assessments, and decisions; your tooling supports their work by removing manual toil and helping the team keep pace with growing demand.
You will partner closely with compliance specialists, security engineering teams, and Security Assurance, developing enough fluency in our compliance domain (audit programs, controls, evidence) to build the right tools and to explain how those tools work when needed. You will also work across government cloud environments, including FedRAMP and air-gapped (isolated) regions, and integrate with efforts like the compliance evidence library while ensuring the security and sovereignty of our data.
Key job responsibilities
- Design, build, and operate automation and tooling that eliminates manual compliance work — starting with standard evidence collection, control testing, and audit response
- Apply AI tooling hands-on — building agents, LLM-based systems, and RAG pipelines — to automate compliance workflows and improve accuracy at scale
- Write, review, and maintain production-quality code and design the systems, pipelines, APIs, and integrations that support continuous, automated compliance monitoring
- Force-multiply the compliance team — build the tools that let compliance specialists take on 2–3x more scope and reduce the manual surface area of auditor and evidence interactions
- Integrate with the compliance evidence library (ARCL) and other Security Assurance systems while ensuring data sovereignty and security
- Build tooling that operates across government cloud environments, including FedRAMP and air-gapped (isolated) regions, accounting for their unique evidence-collection and connectivity constraints
- Develop enough compliance-domain fluency (audit programs such as SOX, FedRAMP, ISO, SOC 2) to build the right solutions and to credibly represent automated systems to internal and external auditors
- Partner with security engineering, compliance specialists, legal, and product to translate compliance requirements into engineered solutions
- Instrument, monitor, and continuously improve the reliability and correctness of the compliance automation you build
A day in the life
Amazon has a fast-paced environment—“Work Hard, Have Fun, Make History.” In this role, you will spend your time building: designing and shipping automation, writing code, applying AI tooling to compliance problems, and partnering with compliance specialists and engineering teams to identify the next manual process worth eliminating. You will look for new ways to automate operational compliance work and use AI and Amazon Security services to solve design problems.
Our team also puts a high value on work-life balance. A healthy balance between your personal and professional life is crucial to your happiness and success here.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience leading the design, automation, deployment, and support of large-scale infrastructure
- Experience programming with at least one modern language such as Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, C++, C#, Rust
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines build processes
- Experience leading the design, build and deployment of complex and performant (reliable and scalable) software solutions in production
- Experience with any combination of the following: application security frameworks, identity and access controls, incident response, mobile security, cloud computing and security, AI security, threat intelligence, and penetration testing
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience with distributed systems at scale
- Experience in communicating with executives to describe software product features, technical designs, and product strategy
- Experience communicating across technical and non-technical audiences, including executive level stakeholders or clients
- Experience building tooling or automation in a security, compliance, audit, or GRC context
- Experience integrating with data/evidence repositories or building data pipelines with appropriate governance and access controls
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.
LOCATION
USA, VA, Arlington - 151,200.00 - 204,600.00 USD annually
See all 247+ Systems Development Engineer Jobs
Sign up for free to unlock all listings, filter by visa type, and get alerts for new Systems Development Engineer roles.
Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding Visa Sponsorship as a Systems Development Engineer
Target infrastructure-heavy companies
Focus on cloud providers, streaming services, and e-commerce giants. Companies like AWS, Netflix, and Uber heavily sponsor Systems Development Engineers because reliable infrastructure is business-critical.
Emphasize systems architecture experience
Highlight experience with distributed systems, cloud platforms, and automation tools. Employers need to justify why the role requires specialized knowledge beyond general software development.
Computer Science or Engineering degree required
This role typically requires a bachelor's in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field. Electrical Engineering can work if you have relevant coursework or experience.
Showcase automation and DevOps skills
Experience with CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and monitoring systems strengthens your specialty occupation case. These skills directly relate to systems reliability and scalability.
Consider both SDE and SysDE roles
Some companies use "Software Development Engineer" for similar infrastructure roles. Expand your search to include both titles, especially at Amazon where distinctions vary by team.
Highlight on-call and reliability experience
Production support experience demonstrates the specialized knowledge needed for systems roles. Mention incident response, troubleshooting complex outages, and maintaining service level agreements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Systems Development Engineer roles qualify for H-1B sponsorship?
Yes, Systems Development Engineer positions typically qualify as specialty occupations under H-1B visa requirements. The role requires specialized knowledge in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and automation that directly relates to computer science or engineering education. Companies regularly sponsor these positions.
What degree do I need for Systems Development Engineer H-1B approval?
A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related field is typically required. Electrical Engineering can work with relevant coursework or experience in software systems. The degree must relate to the specialized technical requirements of systems infrastructure work.
How to find Systems Development Engineer jobs with visa sponsorship?
Use Migrate Mate to find Systems Development Engineer positions with visa sponsorship. Focus on tech companies, cloud providers, and software firms that commonly sponsor H-1B and O-1 visas for technical roles. Filter searches by companies known for hiring international talent in systems architecture, infrastructure development, and platform engineering. These employers typically have established visa sponsorship programs for specialized engineering positions.
How do I prove specialty occupation for a Systems Development Engineer role?
Focus on the technical complexity of distributed systems, automation, and infrastructure reliability requirements. Document experience with cloud platforms, DevOps tools, and production systems. The role's requirement for specialized engineering knowledge beyond general programming helps establish specialty occupation status.
Are Systems Development Engineer roles available on other work visas?
Yes, these roles can qualify for L-1B transfers if you have specialized company knowledge, O-1 visas for exceptional technical ability in systems architecture, or E-3 visas for Australians. TN visa qualification depends on specific job duties and whether they align with Computer Systems Analyst classification.
What's the difference between SDE and Systems Development Engineer for visa purposes?
Both typically qualify for the same visa categories, but Systems Development Engineer roles often have stronger specialty occupation cases due to infrastructure focus. The specialized knowledge in distributed systems, reliability engineering, and production operations can make H-1B approval more straightforward than general software development positions.
What is the prevailing wage requirement for sponsored Systems Development Engineer jobs?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.