Amazon Web Services (AWS) Specialist Solutions Architects (SSAs) are technologists with deep domain-specific expertise, able to address advanced concepts and feature designs. As part of the AWS sales organization, SSAs work with customers who have complex challenges that require expert-level knowledge to solve. SSAs craft scalable, flexible, and resilient technical architectures that address those challenges.
We are looking for a Specialist Solutions Architect for Messaging Services to be the go-to technical expert for Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, and Amazon MQ. You will work directly with customers navigating the world of asynchronous communication, whether they are decoupling microservices, building real-time notification platforms, or migrating from on-premises message brokers to the cloud. Your deep expertise in messaging patterns and protocols will help organizations choose the right tool for the job and architect solutions that are reliable, cost-effective, and built to grow.
This is not a generalist role. You will be the subject matter expert for the broader messaging ecosystem, including open-source technologies like RabbitMQ, Apache ActiveMQ, and MQTT-based architectures. You will guide customers through trade-offs between managed services and self-managed alternatives, helping them modernize legacy messaging infrastructure while maintaining the guarantees their applications depend on.
You will be joining a team of specialists who obsess over helping customers solve real problems. We share knowledge freely, contribute to the broader technical community, and take pride in being the bridge between product teams and the field.
Key job responsibilities
Act as the primary technical advisor for messaging and event-driven architecture engagements across AWS customers worldwide
Design and validate architectures using Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, Amazon MQ, and related services (EventBridge, Kinesis) tailored to customer workloads
Guide customers migrating from on-premises message brokers (RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, IBM MQ, TIBCO) to AWS managed messaging services
Develop reference architectures, patterns, and best practices for pub/sub, point-to-point, fan-out, and event-driven integration scenarios
Partner with AWS service teams (SQS, SNS, MQ) to influence product roadmaps based on customer feedback and field observations (PFRs)
Create technical content including blog posts, workshops, re:Invent sessions, and whitepapers that establish thought leadership in the messaging space
Collaborate with account teams, GTM specialists, and other SSAs to identify messaging-related opportunities and accelerate customer adoption
Engage with the open-source community and help customers understand when managed services versus self-hosted solutions best fit their needs
Develop and deliver field enablement materials for the broader SA population to help them integrate messaging solutions into customer architectures
Represent the voice of the customer by surfacing insights, patterns, and gaps to service teams to drive product improvements
Basic Qualifications
- Knowledge of cloud architecture
- 3+ years of hands-on experience designing or operating messaging and event-driven systems in production environments (e.g., RabbitMQ, Apache ActiveMQ, Amazon SQS/SNS, Apache Kafka, or similar)
- 5+ years of experience in a technical specialist, solutions architect, or systems engineering role in customer-facing positions
- Experience architecting distributed systems with asynchronous communication patterns (pub/sub, message queuing, fan-out, event sourcing)
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with Amazon MQ, Amazon SQS, Amazon SNS, and AWS EventBridge in production customer environments
- Deep familiarity with messaging protocols (AMQP, MQTT, STOMP, JMS) and their trade-offs in enterprise architectures
- Experience implementing cloud migration and modernization projects involving legacy message brokers (IBM MQ, TIBCO EMS, webMethods)
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, East Palo Alto - 176,600.00 - 239,000.00 USD annually
USA, MA, Boston - 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
