> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/2698086-sr-software-development-engineer-persistence-dynamodb-storage-engine](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/2698086-sr-software-development-engineer-persistence-dynamodb-storage-engine). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Sr. Software Development Engineer - Persistence, DynamoDB Storage Engine - **Company:** Amazon.com, Inc. - **Location:** Seattle, WA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $168,100.0 - $227,400.0 - **Contract:** Internship / Graduate position - **Skills:** Computer-Aided Design, Code Review, Encodings, Computer Programming, Databases, Customer Data Management, Data Integrity, Data Loss, Data Structures, Software Design Patterns, Linux, File Systems, Distributed Data Store, Amazon DynamoDB, Hard Disk Drives, Information Lifecycle Management, Open Source Technology, Software Engineering, Database Engines, Subsystems, Data Logging, Storage Devices, Storage Technologies, Information Technology, Build Process, Software Coding, Software Version Control, Programming Languages - **Published:** September 3, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.amazon.jobs/en/jobs/10482878/sr-software-development-engineer-persistence-dynamodb-storage-engine ## About the Role Deep technical expertise in C and/or Rust with significant experience writing systems code that interacts directly with storage media. - Strong understanding of storage engine fundamentals: on-disk data formats, write-ahead logging, checkpointing, and crash recovery. - Experience designing for resilience to failure - reasoning about partial writes, torn pages, bit rot, and data corruption at every layer. - Expertise in compression algorithms and encoding schemes - understanding when and how to apply them for optimal size/speed tradeoffs. - Solid understanding of how file systems, block devices, and I/O subsystems behave under real-world workloads. - Track record of shipping durable, production storage systems where data loss is unacceptable. What Would Set You Apart - Prior experience building or operating high-throughput distributed storage services or database engines at scale. - Hands-on experience with LSM tree-based storage engines - compaction strategies, write amplification tradeoffs, bloom filters, level/tiered architectures, space amplification management. - Deep familiarity with compression internals (LZ4, Zstandard, dictionary compression, per-block vs. per-page strategies) and their interaction with read/write patterns. - Experience with storage device characteristics - understanding SSD FTL behavior, write cliffs, GC-induced latency, device wear, and how to design software that works with (not against) the hardware. - Familiarity with Linux I/O subsystems including io_uring, AIO, direct I/O, and fallocate for predictable storage behavior. - Experience with formal or semi-formal techniques for verifying correctness of persistence logic (crash consistency proofs, fault injection testing, Jepsen-style validation). - Contributions to open-source storage engines or database projects., 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 ## Description As a senior engineer on the persistence track, you will own the on-disk storage layer of the DynamoDB storage engine - the foundation upon which all customer data durability rests. - Design and implement optimal on-disk representations for various in-memory data structures, balancing read performance, write amplification, and space efficiency. - Architect and evolve storage formats, compression strategies, and encoding schemes that minimize footprint while preserving fast retrieval. - Build and maintain mechanisms for crash recovery, data integrity verification, and resilience to partial failure - ensuring customer data is never lost or corrupted. - Own the write-ahead log, compaction pipelines, and data lifecycle management from ingestion through tiered storage. - Drive the long-term storage architecture strategy, evaluating tradeoffs across durability, availability, latency, and cost. - Mentor engineers across the team on storage internals, failure mode reasoning, and persistence best practices. ## Related Videos - [A Brief History of Data Storage](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/974-a-brief-history-of-data-storage) - [Docker network without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1418-docker-network-without-docker) - [How to Avoid LLM Pitfalls - Mete Atamel and Guillaume Laforge](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1328-how-to-avoid-llm-pitfalls-mete-atamel-and-guillaume-laforge) - [How building an industry DBMS differs from building a research one](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/768-how-building-an-industry-dbms-differs-from-building-a-research-one) - [Fault Tolerance and Consistency at Scale: Harnessing the Power of Distributed SQL Databases](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1146-fault-tolerance-and-consistency-at-scale-harnessing-the-power-of-distributed-sql-databases) - [Docker exec without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1094-docker-exec-without-docker) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Making Data Warehouses Fast: A Developer’s Story](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/107-making-data-warehouses-fast-a-developer-s-story) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Résumé-Driven Development: How IT trends affect the job market for software developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/59-resume-driven-development-how-it-trends-affect-the-job-market-for-software-developers) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [The Best Software Developer Blogs to Read](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/156-the-best-software-developer-blogs-to-read)