We're looking for a Principal, Solutions Architect to serve as the strategic technical leader across the AWS Industries (AWSI) -Media & Entertainment, Games, and Sports (MEGS) vertical. This role is chartered to drive long-term strategic thought leadership, accelerate high-value opportunity pursuits, and position AWS as a transformational partner across a portfolio of strategic customers. You'll operate at the C-suite and VP level, serving as a trusted senior technical advisor to some of the world's most influential media, entertainment, gaming, and sports companies.
You'll partner with account teams, product teams, and SA leadership to shape technical strategy, sponsor innovation initiatives, and help customers navigate multi-year cloud transformation journeys. Your focus will be on identifying long-horizon strategic opportunities across the portfolio, driving cross-account pattern recognition, and ensuring AWS is positioned not just as a cloud provider, but as an innovation partner at the highest levels.
We're looking for someone who is curious, collaborative, and comfortable operating independently. You should be able to connect technology to business outcomes and think strategically about where the industry is headed.
Key job responsibilities Technical Leadership • Serve as the tech lead across multiple MEGS customers, with ability to dive deep on strategic customer engagements • Abreast with the latest innovation across Data and AI at AWS, and identifying emerging solution and deployment patterns • Advise senior technology leaders and executives on cloud strategy and architecture • Design scalable, reliable architectures for media, gaming, streaming, and sports workloads • Lead technical strategy across themes like content creation, media supply chain, live broadcast, gaming infrastructure, and sports technology
Pattern Recognition & Technology Evaluation • Identify trends and common challenges across MEGS customers • Evaluate new technologies and design patterns, and translate findings into actionable guidance for account teams • Build reusable frameworks and solution blueprints that help teams move faster
Thought Leadership • Create whitepapers, reference architectures, and best practices in collaboration with AWS Technical Field Communities • Present at industry events (AWS 1P and 3P) • Mentor Solutions Architects and help raise the technical bar across the organization
Innovation & Product Influence • Work backwards from customer needs to identify product gaps and influence AWS roadmaps • Help customers re-imagine and transform existing systems leveraging innovations across data patterns and AI • Support executive briefings and deep-dive sessions
About the team The AWSI-MEGS customers span Hollywood studios, global streaming platforms, major gaming studios, and digital media innovators. The MEGS industry is at an inflection point: rapid transformation driven by Generative AI, streaming innovation, and cloud-native production is reshaping how content is created, distributed, and monetized. Our customers are executing multi-year cloud transformation journeys that require a trusted, senior technical partner at the C-suite and VP level.
About the team Diverse Experiences AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the qualifications and skills listed in the job description, we encourage candidates to apply. If your career is just starting, hasn’t followed a traditional path, or includes alternative experiences, don’t let it stop you from applying.
Why AWS? Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. We pioneered cloud computing and never stopped innovating — that’s why customers from the most successful startups to Global 500 companies trust our robust suite of products and services to power their businesses.
Inclusive Team Culture Here at AWS, it’s in our nature to learn and be curious. Our employee-led affinity groups foster a culture of inclusion that empower us to be proud of our differences. Ongoing events and learning experiences, including our Conversations on Race and Ethnicity (CORE) and AmazeCon (diversity) conferences, inspire us to never stop embracing our uniqueness.
Mentorship & Career Growth We’re continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earth’s Best Employer. That’s why you’ll find endless knowledge-sharing, mentorship and other career-advancing resources here to help you develop into a better-rounded professional.
Work/Life Balance We value work-life harmony. Achieving success at work should never come at the expense of sacrifices at home, which is why we strive for flexibility as part of our working culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home, there’s nothing we can’t achieve in the cloud.
Basic Qualifications
- 10+ years of specific technology domain areas (e.g. software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, data & analytics) experience
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, mathematics or equivalent
- Experience developing technology solutions and evangelising end-to-end technology roadmaps that guide IT transformations toward cloud computing
- Experience communicating across technical and non-technical audiences and at C-level, including training, workshops, publications
- 5+ years of working with Data & AI related technologies, including, but not limited to, AI/ML, GenAI, Analytics, Database, and/or Storage experience
- 5+ years in a customer-facing technical role
- Experience designing large-scale cloud solutions
Preferred Qualifications
- Knowledge of distributed systems design and implementation or equivalent
- Knowledge of large scale automation and workflow management or equivalent
- Knowledge of database design and implementation or equivalent
- Experience architecting, migrating, transforming or modernizing customer requirements to the cloud
- Familiarity with media, entertainment, gaming, or sports industry workloads
- Domain expertise in one or more areas: media supply chain, streaming, gaming, live broadcast, or sports analytics
- Track record of thought leadership (publications, conference talks)
- Experience mentoring technical talent
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.
Pursuant to the San Francisco 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 - 210,200.00 - 284,300.00 USD annually USA, CA, Irvine - 182,800.00 - 247,300.00 USD annually USA, CA, San Francisco - 210,200.00 - 284,300.00 USD annually USA, CA, Santa Monica - 182,800.00 - 247,300.00 USD annually