Amazon Web Services (AWS) is seeking an experienced Applied AI Solutions Architect to serve as the dedicated technical partner lead for OpenAI across the US public sector. In this role, you will work across federal civilian, defense, and intelligence community agencies - partnering with OpenAI, systems integrators, and internal AWS teams to design, prototype, and deploy generative AI solutions in regulated and classified environments.

This is not a traditional SA role. We are looking for someone with the hands-on instincts of a forward-deployed AI engineer - someone who can rapidly prototype, evangelize emerging capabilities, publish reference architectures, and speak credibly with both developers writing code and executives making mission decisions. The pace of AI demands a builder who can keep up.

This position requires that the candidate selected be a US Citizen and obtain and maintain an active Secret security clearance.

Key job responsibilities
• Serve as the primary AWS technical interface to OpenAI for all US public sector engagements, covering GovCloud, AWS Dedicated Clouds (ADCs), and commercial regions supporting government workloads.
• Rapidly prototype and demonstrate OpenAI-on-AWS solutions for government customers - including RAG architectures, agentic workflows, fine-tuning pipelines, and multi-modal AI deployments on Amazon Bedrock and self-hosted infrastructure.
• Architect AI solutions that meet the security, compliance, and data sovereignty requirements of US Government customers (FedRAMP High, IL4/5/6, ITAR, CMMC).
• Publish reference architectures, blog posts, code samples, and technical content that accelerate partner and customer adoption of OpenAI on AWS in public sector contexts.
• Evangelize OpenAI-on-AWS capabilities through workshops, immersion days, hackathons, and executive briefings with government CIOs/CTOs and mission owners.
• Build and maintain trusted technical relationships with OpenAI's product, engineering, and go-to-market teams - influencing their public sector roadmap toward AWS-native integrations.
• Support joint GTM activities including RFPs/RFIs, capture efforts, partner launches, and co-sell motions across federal, state/local, and defense agencies.
• Operate across classification levels - from unclassified commercial engagements to classified environments requiring active clearances.
• Stay hands-on and current with the rapidly evolving AI landscape: foundation models, inference optimization, responsible AI, AI safety, prompt engineering, fine-tuning, and emerging capabilities.

A day in the life
• You build working prototypes - not decks about prototypes - and put them in customers' hands the same week.
• You operate across classification levels: commercial, GovCloud, and air-gapped ADCs - sometimes in the same day.
• Your primary focus (~70%) is US Government (federal civilian, DoD, IC). The remaining ~30% supports Five Eyes partners (UK, AUS, CAN, NZ) and Middle East defense engagements - coordinating with regional AWS teams who own those relationships but need your OpenAI technical depth.
• You context-switch between pair-programming with a developer on inference optimization at 10 AM and briefing a government executive on AI strategy at 2 PM. You're credible in both rooms.
• You publish reference architectures, code samples, and blog posts that scale your impact beyond 1:1 conversations.

About the team

We're the WWPS ISV Partner Solutions Architecture team - a group of SAs embedded with strategic software partners serving U.S. and Global public sector and regulated industry customers. We sit at the intersection of AWS and our ISV partners, helping government agencies modernize by bringing the best of both platforms together. Our SAs work hands-on with Strategic Public Sector ISVs to architect cloud-native solutions that meet the unique compliance, security, and scale requirements of federal customers. We're technical, customer-obsessed, and thrive on solving hard problems with real mission impact.

About the team

Diverse Experiences

AWS values diverse experiences. Even if you do not meet all of the preferred 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.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- 8+ years of specific technology domain areas (e.g. software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, data & analytics) experience

- 3+ years of design, implementation, or consulting in applications and infrastructures experience

- Applied AI builder mindset: Proven track record of rapid prototyping, building demos, and shipping AI solutions - not just advising. You write code, build proof-of-concepts, and iterate fast.

- Public sector fluency: Deep understanding of US Government cloud requirements including GovCloud, ADCs, FedRAMP, IL4/5/6, and data sovereignty models.

- Content creation and evangelism: Track record of publishing technical content -blogs, reference architectures, open-source projects, conference talks, or workshops.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

- Experience working with end user or developer communities

- Experience with OpenAI APIs, or Amazon Bedrock model deployment at scale.

- Experience in air-gapped or disconnected environments (SCIFs, ADCs, tactical edge).

- Familiarity with NIST AI RMF, Executive Orders on AI, and agency-specific AI governance frameworks.

- Background in a forward-deployed engineering role, applied research, or AI consulting practice

- Prior startup, AI lab, or consulting firm experience where speed of delivery was paramount.

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, VA, Arlington - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Herndon - 153,600.00 - 207,800.00 USD annually