Senior Startup Solutions Architect, San Francisco Early Stage Startups

About the role

We're looking for a Solutions Architect to be deeply embedded in San Francisco's startup ecosystem, working directly with early-stage founders across industries like AI/ML, FinTech, ClimateTech, healthcare, consumer, and B2B SaaS. You'll help founders make pragmatic architectural decisions that balance speed and scalability, acting as a trusted technical advisor during their most critical early stages. This role offers the chance to build lasting relationships with founders, influence technical direction, and shape the tools and services built for startups.

Responsibilities

• Work hands-on with early-stage founders to design and iterate on architectures that are practical for their current stage but built to scale as they grow
• Help startups navigate the fast-moving GenAI landscape, including selecting foundation models, AI services, and building production-ready AI-powered products
• Guide founders through challenges of building GenAI applications, including managing model costs, latency, accuracy, safety, and best practices
• Support startups in building data foundations for AI products, such as vector databases, data pipelines, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), or fine-tuning workflows
• Build and deepen relationships within San Francisco's startup ecosystem, including top accelerators like Y Combinator, incubators, and leading VC firms
• Act as a voice for founders, connecting their feedback and needs directly to product and engineering teams
• Create technical content tailored to early-stage startups, such as blog posts, reference architectures, and sample code
• Share expertise at startup events, demo days, and developer meetups across the San Francisco ecosystem

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in specific technology domain areas (e.g., software development, cloud computing, systems engineering, infrastructure, security, networking, data & analytics)
• 3+ years of experience in design, implementation, or consulting for applications and infrastructures
• 10+ years of IT development or implementation/consulting experience in the software or Internet industries

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of infrastructure architecture, database architecture, and networking experience
• Experience working with end user or developer communities

About the Team

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, trusted by startups to Global 500 companies. We value diverse experiences and encourage applicants whose careers may not follow a traditional path. Our team culture emphasizes work-life balance, inclusivity, mentorship, and continuous learning to help you develop as a professional.

Pay

Base salary range: $176,600 - $239,000 USD annually for this position in San Francisco, CA. The final compensation package will include sign-on payments, restricted stock units (RSUs), and comprehensive benefits.

Benefits

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D, with options for supplemental life plans)
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and mental health support
• Medical Advice Line and Flexible Spending Accounts
• Adoption and surrogacy reimbursement coverage
• 401(k) matching
• Paid time off and parental leave