Applied Scientist -- Foundation Models, SSO
Company websiteaws.org (AWS, opens in new tab)
Base salary $142,800 to $193,200
Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Houston, TX
You apply on the employer's own site. Six Figure Work does not handle applications.
- LocationHouston, TX
- WorkplaceWorkplace not stated
- Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
- Last checked (3 h ago) · observed since
About this job
We are looking for an AI/ML Engineer to build efficient, stable foundation models for long-horizon agentic workloads. The role combines model development with systems and hardware optimization.
Qualifications
Strong background in machine learning, deep learning, transformers, and foundation models.
Experience with PyTorch, JAX, or similar frameworks.
Experience training, fine-tuning, or serving large-scale models.
Knowledge of GPU architecture, CUDA, Triton, custom kernels, or hardware-aware optimization.
Familiarity with distributed training and model parallelism.
Experience with AWS Trainium, Inferentia, Neuron SDK, TPUs, or other custom accelerators is preferred.
PhD in machine learning, computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field is preferred.
Key job responsibilities
Responsibilities
Design, train, fine-tune, and evaluate custom foundation models.
Improve model efficiency, stability, latency, throughput, and memory usage.
Build models that support planning, tool use, memory, self-correction, and multi-step task execution.
Optimize training and inference using CUDA, Triton, custom GPU kernels, and tensor operations.
Profile and resolve compute, memory, communication, and distributed-training bottlenecks.
Work with GPUs and specialized AI accelerators, including AWS Trainium and other custom tensor hardware.
Develop evaluations for model reliability and long-horizon agent performance.
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) 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
- 3+ years of building models for business application experience
- PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years of CS, CE, ML or related field experience
- Experience in patents or publications at top-tier peer-reviewed conferences or journals
- Experience programming in Java, C++, Python or related language
- Experience in any of the following areas: algorithms and data structures, parsing, numerical optimization, data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience using Unix/Linux
- Experience in professional software development
Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.
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, TX, Houston - 142,800.00 - 193,200.00 USD annually
Source: AWS · View original posting (opens in new tab)
Pay in context
This role's base floor ($142,800) is above 46% of the 112 Data & ML roles in Texas listed on this site; 2 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $143,670; the middle half runs from $128,868 to $159,200.
Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 8, 2026.
This listingApplied Scientist -- Foundation Models, SSO$142,800 to $193,200
Customer Solutions Manager, Media & Entertainment, Media & Entertainment$144,500 to $195,400
Professional Services II - AMZ20067.6$144,500 to $195,400
Healthcare & Life Sciences Solutions Architect, AI Solutions, HCLS$144,500 to $195,400
Solutions Architect, US ENT Advertising and Marketing$144,500 to $195,400
Professional Services II - AMZ10237589$144,500 to $195,400
Customer Solutions Manager, Enterprise Advertising & Marketing$144,500 to $195,400
Chart as a table
| Role | Published base |
|---|---|
| Applied Scientist -- Foundation Models, SSO (this listing) | $142,800 - $193,200 |
| Customer Solutions Manager, Media & Entertainment, Media & Entertainment | $144,500 - $195,400 |
| Professional Services II - AMZ20067.6 | $144,500 - $195,400 |
| Healthcare & Life Sciences Solutions Architect, AI Solutions, HCLS | $144,500 - $195,400 |
| Solutions Architect, US ENT Advertising and Marketing | $144,500 - $195,400 |
| Professional Services II - AMZ10237589 | $144,500 - $195,400 |
| Customer Solutions Manager, Enterprise Advertising & Marketing | $144,500 - $195,400 |
Observed changes
- Began meeting the published-salary criteria
- First observed on the employer's board
- Observed since
- Employer-stated posting date
- 2026-08-17
Where this pay comes from
Location as the employer wrote it: US, TX, Houston
USA, TX, Houston - 142,800.00 - 193,200.00 USD annually
- Method
- Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
- Checked
- Rule set
- us-base-v2
The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.
What we verified
- The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
- The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
- The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.
We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.