Principal Engineer

Amazon

Global technology company leading in e-commerce, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence

London, UK

Distributed Systems

Principal Software Engineer

In-Person

5,000+ Employees

15+ years of experience

Enterprise SaaS · E-Commerce · AI

Description For Principal Engineer

Principal Engineers at Amazon.com are distinguished technical leaders who play a crucial role in shaping the company's technological landscape. They are responsible for establishing technical standards and driving Amazon's overall technical architecture, engineering practices, and methodologies. These professionals tackle the organization's most challenging problems, ensuring the development of high-quality, architecturally sound systems that align with business objectives.

The role combines hands-on technical work with high-level architectural design, requiring both deep technical expertise and broad knowledge across multiple domains. Principal Engineers think globally when building systems, focusing on creating high-performing, scalable solutions that integrate seamlessly within Amazon's ecosystem. They serve as pragmatic visionaries, bridging the gap between business requirements and technical solutions.

As a Principal Engineer, you'll work in a dynamic environment where innovation is constant, and the impact of your work reaches millions of customers worldwide. You'll collaborate with teams across Amazon, influencing technical decisions and mentoring other engineers. The position offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge technologies and shape the future of one of the world's leading technology companies.

The ideal candidate combines technical excellence with strong leadership skills, bringing both strategic thinking and hands-on expertise to the role. You'll be working in an environment that values diversity, inclusion, and innovation, with the opportunity to contribute to systems that power Amazon's global operations. This role offers the chance to work on sophisticated technical challenges while having a significant impact on Amazon's technical direction and success.

Last updated 3 months ago

Responsibilities For Principal Engineer

Provide technical leadership at Amazon.com
Establish technical standards and drive Amazon's overall technical architecture
Drive engineering practices and methodologies
Work on complex technical problems
Build high quality, architecturally sound systems
Produce detailed technical work and high-level architectural designs
Translate business needs into workable technology solutions

Requirements For Principal Engineer

Java

Python

Kubernetes

Knowledge of object-oriented design, data structures, and algorithms
Professional software development experience (non-internship)
Experience designing and building large-scale systems in multi-tiered, distributed environment

Benefits For Principal Engineer

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Equal opportunity employer
Workplace accommodations available
Diverse and inclusive culture

Amazon

Global technology company leading in e-commerce, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence

London, UK

Distributed Systems

Principal Software Engineer

In-Person

5,000+ Employees

15+ years of experience

Enterprise SaaS · E-Commerce · AI

Amazon

Lowest Common Ancestor of a Binary Tree

Data Structures & AlgorithmsMedium

Given a binary tree, find the lowest common ancestor (LCA) of two given nodes in the tree. According to the definition of LCA on Wikipedia: “The lowest common ancestor is defined between two nodes p and q as the lowest node in T that has both p and q as descendants (where we allow a node to be a descendant of itself). For example: If the tree is [3,5,1,6,2,0,8,null,null,7,4], p = 5, q = 1, then the expected output is 3, because the LCA of nodes 5 and 1 is 3. If the tree is [3,5,1,6,2,0,8,null,null,7,4], p = 5, q = 4, then the expected output is 5, because the LCA of nodes 5 and 4 is 5, since a node can be a descendant of itself according to the LCA definition. If the tree is [1,2], p = 1, q = 2, then the expected output is 1. Consider these constraints: The number of nodes in the tree is in the range [2, 10^5]. -10^9 <= Node.val <= 10^9 All Node.val are unique. p != q p and q will exist in the tree.

Trees

Recursion

Amazon

How would you design an elevator system for a 20-story building considering various factors and edge cases?

System DesignMedium

Elevator System Design Design an elevator system for a 20-story building. Consider the following: Number of Elevators: How many elevators would you recommend, and why? Elevator Capacity: What should be the capacity (in terms of weight and number of people) of each elevator? Algorithm for Request Handling: Describe an algorithm for efficiently handling elevator requests, considering factors like minimizing wait times and energy consumption. Example: Should the elevator always go to the closest floor first, or should it consider the direction of travel? Edge Cases and Error Handling: How would you handle edge cases such as: Elevator malfunction? Power outage? Overweight elevator? Simultaneous requests from multiple floors? Optimization: How can you optimize the system for peak hours (e.g., morning rush hour, lunch break)? Consider strategies like: Designating specific elevators for up/down travel during peak times. Implementing a learning system that adapts to usage patterns. User Interface: Describe the user interface (both inside the elevator and on each floor) and how it provides feedback to users. Scalability: How would the design change for a 50-story or 100-story building? What are the limitations of your current design? Explain your design choices and justify them with appropriate reasoning. Focus on creating a robust, efficient, and user-friendly elevator system.

Arrays

Dynamic Programming

Greedy Algorithms

Graphs

Recursion

Strings

Trees

Amazon

Describe a time when a plan did not go as expected

Behavioral

Describe a time when a plan did not go as expected.

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