Software Development Manager, AWS Transactional Services – Amazon – Toronto, ON
Location: Toronto, ON | Company: Amazon
AWS is hiring a Software Development Manager to join the team behind Journal — a fault-tolerant, high-performance durable log service that underpins some of the most critical distributed systems at Amazon Web Services, including Kinesis, S3, and DynamoDB. Based in Toronto, Ontario, this is a senior leadership role at the intersection of large-scale engineering and team development.
Journal commits in excess of 100 million transactions per second, and the engineering challenges that come with that scale — durability, availability, resiliency, and microsecond-level performance — are exactly what this team works on every day. As the Software Development Manager for AWS Transactional Services, you’ll lead a team of software developers tackling genuinely novel distributed systems problems alongside tenured Principal Engineers and Senior Software Engineers.
About the Role: Software Development Manager, AWS Transactional Services
This role puts you squarely in charge of the Journal Control Plane services and automations. You’ll own the delivery of software projects end-to-end, define your team’s roadmap, and keep both customers and senior leadership informed as work progresses. Day to day, you’ll be collaborating with engineers to design and build highly available and scalable distributed systems, while also working cross-functionally with peers, senior engineers, and program managers to establish and uphold best practices across software development and operations.
Beyond technical delivery, a core part of this role is growing the people on your team. AWS places a strong emphasis on mentorship and career development, and this manager is expected to actively invest in the skills and trajectories of their direct reports. The position also carries on-call responsibilities, typically one week every two months — the team prioritises building fault-tolerant systems to keep those pages rare and manageable.
Benefits and Salary
The base salary range for this position in Toronto is $171,400 to $286,200 CAD annually. As part of a total compensation package, Amazon may also include sign-on payments and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The company offers a comprehensive benefits package covering health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, basic life and AD&D), a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), a Deferred Profit Sharing Plan (DPSP), paid time off, and additional resources to support health and well-being. Final compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and location.
Job Details
📌 Job Type: Full-Time
🏢 Company: Amazon Development Centre Canada ULC
📍 Location: Toronto, ON
🆔 Requisition ID: 10569487
🗓️ Date Posted: October 5, 2026
💰 Pay: $171,400 – $286,200 CAD per year
Responsibilities
As Software Development Manager for the Journal Control Plane team, your work spans technical leadership, people management, and cross-functional collaboration. You’ll be expected to drive complex engineering outcomes while simultaneously building the capabilities of the people around you.
- Own end-to-end delivery of software development projects, from scoping through to production
- Define the team’s roadmap and manage ongoing projects, keeping customers informed and representing the team to its dependencies
- Update senior management on project status, risks, and outcomes on a regular basis
- Collaborate with engineers to invent, design, and build highly available and scalable distributed systems and database technologies
- Implement best practices in software development and operational processes alongside peers, senior management, and senior engineers
- Develop and grow the members of your team through mentorship, coaching, and creating opportunities aligned with each person’s growth path
- Stay current with new technologies in the field and in use by customers, given the rapidly evolving nature of cloud infrastructure
Requirements / Skills
The right candidate brings a track record of leading high-performing engineering teams and a deep understanding of complex distributed systems. AWS is looking for someone who can operate at both the technical and people-leadership level, and who has the communication skills to engage effectively with engineers, product teams, and senior leadership alike.
- 3+ years of engineering team management experience, with demonstrated ability to lead and grow software developers
- 7+ years working directly within engineering teams, with hands-on experience in technical environments
- 3+ years of systems design and architecture experience, including design patterns, reliability, and scaling of new and existing systems
- 8+ years leading the definition and development of multi-tier web services
- Knowledge of the full software/hardware/networks development lifecycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control, build processes, testing, certification, and live site operations
- Experience partnering with product or program management teams to align engineering work with business goals
- Preferred: experience communicating with users, technical teams, and senior leadership to gather requirements and convey product strategy
- Preferred: experience recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and managing Software Engineers to improve their effectiveness
How to Apply
To apply, visit the official job posting using the link below. Make sure your resume is up to date and reflects your experience leading engineering teams and working on distributed systems before submitting.
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Job Summary & Tips for Applying
Quick Summary & What to Highlight: This Software Development Manager role at Amazon Web Services in Toronto is perfect for candidates who excel in engineering team leadership, distributed systems architecture, and cross-functional stakeholder communication. On your resume, emphasise any experience managing software development teams, designing large-scale cloud or distributed systems, and delivering complex multi-tier services. If you’ve previously worked in cloud infrastructure, database systems, or high-availability platforms, make sure to highlight specific achievements and responsibilities that align with this position.
Resume & Application Tips: Before applying, tailor your resume to match the job description. Include keywords like distributed systems, engineering team management, and scalable architecture that appear in the posting. Quantify your achievements where possible (e.g., “managed a team of 8 engineers delivering a fault-tolerant log service handling 50M transactions/second” or “reduced on-call incident frequency by 40% through improved system resilience”). Write a brief cover letter expressing your genuine interest in Amazon Web Services and why you’re excited about this opportunity in Toronto. Double-check your application for spelling errors and ensure your contact information is current.
Interview Preparation: If selected for an interview, research Amazon‘s Leadership Principles, recent AWS service announcements, and the company’s engineering culture beforehand. Prepare specific examples using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to demonstrate your experience leading engineering teams, resolving technical incidents, and mentoring engineers. Common questions may include scenarios about managing competing priorities, handling on-call escalations, coaching underperforming team members, and building consensus across senior stakeholders. Dress appropriately for a technology/cloud infrastructure environment, arrive 10–15 minutes early, and bring copies of your resume. Prepare thoughtful questions about the Journal team’s roadmap, the on-call structure, and opportunities for engineering growth. After the interview, send a thank-you email within 24 hours reiterating your interest in the position.
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