Applied Scientist II, AWS DynamoDB at Amazon
Seattle, WA
$142,800–$193,200from the description
Jul 16, 2026
Seattle, WA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
An Applied Scientist role focused on improving how capacity is allocated and data is placed across the DynamoDB fleet. Day-to-day work involves identifying inefficiencies in capacity usage, modeling scaling bottlenecks, and developing placement algorithms that balance latency and availability against utilization. The role suits a research-oriented engineer comfortable defining ambiguous problems and taking solutions through to production impact.
Senior level · 3+ years · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · Master's required · Full-time
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 2,100 people in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (data scientists). range 1,550–2,700
Applicant volume Heavy — This req sits in a large pool with little in its requirements to thin it, and auto-apply tools fire at everything in the occupation. Applying early and leading with the rare skills below is what gets read.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $168,363 (middle half $111,131–$214,996). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
The role title is 'Applied Scientist' with no seniority level in the title, so advertised seniority is Unspecified. However, the requirements (PhD or Master's + 4 years, 3+ years building models, patents/publications) and the open-ended, production-impact scope support a Senior classification.
Degree requirement is set to Masters because the JD states 'PhD, or Master's degree and 4+ years' as a basic qualification — a PhD alone (without the experience qualifier) is also accepted, but the minimum stated degree is a Master's. Equivalent experience is not offered as a substitute.
The programming language requirement lists Java, C++, and Python as interchangeable options; Java is used as the primary name with the others in alternatives.
The 'any of the following areas' phrasing in Basic Qualifications means only one of the listed technical domains is required. Numerical optimization is used as the primary name with the other domains (data mining, parallel and distributed computing, high-performance computing) in alternatives; algorithms and data structures is kept separate as it is the most foundational and commonly expected.
Linux/Unix experience and professional software development experience appear only under Preferred Qualifications.
The role sits at the boundary between Data Scientist (15-2051) and Software Developer (15-1252) — the JD emphasizes modeling, algorithms, and optimization science, but also explicitly requires building production components and software. Data Scientist is chosen as primary given the 'Applied Scientist' framing and the emphasis on models, algorithms, and research publications.
Compensation is stated as a base salary range of $142,800–$193,200 annually for Seattle, WA, with additional sign-on payments and RSUs noted but not quantified.
Ignored 4 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): machine learning modeling, algorithms and data structures, numerical optimization, software development.
Read the full posting
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