Engineering Manager - Software/Cloud

Amazon RIVR seeks an Engineering Manager in Zürich to lead a software team building autonomous delivery robots. The role focuses on cloud infrastructure, team leadership, and scalable system design.

Amazon RIVR, an Amazon subsidiary founded in 2024 as an ETH Zurich spin-off, is developing Physical AI for last-mile delivery. This position leads the engineering efforts behind safe, autonomous robots that combine custom hardware, onboard autonomy, and cloud coordination to deliver packages directly to doorsteps.

Responsibilities

• Guide, mentor, and develop a group of 5–8 engineers specializing in DevOps, backend, and full-stack domains.
• Hold regular one-on-one meetings, manage performance reviews, and cultivate an environment defined by high ownership, psychological safety, and honest feedback.
• Work with cross-functional teams to design end-to-end features that enhance robot operations and the final delivery experience.
• Coordinate with the broader software organization to structure projects, synchronize timelines, and adjust execution strategies.
• Act as the team’s representative in technical and product discussions with Senior and Principal stakeholders.
• Manage sprint planning, backlog refinement, and roadmap execution while actively removing impediments.
• Assess technical choices and balance short-term needs against long-term architectural goals.
• Improve system availability, reduce latency, and enhance observability standards.
• Oversee on-call schedules, conduct post-mortems for production incidents, and optimize CI/CD pipelines.
• Convert complex logistical and operational needs into clear, scalable technical milestones.

Requirements

• At least four years of experience formally leading engineering teams, managing sprints, and coaching developers.
• Seven or more years of professional experience building and operating large-scale backend systems within a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) or microservices context.
• Demonstrated experience designing and implementing solutions on AWS.
• Proven track record of operating complex SOA architectures at scale, with deep knowledge of failure modes in distributed systems.
• Experience constructing and maintaining ML training infrastructure and integrating it into the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
• Ability to handle sensitive data while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.
• Strong judgment to identify irreversible decisions and critically evaluate the assumptions and designs of Senior Engineers.
• Exceptional communication skills to explain complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with cloud services interacting with physical edge devices like robots.
• Background in robotics, IoT, fleet management, or real-time data streaming systems.
• Experience with observability tools (OTLP, Grafana, Prometheus) tailored for physical devices with intermittent connectivity.
• Knowledge of security topics within cloud system contexts.
• Experience navigating organizational growth or integrating startup systems into large enterprise environments.

What the company offers

• Chance to join a diverse and inclusive team that values every perspective.

About the company

Amazon RIVR operates at the intersection of robotics and cloud technology, aiming to revolutionize last-mile delivery through Physical AI. As an Amazon subsidiary, the company leverages its ETH Zurich roots to build safe, reliable autonomous robots. The culture emphasizes high ownership, psychological safety, candid feedback, and the belief that the best work emerges from collaboration.

• High ownership and psychological safety are core values.
• Candid feedback is encouraged to foster growth.
• A relentless drive to earn trust and develop top talent.
• Collaboration is seen as the key to achieving the best results.