Applied Scientist, Amazon Optics

Amazon Optics owns the design delivery and operation of the unified physical security platform that protects Amazons global infrastructure. We consolidate alarm management device monitoring and video surveillance data to deliver real-time situational awareness and actionable insights for security professionals. We work on complex challenges spanning automated threat detection signal processing and AI-driven security evaluation and we are looking for talented people who want to help protect Amazons people assets and operations at scale.

You will join a diverse team of software engineers data scientists security specialists and operations managers. You will collaborate with teams across Amazon to deliver the highest standards for physical security while enabling our customers to scale their security operations efficiently. You will experience an inclusive culture that welcomes bold ideas and empowers you to own them to completion.

Come work for the Optics Incident Response Tech team specializing in the detection triage and resolution of physical security incidents across Amazons global footprint. We are looking for an Applied Scientist who is passionate about applying artificial intelligence and machine learning to physical security operations. You will build services and tools that leverage AI/ML to automate false alarm resolution enable intelligent signal processing and deliver predictive insights from security event data. You will be part of a team building Large Language Model (LLM)-based services focused on enabling security teams to interact with alarm access control and video surveillance data in real time. The team works in close collaboration with other Optics services including Signals Access Control Management Video Surveillance and Analytics to power automated mitigations that protect Amazons global infrastructure. If you are excited about transforming physical security operations through applied science we would love to talk to you.

Key job responsibilities
Design and develop ML models for automated alarm triage false alarm suppression and anomaly detection across physical security signal streams (access control events intrusion alarms video analytics triggers)

Build and optimize LLM-based systems that enable security operators to query summarize and interact with incident data using natural language

Develop predictive models that identify emerging security patterns correlate multi-source signals and enable proactive incident response before threats materialize

Research and implement computer vision applications for video-based threat detection object classification and automated situational awareness during active incidents

Architect end-to-end ML pipelines from data ingestion through model training evaluation deployment and monitoring in production

Collaborate with software engineers to integrate ML solutions into the Optics platforms real-time event processing infrastructure

Define evaluation frameworks including precision/recall metrics for alarm classification latency requirements for real-time inference and A/B testing protocols for model improvements

Own model performance in production including drift detection retraining cadences and incident-driven model updates

Identify and scope ambiguous problem areas where ML can transform incident response workflows even when the business problem is not yet fully defined

Drive scientific breakthroughs in areas such as multi-modal fusion (combining video and sensor data) few-shot learning for rare security events and reinforcement learning for dynamic response prioritization

Advise team members on ML best practices model selection feature engineering and experimental design

Influence product roadmaps by translating scientific capabilities into customer-facing features that reduce mean time to resolution and false alarm rates

Engage with cross-functional stakeholders including security operations hardware engineering and partner teams (Signals Access Control Management Analytics) to align scientific investments with operational needs

Reduce false alarm rates through intelligent signal classification and contextual filtering

Decrease mean time to detection and resolution for genuine security incidents

Increase automation coverage for routine incident types freeing human operators for complex threat assessment

Publish internal research and contribute to the broader ML/security community through papers and patents


About the team
Our team and customers are distributed across the globe with most of our team members on the East Coast heavily concentrated in the DMV area and JFK and some members in the Seattle area.

Diverse Experiences
Amazon Security 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 hasnt followed a traditional path or includes alternative experiences dont let it stop you from applying.

Why Amazon Security
At Amazon security is central to maintaining customer trust and delivering delightful customer experiences. Our organization is responsible for creating and maintaining a high bar for security across all of Amazons products and services. We offer talented security professionals the chance to accelerate their careers with opportunities to build experience in a wide variety of areas including cloud devices retail entertainment healthcare operations and physical stores.

Inclusive Team Culture
In Amazon Security its in our nature to learn and be curious. Ongoing DEI events and learning experiences inspire us to continue learning and to embrace our uniqueness. Addressing the toughest security challenges requires that we seek out and celebrate a diversity of ideas perspectives and voices.

Training & Career Growth
Were continuously raising our performance bar as we strive to become Earths Best Employer. Thats why youll find endless knowledge-sharing training 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 flexible work hours and arrangements are part of our culture. When we feel supported in the workplace and at home theres nothing we cant achieve.

- 3 years of building models for business application experience
- PhD or Masters 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

- 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 for more information. If the country/region youre applying in isnt 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 MD Annapolis Junction - 142800.00 - 193200.00 USD annually
USA NY New York - 172400.00 - 223400.00 USD annually
USA VA Herndon - 142800.00 - 193200.00 USD annually