Director, UX Design, Demand Tech Experiences

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Director, UX Design, Demand Tech Experiences

Company: Amazon

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States; New York, New York, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: UX Design Leadership / Product Design Management

Date Posted: September 15, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and scale a high-performing UX design team, fostering innovation and excellence in user experiences for Amazon's advertising platform.

• Drive the design strategy and roadmap for Amazon Ads, translating market opportunities and customer needs into a cohesive and scalable design vision.

• Establish robust design operations, including systems, processes, and tools, to enable the team to operate with velocity and maintain high-quality craft.

• Execute end-to-end design initiatives, from problem definition to production launch, ensuring intuitive, performant, and measurable advertiser experiences.

• Develop industry-leading experiences across diverse customer touchpoints, including campaign builders, management tools, reporting dashboards, and emerging AI-powered workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is a senior leadership position within Amazon's Demand Tech UX organization, focused on the advertising platform. The emphasis on "Demand Tech Experiences" and "Demand-side platforms (DSP)" within the preferred qualifications indicates a strong focus on the buy-side of advertising technology, requiring a deep understanding of advertiser workflows, campaign management, and programmatic trading. The integration of AI-powered and agentic workflows suggests a forward-looking approach to user experience design in a complex enterprise environment.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and execute the design strategy and roadmap for the Amazon Ads platform, collaborating closely with product management, engineering, and business leadership.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of UX professionals (managers, designers, writers, design program managers, researchers), establishing hiring standards, culture, and career development paths.

• Drive design operations excellence by implementing and refining systems, processes, and tools that enhance team efficiency and output quality.

• Lead the end-to-end design process for high-impact initiatives, from initial problem definition and user research through to production launch and post-launch analysis.

• Create and advocate for industry-leading user experiences across various touchpoints, including self-service advertising consoles, campaign management tools, reporting dashboards, and AI-driven agentic copilot experiences.

• Foster strong partnerships with peer design leaders, principal engineers, and product directors across Amazon to ensure experience unification and accelerate innovation.

• Define and evolve design governance, standards, design patterns, accessibility guidelines, and design systems to ensure consistency and scalability across a growing product portfolio.

• Compellingly communicate the design vision, strategic recommendations, and tactical plans to senior leadership, executive sponsors, and external stakeholders.

• Mentor and develop emerging leaders within the design team, cultivating a culture of continuous learning, psychological safety, and high performance.

• Champion customer obsession by grounding design decisions in data, user research, and a deep understanding of advertiser workflows, pain points, and aspirations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic leadership role that requires not only design expertise but also significant people management, operational efficiency, and cross-functional collaboration skills. The emphasis on "design governance," "design systems," and "accessibility standards" points to a need for scalable and consistent design practices across a large product suite. The requirement to present to "senior leadership, executive sponsors, and external stakeholders" underscores the importance of strong communication and executive presence.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Design, Human-Computer Interaction, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for this level of leadership.

Experience: 12+ years of professional design experience, with a minimum of 8 years in a design leadership or management capacity, demonstrating a track record of building and scaling high-performing design teams.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in AdTech, B2B enterprise UX, SaaS platforms, or sophisticated workflow software (e.g., financial services, analytics).

• Deep understanding of design strategy, information architecture, interaction design, and visual design best practices.

• Demonstrated experience in leading end-to-end product experiences from initial problem discovery through to production launch.

• Ability to clearly communicate complex design concepts and strategic recommendations to diverse audiences, including executives, engineers, and business stakeholders.

• Proven track record of successfully building and scaling high-performing design teams.

• Strong understanding of customer obsession principles and ability to translate them into actionable design strategies.

• Experience in establishing design governance and standards for a product portfolio. Preferred Skills:

• 5+ years of direct experience in advertising technology (AdTech), demand-side platforms (DSP), or programmatic trading.

• Experience designing AI-assisted or agentic user experiences that fundamentally change how users work.

• Familiarity with emerging design challenges in multi-agent systems, autonomous workflows, and human-AI collaboration.

• Leadership experience in fast-growing, high-velocity organizations where speed is a competitive advantage.

• Experience designing across omnichannel contexts, including desktop, mobile, chat interfaces, and data visualization.

• Track record of building and scaling design systems and establishing design governance at an organizational level.

• Experience presenting to C-suite executives, boards, or external partners (e.g., holding companies, key customers).

• Familiarity with modern design tools such as Figma and Miro, and contemporary design workflows.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "10+" years of experience derived from the "12+ years of professional design experience, including 8+ years leading design teams" basic qualification indicates a senior leadership profile. The preferred qualifications strongly signal a need for deep domain expertise in advertising technology and a forward-thinking approach to AI-driven user experiences, which are critical for success in this role.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrate strategic leadership in defining and executing design roadmaps for complex enterprise platforms, showcasing impact on business objectives.

• Provide case studies of end-to-end product development cycles, highlighting problem definition, user research methodologies, design solutions, and measurable outcomes.

• Showcase experience in building and scaling design teams, including hiring, mentorship, and fostering a high-performance culture.

• Illustrate expertise in establishing design operations, governance, and design systems that ensure consistency and efficiency across product portfolios.

• Include examples of designing for sophisticated workflows, B2B SaaS, or AdTech environments, emphasizing user efficiency and business impact. Process Documentation:

• Evidence of designing and implementing scalable design processes, from user research and ideation through to detailed design specifications and handoff to engineering.

• Documentation of how design systems were developed, implemented, and maintained to ensure consistency and efficiency across multiple products or features.

• Examples of how data, user research, and analytics were integrated into the design process to inform decisions and measure impact.

• Case studies detailing the optimization of existing workflows or the creation of new, efficient processes to improve team velocity and product quality.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Director-level role, the portfolio should not just showcase individual design work but also the candidate's ability to lead, strategize, and operationalize design within a large organization. The emphasis should be on impact, scalability, and team development. Experience with process improvement and system implementation is crucial.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Seattle, Washington: $216,400 - $292,800 USD annually

• New York, New York: $238,000 - $322,000 USD annually

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance package including medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage.

• Basic Life & AD&D insurance with options for supplemental life plans.

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and dedicated Mental Health Support.

• Medical Advice Line for health consultations.

• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) for healthcare and dependent care.

• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.

• 401(k) retirement savings plan with employer matching.

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) and parental leave policies.

• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) as part of the total compensation package.

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility and dedication typical for a Director-level role in a fast-paced, global organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary ranges provided are specific to the listed locations and reflect senior leadership compensation in major tech hubs. The extensive list of benefits highlights Amazon's comprehensive approach to employee well-being and financial security. The "40 hours per week" is a standard baseline, but senior roles often require more.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Cloud Computing, Digital Advertising, Technology. Amazon is a global leader across multiple sectors, known for its customer obsession, innovation, and operational excellence.

Company Size: Extremely Large (over 1,000,000 employees globally). This scale implies significant resources, complex organizational structures, and opportunities for impact across vast user bases.

Founded: 1994. Amazon's long history as an innovator shapes its culture, emphasizing long-term thinking, continuous improvement, and a relentless focus on the customer.

Team Structure:

• The Demand Tech UX organization within Amazon Ads is approximately 40 people, comprising designers, researchers, and writers.

• This team collaborates closely with product management, engineering, and business teams to deliver advertising solutions.

• The Director will lead a sub-team that may include UX managers, designers, writers, design program managers, and researchers, reporting to senior leadership within Amazon Ads. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Decisions are grounded in extensive data, user research, and analytics to ensure product-market fit and customer satisfaction.

• Customer Obsession: The core principle guiding all product development, working backward from customer needs and pain points.

• Iterative Development: A fast-paced, agile approach characterized by rapid prototyping, testing, and iteration to accelerate innovation and delivery.

• Scalability: Designing solutions that can effectively serve a massive global customer base and a growing portfolio of products.

Company Website: https://www.amazon.com

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's culture is deeply ingrained with principles like "Customer Obsession," "Bias for Action," and "Invent and Simplify." For a UX Director, understanding how these principles translate into design processes and team dynamics is crucial. The scale of Amazon means that even within a specific team, there are significant opportunities for broad impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Director, UX Design. This is a senior leadership role responsible for a significant functional area within a large organization. It involves strategic planning, team building, operational excellence, and cross-functional influence.

Reporting Structure: The Director will likely report to a Senior Director or VP of UX Design within Amazon Ads, or a senior leader in Product or Engineering for the Demand Tech area. They will manage a team of UX professionals, potentially including other managers.

Operations Impact: This role has a direct and substantial impact on Amazon's advertising business by shaping the user experience for advertisers. Effective UX design directly influences advertiser adoption, campaign performance, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue generated through the advertising platform. The integration of AI and agentic experiences also positions this role at the forefront of future advertising technology innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Advancement: Potential to move into Senior Director or VP roles, leading larger organizations or broader product portfolios within Amazon Ads or other Amazon divisions.

• Strategic Influence: Opportunity to shape the long-term vision and strategy for advertising technology and user experience across Amazon.

• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI-driven UX, programmatic advertising, or large-scale design systems.

• Cross-Functional Leadership: Develop broader business acumen and leadership skills through extensive collaboration with product, engineering, and business teams.

• Mentorship & Development: Continue to mentor and develop future design leaders, contributing to the growth of the design profession within Amazon.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role represents a significant step in a UX design career, offering leadership over a critical business function. The growth opportunities are tied to expanding scope, strategic impact, and leadership development within Amazon's vast ecosystem.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site. Amazon typically emphasizes in-person collaboration for its design and product development teams, especially at senior levels, to foster rapid iteration and strong team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington, and New York, New York. These are major tech hubs offering vibrant professional communities and excellent amenities.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: Expect a dynamic workspace designed to encourage collaboration between designers, product managers, engineers, and researchers.

• Tools & Technology: Access to industry-standard design tools (Figma, Miro are mentioned), as well as Amazon's internal suite of development and collaboration platforms.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for brainstorming sessions, design reviews, stakeholder meetings, and cross-functional project discussions.

Work Schedule: While the standard is 40 hours per week, Director-level roles in fast-paced environments like Amazon Ads often require significant dedication, including potential work outside of standard business hours to meet project deadlines and strategic goals. Flexibility and a results-oriented approach are key.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests a preference for in-person collaboration, which is common for leadership roles where team building and rapid decision-making are paramount. The choice of Seattle and New York indicates a presence in major tech talent markets.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: HR or recruiter call to assess basic qualifications, experience, and alignment with Amazon's culture.

• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager focusing on leadership experience, strategic thinking, team management, and domain expertise (AdTech, UX).

• Design Team Interviews: Meetings with peer UX leaders, design managers, and senior individual contributors to evaluate design philosophy, collaboration style, and specific skill sets.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Sessions with Product Management and Engineering leaders to assess partnership capabilities, technical understanding, and ability to drive consensus.

• Leadership Principles Interview: A dedicated interview focused on Amazon's Leadership Principles, where candidates provide examples of how they've demonstrated these principles in past roles. This is a critical component of Amazon's hiring process.

• Portfolio Review & Presentation: A session where candidates present their portfolio, often focusing on 2-3 key case studies that demonstrate strategic impact, leadership, and process.

• Final Round: Potentially with senior executives to discuss overall vision, strategic alignment, and long-term impact.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Impact & Scale: Showcase how your design leadership drove significant business outcomes and scaled effectively across large teams or product portfolios.

• Strategic Storytelling: Frame your case studies not just as design outputs, but as strategic initiatives that solved complex business problems and met user needs.

• Demonstrate Leadership: Highlight your role in building teams, mentoring talent, establishing processes, and influencing stakeholders.

• Showcase Process: Detail your approach to problem-solving, research, ideation, iteration, and collaboration, emphasizing how you foster efficient design operations.

• Address Amazon's Principles: Be prepared to discuss how your work aligns with Amazon's Leadership Principles, particularly "Customer Obsession," "Invent and Simplify," and "Are Right, A Lot."

• Prepare for AI/Agentic Design: If applicable, showcase experience or thoughtful approaches to designing AI-assisted or agentic user experiences.

Challenge Preparation:

• Leadership Principles: Prepare specific, STAR-method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples for each of Amazon's Leadership Principles.

• Strategic Design Thinking: Be ready to discuss high-level design strategy, roadmap development, and how to balance innovation with execution in a fast-paced environment.

• Team Building & Management: Prepare to discuss your philosophy on hiring, developing, and leading design teams, including handling underperformance and fostering growth.

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate hypothetical challenges related to managing design teams, navigating cross-functional conflicts, or driving adoption of new design initiatives.

• Portfolio Walkthrough: Practice a concise and compelling presentation of your portfolio, focusing on the most relevant and impactful projects.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's interview process is notoriously thorough, with a strong emphasis on its Leadership Principles. Candidates must be prepared to provide detailed, behavioral examples. The portfolio review is a key component, requiring candidates to articulate not just design decisions but also their strategic rationale and impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Widely used for UI design, prototyping, and collaboration.

• Miro: Essential for brainstorming, diagramming, user journey mapping, and collaborative workshops.

• Amazon's Internal Design & Development Tools: Proprietary tools for design systems, prototyping, and workflow management that candidates will need to learn.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Internal Amazon Analytics Platforms: Tools for tracking user behavior, campaign performance, and business metrics.

• Data Visualization Tools: For creating dashboards and reporting on key performance indicators (KPIs) to stakeholders.

CRM & Automation:

• Internal Amazon Advertising Platforms: The core systems that advertisers interact with for campaign management and reporting.

• Workflow Automation Tools: Potentially used for design operations, project management, and internal team processes.

• Integration Tools: Understanding how different systems connect and data flows is crucial in a large ecosystem like Amazon's.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific internal Amazon tools are proprietary, familiarity with industry-standard tools like Figma and Miro is a strong indicator of a candidate's ability to adapt to Amazon's ecosystem. The emphasis on analytics and data-driven decision-making is paramount.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Every decision is made with the advertiser's needs and success at the forefront.

• Invent and Simplify: A drive to find innovative solutions and make complex processes straightforward for users.

• Are Right, A Lot: A commitment to data-driven decision-making and thoughtful analysis to ensure accuracy and effectiveness.

• Learn and Be Curious: A continuous pursuit of knowledge, exploring new technologies (like AI) and design methodologies.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for outcomes and proactively driving initiatives to completion.

• Dive Deep: A willingness to thoroughly understand complex problems and systems to find the best solutions.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Close working relationships with Product Management and Engineering are essential for successful product development.

• Data-Informed Dialogue: Discussions are typically backed by data, research, and logical reasoning, fostering productive debates.

• Feedback Culture: Openness to constructive feedback and a willingness to provide it to others to improve quality and drive progress.

• Agile & Iterative: A dynamic approach that involves frequent communication, rapid prototyping, and iterative refinement of designs and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding and embodying Amazon's Leadership Principles is fundamental to success and integration within any team at Amazon. The collaborative style is direct, data-driven, and focused on achieving business objectives efficiently.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scale and Complexity: Navigating the immense scale of Amazon's advertising platform and its intricate technical architecture presents a significant challenge.

• Pace of Innovation: Keeping pace with rapid technological advancements, particularly in AI, and translating them into effective user experiences requires constant adaptation.

• Balancing Stakeholder Needs: Managing diverse requirements and expectations from various stakeholders (product, engineering, sales, marketing, customers) while maintaining a cohesive design vision.

• Driving Change in a Large Organization: Implementing new design processes, systems, or strategic shifts requires strong influence and persistent effort.

• Talent Development & Retention: Attracting and retaining world-class design talent in competitive tech hubs requires a compelling team culture and growth opportunities.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced AI/ML Design: Opportunities to lead the design of cutting-edge AI-powered features and agentic workflows.

• Strategic Leadership: Development in areas like strategic planning, organizational design, and influencing executive-level decisions.

• Industry Trends: Exposure to the forefront of advertising technology, programmatic trading, and enterprise SaaS innovation.

• Mentorship Programs: Access to senior leaders and potential for formal or informal mentorship to guide career growth.

• Internal Training & Conferences: Participation in Amazon's extensive internal learning resources and potentially external industry events.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are inherent to a senior leadership role at a company like Amazon, particularly in a rapidly evolving field like digital advertising. The growth opportunities are substantial, offering a path for significant career advancement and skill development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you developed a design strategy for a complex product or platform. What was your approach, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on translating business goals into a design roadmap and demonstrating impact).

• "How would you approach building and scaling a design team in a fast-paced, high-growth environment like Amazon Ads?" (Discuss hiring, culture, mentorship, and operational efficiency).

• "Imagine you need to design an AI-powered assistant for advertisers. What are the key UX considerations and challenges you would address?" (Showcase understanding of AI/agentic design, user trust, and workflow integration). Company & Culture Questions:

• "How have you demonstrated 'Customer Obsession' in your previous leadership roles?" (Prepare specific examples of working backward from customer needs).

• "Describe a situation where you had to 'Invent and Simplify' a complex process or product." (Highlight innovative problem-solving and efficiency gains).

• "How do you ensure your design team fosters a culture of psychological safety and continuous learning?" (Discuss leadership style and team development strategies). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your presentation: Begin with a high-level overview of your leadership philosophy and experience, then dive into 2-3 detailed case studies.

• Case Study Focus: For each case study, clearly articulate the business problem, user needs, your strategic approach, your leadership role, the design solution, and the measurable impact (metrics are key).

• Highlight Operations: Emphasize your role in establishing design processes, managing teams, and driving operational excellence.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design decisions, trade-offs made, challenges encountered, and how your work aligns with Amazon's Leadership Principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparing specific examples using the STAR method for Amazon's Leadership Principles is non-negotiable. Candidates should also be ready to articulate their strategic vision for UX within the advertising technology domain and demonstrate how they can lead and scale a high-performing team.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this operations position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs portal.

• Customize your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in AdTech, B2B enterprise UX, SaaS platforms, and leadership roles. Quantify achievements with metrics where possible.

• Prepare your Portfolio: Select 2-3 of your most impactful projects that showcase strategic leadership, team management, process implementation, and measurable outcomes. Ensure it aligns with the requirements of this role.

• Practice Leadership Principles: Rehearse specific, STAR-method examples for each of Amazon's Leadership Principles. This is a critical part of the Amazon interview process.

• Research Amazon Ads: Gain a deep understanding of Amazon's advertising products, target audience, and current market position. Familiarize yourself with the Demand Tech UX team's mission and focus.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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