Head of Design and Brand Innovation Lab, Amazon Ads at Amazon

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Head of Design and Brand Innovation Lab, Amazon Ads

Company: Amazon

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Job Type: FULL_TIME

Category: Creative Leadership / Brand Innovation / Advertising Design

Date Posted: 2025-06-11T00:00:00

Experience Level: 10+ years (Senior Leadership)

Remote Status: On-site

🎨 Role Summary

Lead a multidisciplinary Creative Solutions team focused on delivering high-impact, customer-obsessed advertising campaigns for top brands on Amazon Ads.
Drive design-first thinking grounded in strategic business objectives, elevating the creative bar across digital and offline channels.
Serve as the strategic and creative leader for Amazon Ads in India, overseeing design, engineering, and program management functions within the Brand Innovation Lab (BIL).
Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Account Management, Product, and Tech teams globally to scale innovative advertising solutions and frameworks.

📝 Enhancement Note: Based on the "Head of" title and the requirement for 7+ years of design experience with 3+ years in leadership, the experience level has been inferred as Senior Leadership (10+ years overall design experience is a common benchmark for this level). The role summary emphasizes the strategic and leadership aspects inherent in a Head of Design position within a large organization like Amazon.

🖼️ Primary Responsibilities

Act as a trusted strategic advisor to key advertisers and agencies, leveraging deep understanding of marketing challenges and Amazon's advertising canvas to propose breakthrough creative ideas.
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of designers, engineers, and program managers, fostering a culture of innovation and excellence in creative execution.
Expand the Brand Innovation Lab charter in India, developing unique, scalable innovation frameworks and creative solutions that can be applied across various industry verticals.
Collaborate with Design and Business teams to craft compelling campaign narratives and proposals that are both highly innovative and operationally feasible.
Utilize data, customer insights, and Amazon's internal tools to define and drive impactful creative initiatives, measure campaign performance, analyze results, and implement continuous improvements.
Partner with regional and global Brand Innovation Lab counterparts, as well as other Amazon businesses (e.g., Alexa, Livestream, Prime Video), to conceptualize and execute innovative cross-platform advertising experiences.
Represent Amazon Ads India as a thought leader in advertising innovation, leading client education forums, thought leadership sessions, and contributing to the broader Amazon Ads creative agenda.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities were expanded to highlight the leadership, strategic advisory, and cross-functional collaboration aspects expected of a Head of Design role within a large tech company's advertising division. Specific responsibilities like expanding the BIL charter and leading thought leadership align with the seniority and strategic nature of the position.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: A Master's degree in Design, Marketing, Communications, or a closely related field is required, demonstrating a strong theoretical foundation relevant to creative strategy and execution in a business context.

Experience: Minimum of 7+ years of professional design experience, with a significant focus on digital-first brands and building creatives across various digital touchpoints. At least 3+ years of demonstrated experience successfully leading and scaling creative or cross-functional design teams is essential. Proven ability to deliver customer-obsessed, data-driven creative solutions by working backwards from defined business objectives is critical. Experience influencing senior stakeholders and managing executive-level relationships is a key requirement for this leadership role. Candidates should be prepared to showcase a portfolio demonstrating strategic thinking, creative leadership, and impactful campaign results.

Required Skills:

Extensive experience with a variety of design tools essential for digital creative production, including but not limited to Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, and potentially tools for wireframing/prototyping like Visio or Axure, and web design/development tools like Dreamweaver.
Strong experience working with digital-first brands, developing and executing creative strategies across diverse digital touchpoints such as web, mobile, video, social media, and programmatic advertising platforms.
Proven leadership skills with the ability to effectively lead, mentor, and manage creative and cross-functional teams to achieve high performance and deliver bar-raising work.
Demonstrated ability to apply a data-driven approach to creative solutions, using insights and analytics to inform design decisions and measure campaign impact.
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to articulate creative vision, inspire teams, effectively communicate with clients and senior stakeholders, and present complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
Strong business acumen with the ability to understand business objectives, work backwards from goals, and translate them into effective creative strategies and solutions.

Preferred Skills:

Experience working cross-functionally with product management, engineering, testing, and marketing teams, synthesizing feedback and input to drive integrated creative solutions.
Experience launching comprehensive 360° advertising campaigns that span both digital and physical touchpoints.
A track record of successfully managing multimillion-dollar campaign portfolios or leading innovation pipelines within a creative or marketing context.
Comfort working effectively in ambiguous environments, possessing a startup mindset characterized by adaptability, proactivity, and a willingness to iterate and experiment.
Experience working across global teams or leading regional creative programs, demonstrating cultural sensitivity and the ability to navigate diverse market needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The skills and qualifications section was expanded to provide more context on the required experience, particularly emphasizing the leadership and digital-first aspects. Preferred skills were detailed to give candidates a clearer picture of desired complementary experience. The mention of specific design tools, while potentially outdated in the original listing (e.g., Fireworks, Dreamweaver, Visio, Axure), has been kept but contextualized within the broader need for proficiency in relevant digital design and prototyping tools.

🎨 Portfolio & Creative Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

Your portfolio should be a curated collection of your most impactful design work, specifically highlighting projects for digital-first brands and demonstrating your ability to create across various digital touchpoints (web, mobile, video, social, programmatic).
Include detailed case studies for key projects, showcasing your strategic thinking, problem-solving process, and the impact of your design decisions on business results.
Visually present your work with high fidelity, demonstrating strong command of visual design principles, typography, layout, and imagery suitable for advertising contexts.
Where applicable, demonstrate technical understanding through examples of interactive design, motion graphics, or other technical aspects relevant to digital advertising creatives.

Process Documentation:

Document your design process from initial research and discovery phases, including how you gathered customer insights and defined the creative challenge.
Illustrate your ideation and iteration methods, showing sketches, wireframes, prototypes, and how you explored different creative directions.
Detail your validation and testing approaches, explaining how you gathered feedback, conducted user testing (where applicable), and iterated on designs based on insights.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is a senior design leadership role focused on brand innovation and advertising, the portfolio requirements section was tailored to emphasize the need for showcasing strategic thinking, business impact, and experience with digital-first brands and diverse digital touchpoints. The focus on case studies and process documentation is crucial for demonstrating leadership and problem-solving capabilities at this level.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While the exact salary is not specified, for a Head of Design / Creative Director role of this seniority and scope at a major tech company like Amazon in Bengaluru, India, a competitive salary range would typically be in the range of ₹60,00,000 to ₹1,20,00,000 per annum. This estimate is based on market data for senior design leadership positions in major Indian tech hubs, factoring in Amazon's compensation standards and the strategic importance of this role within Amazon Ads. The final offer will depend on the candidate's specific experience, qualifications, and negotiation.

Benefits:

Comprehensive health insurance coverage for employees and dependents.
Retirement savings plans (e.g., Provident Fund) with company contributions.
Paid time off, including vacation, sick leave, and public holidays, potentially with additional leave benefits commensurate with seniority.
Opportunities for professional development, training, and access to Amazon's extensive learning resources.
Potential for stock options or restricted stock units (RSUs) as part of the total compensation package, common for leadership roles at Amazon.
Employee discounts on Amazon products and services.
Potential wellness programs and other employee support resources.

Working Hours: Standard full-time working hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week. However, as a senior leader, the role may require flexibility and availability for collaboration with global teams across different time zones and occasional work outside of standard business hours to meet project deadlines and business needs. The nature of creative leadership may also involve periods of intense focus and output.

📝 Enhancement Note: A salary range was estimated based on market research data for senior design leadership roles at major tech companies in Bengaluru, India. The estimate includes a wide range to account for variations in experience and negotiation. Benefits were listed based on typical offerings for a large company like Amazon in India, with specific mention of potential stock options common for leadership roles. Working hours were clarified to reflect the potential need for flexibility in a global, leadership position.

🎯Team & Company Context

🏢 Company & Design Culture

Industry: Amazon operates at the intersection of e-commerce, cloud computing (AWS), digital advertising (Amazon Ads), entertainment (Prime Video, Music, Gaming), and devices (Alexa, Kindle). The industry context for this role is specifically within the highly dynamic and competitive digital advertising space, where design plays a critical role in creating effective, engaging, and measurable advertising experiences that enhance the customer journey on Amazon's platforms. This role requires a deep understanding of the advertising ecosystem and how design drives business results within it.

Company Size: Amazon is a global technology giant with over 10,001+ employees worldwide. Working within such a large organization means operating within established processes and structures, but also having access to vast resources, diverse talent, and significant scale to impact millions of customers globally. Design leaders at Amazon navigate complex organizational structures and collaborate with numerous internal teams.

Founded: Founded in 1994, Amazon has a long history of innovation and customer obsession. The company culture is often described as fast-paced, data-driven, and focused on long-term thinking. The design culture within Amazon Ads likely emphasizes experimentation, measuring creative performance, and continuously raising the bar for advertising experiences.

Team Structure:

The Creative Solutions team is described as multidisciplinary, including designers, engineers, and program managers. This structure suggests a collaborative environment where design works closely with technical and operational roles from conception to execution.
The team reports to the Head of Design and Brand Innovation Lab for India, indicating a dedicated creative leadership structure within the region.
There is a strong emphasis on partnering closely with Sales, Account Management, Product, and Tech teams, highlighting a highly cross-functional operational model.

Methodology:

The role emphasizes working backwards from business objectives, indicating a results-oriented design process that starts with defining customer needs and business goals.
Utilizing data and insights is a key requirement, suggesting a reliance on analytics and customer data to inform creative strategy and evaluate campaign effectiveness.
The focus on creating "scalable innovation frameworks" points towards a methodology that values repeatable processes and solutions that can be applied broadly across different advertisers and verticals.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Company information was contextualized specifically for a design role within Amazon Ads. Details about the industry, company size, and founding history were framed in terms of their implications for design professionals. Assumptions about the design culture, team structure, and methodology were made based on the job description's language ("design-first approach," "work backwards from business objectives," "data, insights," "scalable innovation frameworks") and Amazon's known operational principles.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Design Career Level: This role is positioned at a senior leadership level, likely equivalent to a Director or Senior Manager within Amazon's design hierarchy, responsible for leading a significant function and team within a key business area (Amazon Ads India). The scope involves strategic decision-making, team management, and influencing both internal and external stakeholders.

Reporting Structure: The role reports to a senior leader within the Amazon Ads organization, likely the head of the broader Amazon Ads India team or a global head of Brand Innovation Lab. This positioning indicates significant visibility and influence within the regional and potentially global Amazon Ads structure.

Design Impact: Design in this role has a direct and measurable impact on Amazon's advertising business in India. By leading the Brand Innovation Lab and Creative Solutions team, the Head of Design will influence the creative quality and effectiveness of advertising campaigns for major brands, contributing to advertising revenue and advertiser satisfaction. The focus on "measurable impact" highlights the importance of design's contribution to business outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

Potential for advancement to more senior leadership roles within Amazon Ads globally, or within other design or creative functions across Amazon.
Opportunities to expand the scope of the Brand Innovation Lab, taking on new initiatives, verticals, or leading larger, more complex innovation projects.
Development of executive leadership skills, strategic business acumen, and the ability to influence at the highest levels within a large, complex organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The career level, reporting structure, and design impact were inferred based on the "Head of" title and the responsibilities outlined. Growth opportunities were detailed based on typical career progression paths at a large company like Amazon for senior leaders, focusing on expanded scope, increased responsibility, and development of executive-level skills.

🌐 Work Environment

Studio Type: This role is based on-site in Bengaluru, India. While Amazon offices typically offer modern workspaces, the specific "studio type" for the Creative Solutions team and Brand Innovation Lab is likely designed to foster collaboration and creative work. This could include open-plan areas, dedicated meeting rooms, and potentially specialized spaces for creative reviews or prototyping.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. Amazon has multiple offices in Bengaluru, and the specific office for this team would be confirmed during the interview process. Bengaluru is a major tech hub with accessible transportation options, although commute times can vary.

Design Workspace Context:

The workspace is likely designed to facilitate close collaboration between designers, engineers, and program managers within the multidisciplinary team.
Access to necessary design tools, technology, and potentially specialized equipment for creative production (e.g., rendering capabilities, large displays) is expected.
The on-site nature of the role encourages in-person interaction, spontaneous collaboration, and direct engagement in team activities and creative reviews.

Work Schedule: The role is full-time and on-site. The work schedule will generally align with standard business hours in Bengaluru. However, given the need to partner with regional and global teams, flexibility may be required for meetings or collaboration with colleagues in different time zones. The dynamic nature of advertising and innovation may also necessitate adaptability in scheduling to meet project demands.

📝 Enhancement Note: Information about the work environment was inferred based on the on-site requirement and the typical setup for creative teams within large tech companies. Bengaluru's context as a major tech hub was included. Assumptions about the workspace were made based on the multidisciplinary team structure and the nature of creative work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Design Interview Process:

Initial screening interviews, likely including a recruiter screen and a hiring manager or senior team member interview to assess basic qualifications, experience, and leadership potential.
A portfolio review stage where candidates present selected case studies to demonstrate their strategic thinking, design process, creative execution, and the business impact of their work. Specific focus will be on digital advertising campaigns and brand innovation projects.
Multiple rounds of interviews with key stakeholders, including team members, peers, cross-functional partners (Sales, Product, Tech), and potentially senior leaders. These interviews will assess leadership skills, collaboration style, strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.
A potential design challenge or case study exercise to evaluate the candidate's approach to solving a real-world design or brand innovation problem relevant to Amazon Ads.
Final interviews with senior leadership to assess overall fit for the Head of Design role and alignment with Amazon's leadership principles.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Structure your case studies to clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your design process (including research, ideation, iteration, and testing), your specific contributions, and the measurable impact of your work on business objectives.
Emphasize projects related to digital advertising, brand building, and innovation, showcasing your experience with diverse digital touchpoints and your ability to create engaging, effective campaigns.
Clearly articulate your strategic thinking and how your design decisions were informed by customer insights, data, and business goals.
Highlight your leadership role in the projects, explaining how you led teams, collaborated with stakeholders, and navigated challenges.

Challenge Preparation:

If a design challenge is assigned, carefully read and understand the prompt, clarifying any ambiguities. Structure your response to demonstrate your strategic approach, design process, and ability to think through the problem from a customer and business perspective.
Be prepared to articulate your design rationale clearly and concisely, explaining the "why" behind your decisions.
Practice presenting your work and thought process within a time limit, focusing on the most impactful aspects of your solution.

ATS Keywords: Design Leadership, Brand Innovation, Creative Solutions, Amazon Ads, Digital Advertising, Campaign Management, Creative Strategy, Team Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Digital Design, UX/UI Design, Visual Design, Creative Direction, Advertising Technology, E-commerce Advertising, Performance Marketing, Data-Driven Design, Customer Obsession, Leadership Principles, Portfolio Review, Case Study, Design Process, Problem Solving, Strategic Thinking, Bengaluru, India, APAC Market, Global Collaboration, Product Design, User Experience, User Interface, Creative Team, Mentoring, Scaling Teams, Digital Touchpoints, Web Design, Mobile Design, Video Advertising, Social Media Advertising, Programmatic Advertising, Marketing Communications, Brand Building, Thought Leadership, Client Relationships, Agency Partnerships, Operational Excellence, Ambiguity, Startup Mindset, 360 Campaigns, Innovation Pipeline, Budget Management, Executive Communication, Presentation Skills, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator), Prototyping Tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD), Analytics, User Research, A/B Testing.

📝 Enhancement Note: The application and interview process was detailed based on typical senior leadership hiring practices at a large tech company like Amazon, with specific emphasis on portfolio review for design roles, assessment of leadership and strategic thinking, and potential for a design challenge. Portfolio tips and challenge preparation advice were tailored to the specific requirements of this Brand Innovation Lab role within Amazon Ads. A comprehensive list of ATS keywords relevant to design leadership, advertising, and Amazon's context was provided.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Design Tools:

Proficiency in industry-standard design software is essential. While the listing mentions older tools like Fireworks and Dreamweaver, modern equivalents are likely required. This includes advanced proficiency in tools for visual design and image manipulation (e.g., Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator) and potentially tools for UI/UX design and prototyping (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD).
Experience with tools for creating presentations and proposals (e.g., Keynote, PowerPoint, Google Slides) is necessary for communicating creative strategies and campaign ideas to internal teams and external clients.

Collaboration & Handoff:

Experience with collaboration platforms is crucial for working with cross-functional and global teams (e.g., Slack, Amazon Chime, Microsoft Teams).
Familiarity with handoff tools and processes for collaborating with engineering teams (e.g., Zeplin, Abstract, or features within modern design tools like Figma's developer handoff) is important for ensuring design intent is accurately translated into implemented solutions.
Experience with documentation tools for maintaining design systems, style guides, and creative guidelines is beneficial.

Research & Testing:

Experience with tools and methodologies for gathering user insights and market data relevant to advertising effectiveness.
Familiarity with A/B testing platforms or methodologies to measure the performance of different creative variations.
Understanding of analytics platforms to track campaign performance and extract insights for optimization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The tools and technology section was updated to reflect current industry standards while acknowledging the tools mentioned in the original job description. The focus is on the types of tools needed for visual design, prototyping, collaboration, handoff, research, and testing within a digital advertising and innovation context. Specific examples of modern tools were included alongside the general categories.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Design Values:

Customer Obsession: Aligning creative solutions with customer needs and preferences on the Amazon platform, ensuring advertising enhances rather than detracts from the user experience.
Raising the Creative Bar: A commitment to pushing creative boundaries, delivering innovative and impactful advertising campaigns that stand out and achieve measurable results.
Data-Driven Creativity: Utilizing data and insights to inform creative decisions, measure performance, and continuously optimize advertising strategies.
Bias for Action & Experimentation: A willingness to test new creative approaches, iterate quickly based on performance data, and embrace a culture of experimentation within the Brand Innovation Lab.

Collaboration Style:

Highly collaborative with cross-functional teams including Sales, Account Management, Product, and Engineering, requiring strong communication and influencing skills.
Emphasis on design critique and feedback exchange to elevate the quality of creative work within the team.
Likely involves close partnership with global Brand Innovation Lab counterparts and other Amazon business units, requiring effective remote and cross-cultural collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: Design values and collaboration style were inferred based on Amazon's stated leadership principles (customer obsession, bias for action) and the job description's emphasis on data, innovation, cross-functional partnership, and raising the creative bar within the advertising context. These values are framed in terms of their behavioral expectations for designers in this role.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Design Challenges:

Balancing innovative, bar-raising creative ideas with the need for scalability and operational feasibility within a large platform like Amazon Ads.
Navigating complex stakeholder landscapes, influencing decision-makers across different teams and levels, and advocating for the value of design and innovation.
Staying ahead of rapidly evolving digital advertising trends, technologies, and consumer behaviors to ensure Amazon Ads remains a leader in creative advertising solutions.
Attracting, retaining, and developing top creative talent within a competitive market while fostering a high-performing and innovative team culture.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Opportunity to significantly impact the future of advertising on one of the world's largest e-commerce platforms.
Develop executive leadership skills, strategic business acumen, and the ability to operate effectively at a senior leadership level within a global organization.
Gain deep expertise in the intersection of e-commerce, advertising technology, and brand innovation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges were identified based on the inherent complexities of a senior leadership role in a large, fast-paced tech company focused on innovation and advertising. Growth opportunities were tied to the strategic nature of the role and the potential for significant impact within Amazon Ads and the broader advertising industry.

💡 Interview Preparation

Design Process Questions:

Be prepared to walk through your design process for a complex digital advertising campaign from start to finish, highlighting your strategic thinking, research methods, ideation process, and how you measured success. Practice articulating your rationale clearly and concisely.
Discuss how you approach working backwards from business objectives to define creative solutions. Provide specific examples from your portfolio.
Explain your experience with data-driven design and how you use insights and analytics to inform creative decisions and optimize campaigns.

Company Culture Questions:

Research Amazon's leadership principles and be prepared to discuss how your past experiences align with principles such as Customer Obsession, Bias for Action, Invent and Simplify, and Hire and Develop the Best.
Discuss your experience collaborating with cross-functional teams (Sales, Product, Engineering) and how you build strong working relationships and influence stakeholders.
Be prepared to discuss your leadership style, how you mentor and develop team members, and how you foster a culture of innovation and high performance.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Select 2-3 of your most impactful case studies that demonstrate your strategic leadership, experience with digital advertising and brand innovation, and ability to deliver measurable business results.
For each case study, clearly articulate the challenge, your role and leadership approach, your design process, the solution, and the quantifiable impact. Focus on the "so what?" – why did your design matter?
Be prepared to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them. Highlight your collaboration with other team members and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation advice was tailored to the seniority and specific focus of the role. Questions were framed around design process, strategic thinking, leadership, and cultural fit with Amazon's principles. Portfolio presentation strategy focused on highlighting strategic impact, leadership, and relevance to digital advertising and brand innovation.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this design position:

Submit your application through this link.
Carefully review your portfolio, selecting case studies that best demonstrate your experience in digital advertising, brand innovation, creative leadership, and delivering measurable business impact. Tailor your portfolio presentation to highlight relevance to Amazon Ads.
Optimize your resume to include relevant design leadership experience, key skills mentioned in the job description (especially those related to digital advertising, innovation, and team management), and quantifiable achievements. Utilize the ATS keywords provided.
Prepare for interviews by practicing articulating your design process, leadership philosophy, and strategic thinking. Be ready to discuss specific examples from your portfolio that showcase your ability to solve complex problems, lead teams, and collaborate effectively.
Conduct thorough research on Amazon Ads, its business objectives, recent campaigns, and the competitive landscape. Understand Amazon's leadership principles and be prepared to discuss how your experience aligns with them.

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

Head of Design and Brand Innovation Lab, Amazon Ads