Design Technologist, AWS Marketing CX

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Design Technologist, AWS Marketing CX
Company: Amazon
Location: New York, New York, United States; Chicago, Illinois, United States
Job Type: Full-time
Category: Marketing Technology / UX Operations
Date Posted: 2025-09-30
Experience Level: Mid-Level to Senior (5-10 years implied)
Remote Status: Hybrid/Remote Eligible (Remote OK in United States)

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the strategic advancement of digital customer experiences (CX) for AWS Marketing through innovative prototyping and design technology.<br/>- Pioneer and lead prototyping as a core capability to influence digital strategy, product decisions, and rapid hypothesis testing.<br/>- Bridge the gap between creative design vision and technical implementation by collaborating closely with design, product, and engineering teams.<br/>- Own and execute large-scale prototyping initiatives with significant cross-functional impact across AWS digital properties.<br/>- Foster a culture of experimentation and innovation, pushing boundaries to create novel, user-centric solutions for millions of users.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the title is "Design Technologist," the focus on CX, digital strategy, and prototyping for marketing platforms positions this role within a Marketing Technology or UX Operations framework, bridging design and technical execution for Go-To-Market (GTM) initiatives. The emphasis on influencing product decisions and leading large-scale projects suggests a mid-to-senior level of responsibility.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Concept Development & Ideation: Actively contribute to concept development and design ideation sessions within a cross-functional marketing and technology team.
• Rapid Prototyping: Swiftly build and iterate on functional prototypes that effectively communicate design intent, leveraging the most suitable tools and techniques for each task.
• Design-to-Development Translation: Partner closely with engineering teams to ensure that interactive techniques and technologies developed in prototypes are seamlessly translated into production-ready products and services.
• Problem Solving & Innovation: Creatively overcome perceived limitations or challenges imposed by delivery platforms to craft delightful and effective customer experiences.
• Lead Large-Impact Projects: Take ownership of significant Design Technologist projects that span multiple disparate areas of the website or product line, demonstrating leadership and strategic vision.
• Ambiguity Navigation: Lead teams and set clear direction in environments characterized by ambiguity and evolving requirements.
• Strategic Planning: Participate in annual planning cycles and contribute to the end-to-end design and development process.
• Standards & Patterns: Evaluate and document new creative and/or engineering standards or patterns that emerge from your prototyping work, contributing to best practices.
• Mentorship & Development: Proactively mentor and develop other Designers and Engineers, sharing expertise and fostering skill growth within the team.
• Leadership Communication: Effectively present work, insights, and recommendations to all levels of leadership, articulate technical and design concepts clearly.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of hands-on technical execution, strategic thinking, and leadership, common in senior operations roles that bridge technical and business functions. The emphasis on "leading others" and "setting direction in the face of ambiguity" points to a need for mature project management and team leadership skills.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, a related technical field, or equivalent practical work experience.

Experience:

• Demonstrated experience in designing and launching new products from the ground up.
• Proven experience with web, mobile web, or mobile app front-end development.
• Experience working within a collaborative team environment, directly partnering with developers for the implementation of designs.

Required Skills:

• Prototyping Expertise: Advanced proficiency in building functional and interactive prototypes to express design intent and validate concepts.
• Front-End Development: Strong understanding and practical experience with web and mobile web front-end development technologies.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with design, product management, and engineering teams to achieve shared goals.
• Problem-Solving: Aptitude for identifying complex challenges and developing elegant, user-centric solutions.
• Technical Feasibility Assessment: Ability to assess and articulate the technical feasibility of design concepts.
• User Experience (UX) Principles: Solid understanding of usability principles and customer-centric design practices.
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present complex ideas to diverse audiences, including senior leadership.

Preferred Skills:

• Portfolio Demonstration: A robust portfolio showcasing how technology has been leveraged to create impactful design solutions and drive user engagement.
• Digital Strategy Acumen: Understanding of digital marketing strategies and how CX initiatives contribute to GTM goals.
• Agile Methodologies: Experience working within agile development frameworks for rapid iteration and delivery.
• Mentorship Experience: Prior experience mentoring junior team members or leading small project teams.
• AWS Ecosystem Knowledge: Familiarity with AWS services and the broader cloud computing landscape.
• Creative Problem-Solving: A track record of innovative thinking and the ability to push beyond conventional solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Basic Qualifications" are framed as "Experience," suggesting that practical experience can substitute for a formal degree in some cases. The emphasis on a portfolio is critical for this role, underscoring the need for candidates to demonstrate tangible outputs and problem-solving capabilities.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Demonstrated Impact: Showcase projects where your prototyping and design technology skills directly influenced product decisions, improved usability, or validated key hypotheses.
• Technical Versatility: Present examples that highlight your ability to select and utilize appropriate tools and technologies for different prototyping needs and project complexities.
• Design-to-Implementation: Include case studies that detail how you translated interactive prototypes into tangible features, demonstrating collaboration with engineering.
• Problem-Solving Showcase: Feature projects that illustrate your approach to overcoming technical or design limitations to achieve a superior customer experience.
• Scale & Scope: Highlight projects that demonstrate your capacity to lead large-impact initiatives, as evidenced by their scope and cross-functional reach.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Document your approach to designing and iterating on prototypes, including how you incorporate feedback and adapt to evolving requirements.
• Implementation & Automation: Detail how you ensure prototypes translate into production code and any methods you use to streamline the prototyping process itself.
• Measurement & Analysis: Explain how you approach testing and validating prototypes, including hypothesis generation and the analysis of results to inform further development.
• Standards & Best Practices: Be prepared to discuss any standards, patterns, or best practices you have identified or helped establish through your prototyping work.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a "Design Technologist" role, the portfolio is paramount. It needs to go beyond static designs and showcase interactive elements, the tools used, the problem-solving process, and quantifiable outcomes or insights gained from prototypes. This is crucial for demonstrating the "technologist" aspect and the ability to influence product direction.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The base pay for this position ranges from $118,600/year in the lowest geographic market to $205,000/year in the highest geographic market within the US.
• Note: This range reflects Amazon's approach to compensation across various US geographic markets. Actual pay will be determined by factors such as market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Benefits:

• Total Compensation: Amazon is a total compensation company, meaning compensation includes more than just base salary.
• Equity: Potential for stock awards, depending on the position.
• Sign-On Payments: Possibility of sign-on bonuses.
• Health & Wellness: A full range of medical benefits.
• Financial Security: Comprehensive financial benefits.
• Other Benefits: Additional forms of compensation and a full range of other benefits may be provided.
• Work-Life Harmony: Amazon emphasizes work-life harmony, offering flexible work hours and arrangements.

Working Hours:

• Implied full-time, with approximately 40 hours per week. The company culture promotes flexible work hours and arrangements to support work-life balance.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is specific and well-defined, indicating a transparent compensation structure. The mention of "total compensation" is important, as it includes variable components like equity and sign-on bonuses, which can significantly impact overall earnings for senior roles. The emphasis on work-life harmony is a key cultural differentiator.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cloud Computing / Technology / E-commerce / Digital Services. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a leading global provider of cloud infrastructure and services. Company Size: Large Enterprise (Amazon is one of the largest companies globally, with hundreds of thousands of employees). Founded: 1994 (Amazon). AWS was launched in 2006. This long history signifies a well-established company with a culture of innovation and continuous growth.

Team Structure:

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: The role operates within a dynamic, cross-functional team, implying close collaboration with design, product management, engineering, and marketing stakeholders.
• Reporting Structure: While not explicitly detailed, Design Technologists typically report into Design leadership, Product Management, or a dedicated UX/CX team, with strong dotted-line reporting to Marketing and Engineering leads for project execution.
• Impactful Initiatives: The team focuses on initiatives that have broad impact across AWS digital properties, suggesting a strategic and high-visibility function.

Methodology:

• Experimentation & Innovation: A core tenet of the role and team culture is a drive for experimentation, pushing boundaries, and creating novel solutions.
• Data-Driven Decisions: While the role focuses on prototyping, the underlying principle is rapid hypothesis testing and validation, which relies heavily on data and user feedback.
• Agile & Iterative Approach: The emphasis on "rapidly build and iterate" and "working creatively through and around perceived limitations" points to an agile and iterative development methodology.
• Customer-Centricity: A fundamental principle across Amazon is a deep focus on the customer experience, driving all product and service development.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's culture is renowned for its customer obsession, innovation, and high-performance expectations. For a Design Technologist, this translates to a fast-paced environment where rapid iteration, data-informed decisions, and a willingness to challenge the status quo are highly valued. The scale of AWS means that even seemingly niche improvements can have a massive global impact.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a mid-to-senior level opportunity. The responsibilities include leading large-scale projects, setting direction in ambiguity, and mentoring others, which are characteristic of senior individual contributors or team leads in a Design Technology or UX Operations capacity.

Reporting Structure: The Design Technologist will likely report to a Design Lead, Director of UX, or a similar senior role within the AWS Marketing or Product organization. Close collaboration with Engineering Managers and Marketing Directors is expected, indicating a matrixed reporting environment for project work.

Operations Impact: The Design Technologist's work directly impacts the customer experience (CX) of AWS marketing platforms, influencing user engagement, adoption rates, and ultimately, revenue. By creating effective prototypes, they help de-risk product development, ensure technical feasibility, and guide the creation of intuitive interfaces that drive user success and business outcomes.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in advanced prototyping tools, front-end technologies, and emerging design technologies.
• Leadership Development: Grow into roles with greater project leadership, team management, and strategic influence, potentially leading Design Technology teams or initiatives.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Transition into related roles within Product Management, Engineering, or broader UX/CX strategy roles within AWS or Amazon.
• Industry Influence: Contribute to setting industry standards through documentation, internal best practices, and potential external contributions.
• Mentorship Expansion: Develop formal mentorship programs and contribute to the growth of junior talent across design and engineering disciplines.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon offers extensive internal mobility and growth. For a Design Technologist, growth can be vertical (leadership, deeper technical expertise) or horizontal (moving into product, engineering, or broader strategy roles). The emphasis on mentorship suggests a commitment to developing talent from within.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This role supports a Hybrid/Remote work arrangement, with primary locations in New York and Chicago. This suggests a flexible work environment where employees can work from home or in an office setting.

Office Location(s):

• New York, New York, United States
• Chicago, Illinois, United States
• Note: While specific office details are not provided, Amazon typically has significant office footprints in major tech hubs like these.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: The office environments are likely designed to foster collaboration, with meeting spaces, common areas, and potentially dedicated project rooms for cross-functional teams.
• Technology-Rich: Expect access to cutting-edge hardware, software, and potentially specialized equipment necessary for advanced prototyping and development.
• Team Integration: Opportunities for regular interaction with design, engineering, and marketing teams, facilitating knowledge sharing and rapid problem-solving.

Work Schedule:

• The standard workweek is approximately 40 hours, with a strong emphasis on work-life harmony and flexible work hours. This allows for adaptation to project needs while maintaining personal well-being.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid/remote flexibility is a significant draw. For operations roles, this often means that while core hours might be expected for collaboration, there’s latitude for focused work, which is crucial for deep technical tasks like prototyping and development.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial screening to assess basic qualifications and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: Discussion with the hiring manager to delve deeper into experience, motivations, and alignment with the role's strategic objectives.
• Technical/Design Assessment: This may involve a take-home assignment, a live coding/prototyping challenge, or a review of your portfolio with specific technical and design questions.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with members of the design, product, and engineering teams to evaluate collaboration skills and technical depth.
• Leadership Interview: A final interview, potentially with a senior leader, to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and overall fit within Amazon's culture.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Show, Don't Just Tell: Your portfolio should be interactive and dynamic where possible. Demonstrate working prototypes, not just static mockups.
• Narrative is Key: For each project, clearly articulate the problem you were solving, your specific role and contributions, the technologies/techniques you used, the challenges you faced, and the outcomes or insights gained.
• Focus on Impact: Highlight how your work influenced design decisions, validated hypotheses, or directly contributed to product improvements or business goals. Quantify results whenever possible (e.g., "reduced user confusion by X%", "enabled faster iteration on feature Y").
• Technical Depth: Be prepared to discuss the technical choices you made, the trade-offs involved, and your understanding of front-end development principles.
• Tailor to AWS: If possible, include projects that demonstrate an understanding of web platforms, user experience, and potentially cloud services or enterprise software.

Challenge Preparation:

• Prototyping Tools: Familiarize yourself with common prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD, Framer, or custom JS frameworks) and be ready to demonstrate proficiency.
• Front-End Fundamentals: Brush up on HTML, CSS, JavaScript fundamentals, and any relevant frameworks or libraries.
• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Practice dissecting ambiguous problems, defining requirements, and outlining a prototyping approach.
• Communication Skills: Prepare to articulate your thought process clearly and concisely, especially when presenting your work or responding to hypothetical scenarios.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio review is the most critical part of this application process. Candidates should invest significant time in curating and preparing their portfolio to showcase not just design aesthetics, but also technical proficiency, problem-solving skills, and a clear understanding of how their work drives business value.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Prototyping Software: Expect to use and potentially set standards for tools like Figma, Adobe XD, Framer, or custom-built prototyping frameworks.
• Front-End Development Languages: Proficiency in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is fundamental.
• JavaScript Frameworks/Libraries: Experience with modern frameworks (e.g., React, Vue.js) or libraries relevant to interactive web development is highly beneficial.
• Version Control: Git is essential for code management and collaboration.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with platforms like Adobe Analytics or Google Analytics to understand user behavior and prototype performance.
• Data Visualization Tools: Experience with tools like Tableau, Power BI, or internal Amazon tools for presenting data and insights derived from prototypes.

CRM & Automation:

• Marketing Automation Platforms: Understanding of how prototypes integrate or influence customer journeys managed through platforms like Marketo, HubSpot, or Salesforce Marketing Cloud (though less direct for this role, context is helpful).
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Familiarity with CMS platforms used to manage website content and features.
• Integration Tools: Awareness of how different systems connect, especially between design/prototyping environments and production systems.

📝 Enhancement Note: The specific tools will vary, but the core requirement is a strong foundation in front-end development and a proven ability to master new prototyping and development tools quickly. Amazon often uses proprietary internal tools, so adaptability and a strong grasp of fundamental concepts are more important than specific external tool names.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A relentless focus on understanding and meeting customer needs, driving all design and development decisions.
• Bias for Action: A proactive approach to problem-solving and execution, preferring to act and iterate rather than get stuck in analysis paralysis.
• Invent and Simplify: A drive to innovate and create novel solutions while finding ways to simplify complex processes and technologies.
• Ownership: Taking full responsibility for projects, outcomes, and continuous improvement.
• Deliver Results: A strong focus on achieving measurable outcomes and driving business impact.

Collaboration Style:

• Data-Driven & Iterative: Collaboration is expected to be informed by data and focused on rapid iteration and feedback loops.
• Direct & Respectful Communication: Open, honest, and direct communication is valued. Feedback is given constructively to foster growth and improvement.
• Cross-Functional Synergy: A strong emphasis on breaking down silos and working collaboratively across design, engineering, product, and marketing functions to achieve shared goals.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing best practices, learnings, and insights to elevate the entire team and organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's Leadership Principles (Customer Obsession, Ownership, Invent and Simplify, Bias for Action, Deliver Results) are deeply embedded in its culture and hiring process. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate how they embody these principles in their work.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Navigating Ambiguity: Working with evolving requirements and complex, large-scale systems where clear paths may not always exist.
• Bridging Design & Engineering: Effectively translating creative design visions into technically feasible and implementable solutions, managing expectations on both sides.
• Rapid Iteration Cycles: Adapting to fast-paced project timelines and the need for quick prototyping and validation.
• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring buy-in and effective collaboration from diverse teams with potentially different priorities.
• Staying Ahead of Technology: Continuously learning and adapting to new prototyping tools, front-end technologies, and design methodologies.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Prototyping & Development: Opportunities to master cutting-edge tools and techniques in design technology and front-end development.
• Exposure to Global Scale: Work on projects that impact millions of users worldwide, providing unparalleled learning in scalability and global UX.
• Mentorship Programs: Formal and informal mentorship from senior leaders and peers within AWS and Amazon.
• Industry Conferences & Training: Access to resources for continuous learning, skill development, and staying current with industry trends.
• Career Path Diversification: Potential to move into leadership roles, specialized technical expert roles, or adjacent fields like product management or UX research.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges inherent in a large, innovative tech company like Amazon are also its greatest growth opportunities. Embracing complexity and ambiguity leads to significant professional development.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Prototyping Philosophy: "Describe your approach to building prototypes. How do you decide which tools and techniques are most appropriate for a given project?" (Prepare to discuss your process, tool selection criteria, and how you balance fidelity, speed, and technical accuracy).
• Design-to-Development Hand-off: "How do you ensure that your interactive prototypes translate effectively into production code? What are common challenges, and how do you overcome them?" (Focus on collaboration with engineers, documentation, and the iterative process of alignment).
• Problem Solving with Constraints: "Describe a time you faced significant technical or design limitations on a project. How did you navigate these constraints to deliver a successful outcome?" (Use the STAR method to detail the situation, task, action, and result, emphasizing creativity and problem-solving).

Company & Culture Questions:

• Leadership Principles: "Tell me about a time you demonstrated [e.g., Customer Obsession, Ownership, Bias for Action] in a previous role." (Prepare specific examples from your experience that align with Amazon's core principles).
• Collaboration Dynamics: "How do you approach working with engineers who have different technical perspectives or priorities than the design vision?" (Highlight your ability to build consensus, communicate effectively, and find mutually beneficial solutions).
• Impact Measurement: "How do you measure the success of your prototypes or the initiatives you lead?" (Discuss metrics related to user satisfaction, engagement, task completion, and how prototypes inform product decisions).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each portfolio piece, follow a clear story: Problem -> Your Role/Approach -> Solution (Demonstrate the prototype) -> Outcome/Learnings.
• Showcase Technical Skills: Be ready to walk through the code or specific technical implementations if applicable, explaining your choices.
• Highlight Collaboration: Mention how you worked with other teams (design, engineering, product) and how their input shaped the prototype.
• Focus on User Value: Always tie your work back to the customer experience and how it solves a user need or improves their interaction.
• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, technical challenges, and the impact of your work.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon interviews are known for being rigorous and behavioral. Candidates should prepare specific, detailed examples for every question, focusing on demonstrating the Amazon Leadership Principles and the core competencies of the Design Technologist role.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Design Technologist position:

• Submit Your Application: Apply directly through the Amazon Jobs portal using the provided link.
• Curate Your Portfolio: Carefully select 2-3 of your strongest projects that best demonstrate your prototyping, front-end development, and problem-solving skills. Ensure it highlights your ability to impact CX and influence product decisions.
• Tailor Your Resume: Optimize your resume to clearly articulate your experience in front-end development, prototyping, cross-functional collaboration, and any relevant design technology achievements. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice presenting your portfolio projects using the STAR method and the recommended narrative structure. Be ready to discuss your process, technical choices, and the impact of your work.
• Research Amazon & AWS: Familiarize yourself with Amazon's Leadership Principles, the AWS mission, and the company's customer-centric culture. Understand the AWS Marketing CX context.

⚠️ 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.

---