Principal UX Designer, AWS Applied AI Solutions

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Principal UX Designer, AWS Applied AI Solutions Company: Amazon Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States / Seattle, Washington, United States Job Type: Full-Time Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design Date Posted: December 08, 2025 Experience Level: 10+ Years (Principal Level) Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the user experience (UX) vision and strategy for a portfolio of AI-native business applications within AWS Applied AI Solutions, focusing on creating intuitive, elegant, and scalable experiences for millions of global customers.
• Define and champion AI-native design principles and interaction models, translating cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities into trustworthy, human-centered solutions that drive adoption and transform customer outcomes.
• Influence product and business strategy by identifying opportunities where AI and design can deliver significant customer value and competitive differentiation.
• Drive consistency and elevate design craft across multiple services by establishing and advocating for cross-service design standards, experience principles, and reusable patterns.
• Mentor and develop other designers, from junior to senior levels, fostering a culture of design excellence, innovative problem-solving, and impactful storytelling.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Principal UX Designer, indicating a senior leadership capacity responsible for strategic direction, high-level design thinking, and significant influence across multiple product lines and teams. The focus on "AI-native" applications suggests a need for designers who can think beyond traditional interfaces and embrace emergent AI paradigms for proactive and predictive user experiences.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Own and articulate the overarching UX vision and strategy across a suite of AWS Applied AI solutions, ensuring a cohesive, user-centric, and scalable experience.
• Translate complex AI capabilities (e.g., Large Language Models, intelligent agents) into coherent, human-centered designs that build trust, transparency, and drive adoption by end-users.
• Collaborate closely with senior leadership, product managers, applied scientists, and engineers to influence product roadmaps, business strategy, and identify new opportunities for AI-driven innovation.
• Define, document, and evangelize cross-service design standards, including interaction models, experience principles, and reusable design patterns to ensure consistency and efficiency across the AWS Applied AI Solutions portfolio.
• Mentor and coach designers at all levels, elevating their craft, storytelling abilities, and execution, thereby raising the overall design maturity of the organization.
• Lead prototyping efforts for new AI paradigms and interface concepts, working hand-in-hand with applied scientists and engineers to validate bold ideas and shape the future of AI-powered user interfaces.
• Act as a thought leader within AWS and externally, promoting design excellence and the responsible adoption of AI through presentations, writing, and participation in cross-organizational forums.
• Champion data-informed design practices, leveraging UX research, product analytics, and A/B testing to validate design hypotheses and continuously optimize user experiences.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strategic and leadership-oriented role. The emphasis on "AI-native design," "trust and transparency," and "human-in-the-loop systems" points to a need for designers who understand the unique challenges and opportunities of designing AI-powered products, going beyond standard usability to address ethical considerations and user confidence.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a strong portfolio and extensive experience in UX design are paramount. A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Interaction Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, or a related field is often preferred in such senior roles.

Experience: Minimum of 12 years of progressive experience in UX design, with a demonstrable track record of leading the design of large-scale, complex, customer-facing services and applications.

Required Skills:

• UX Design Leadership: 12+ years of dedicated UX design experience, with a proven track record of leading design for complex, customer-facing services.
• Design Strategy: Demonstrated ability to define, articulate, and execute comprehensive design strategies at scale, effectively balancing user needs, technical constraints, and business objectives.
• Systems Thinking: Strong ability to think holistically and architect frameworks, reusable solutions, and design systems that unify user experiences across diverse and interconnected services.
• Influence & Alignment: Proven success in influencing senior leadership (VP, Director level) and driving consensus and alignment across multiple product and engineering organizations.
• Storytelling & Communication: Exceptional storytelling capabilities across visual, verbal, and written mediums, adept at inspiring and aligning diverse stakeholders, from executives to engineers.
• Mentorship: Experience in mentoring and elevating the skills of other designers, particularly senior-level talent, fostering growth and improving overall design quality.
• AI Collaboration: Familiarity with AI-assisted design workflows and a demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with applied scientists and Machine Learning (ML) teams.

Preferred Skills:

• AI-First Product Design: Proven track record of successfully shipping AI-first or AI-powered products that addressed significant customer problems and delivered measurable business impact.
• Trust & Transparency Design: Experience specifically designing for systems where trust, transparency, and human-in-the-loop (HITL) mechanisms are critical for user adoption and confidence.
• Prototyping with AI: Ability to prototype and explore innovative concepts using LLMs, intelligent agents, or other advanced AI frameworks to quickly test and iterate on ideas.
• Data-Informed Design: Strong background in leveraging UX research methodologies, product analytics, and A/B testing to inform design decisions and drive continuous improvement.
• Thought Leadership: Demonstrated thought leadership in emerging technologies and design practices, evidenced by published talks, writings, community engagement, or contributions to design bodies of knowledge.
• Visionary Mindset: A combination of visionary thinking to identify future opportunities, coupled with the ability to dive deep into details to ensure exceptional execution and user experience.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "12+ years" requirement and the emphasis on "Principal" level, strategy, and mentorship strongly indicate this is a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership expectations. The inclusion of "AI-assisted design workflows," "applied science and ML teams," and "AI-first products" suggests a deep technical understanding and a forward-thinking approach to design within the AI domain.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Strategic Vision: Showcase examples of defining and executing design strategies for complex, large-scale digital products or services, ideally with a focus on user growth, engagement, or business impact.
• AI/ML Integration: Include case studies demonstrating experience designing for AI/ML-powered features or products, highlighting how user needs were balanced with technical capabilities and how trust was established.
• Systems Design: Present examples of designing cohesive user experiences across multiple products or services, demonstrating systems thinking, pattern libraries, or design system contributions.
• Impact & Influence: Provide evidence of influencing product and business direction through design, with clear articulation of the problem, your approach, and measurable outcomes (e.g., adoption rates, user satisfaction, business KPIs).

Process Documentation:

• Design Process: Clearly outline your end-to-end design process, emphasizing how you integrate user research, ideation, prototyping, iteration, and collaboration with engineering and product teams.
• AI Design Methodology: Detail your approach to designing for AI, including how you handle uncertainty, ambiguity, and the need for explainability and user control.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Illustrate how you collaborate with cross-functional teams (scientists, engineers, product managers, marketing) to ensure alignment and successful product delivery.
• Metrics & Measurement: Show how you define and use metrics (user, business, and operational) to evaluate the success of your designs and inform future iterations.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Principal UX Designer role, the portfolio should not just showcase finished products but also the strategic thinking, process, and impact behind them. Emphasis on AI integration, systems thinking, and demonstrable influence will be critical. The ability to articulate a robust, adaptable design process, especially one that accommodates AI's unique characteristics, is essential.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: Based on the provided information, the base salary range for this Principal UX Designer position in the US is $147,600 to $244,000 per year. This range varies based on geographic market location, with higher compensation in higher cost-of-living areas like Seattle and Sunnyvale.

Benefits:

• Medical: Comprehensive medical insurance plans.
• Financial: Access to financial planning resources and benefits.
• Equity: Potential for stock options or Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), a common component of Amazon's total compensation.
• Sign-On Payments: Possible one-time payments offered to new hires to supplement initial compensation.
• Additional benefits likely include dental, vision, retirement savings plans (e.g., 401(k) with company match), paid time off (PTO), holidays, parental leave, and employee assistance programs. Amazon also offers unique benefits like employee discounts and career development programs.

Working Hours: The standard full-time working hours are expected to be around 40 hours per week. However, given the principal level and the nature of cutting-edge technology development, flexibility may be required to meet project deadlines and collaborate across time zones.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific and reflects Amazon's practice of adjusting compensation based on geographic markets. The inclusion of equity and sign-on payments indicates that total compensation will likely exceed the base salary, especially for a principal-level role. The benefits listed are standard for large tech companies, with Amazon's reputation for comprehensive offerings.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology / Cloud Computing / Artificial Intelligence / Business Applications. AWS Applied AI Solutions operates at the forefront of cloud computing and AI, aiming to provide tangible business solutions that leverage Amazon's deep expertise. Company Size: Amazon is a global technology giant with over 1.5 million employees worldwide. AWS, specifically, is a dominant force in cloud infrastructure. The Applied AI Solutions organization likely comprises hundreds to thousands of individuals across various functions. Founded: Amazon was founded in 1994. AWS was launched in 2006. The Applied AI Solutions organization is a more recent initiative focused on leveraging AI for business applications.

Team Structure:

• The Principal UX Designer will likely be part of a dedicated UX design team within AWS Applied AI Solutions, or potentially embedded within a specific product group.
• This team will report up through a design leadership hierarchy, likely within AWS.
• Close collaboration with Product Management, Applied Science (AI/ML researchers), Software Development Engineering (SDE) teams, and potentially Marketing and Business Development will be essential.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: Amazon heavily emphasizes data-driven decision-making, utilizing metrics, A/B testing, and customer feedback to inform product development and design choices.
• Customer Obsession: A core Amazon leadership principle is "Customer Obsession," meaning teams start with the customer and work backward. This role will require a deep understanding of customer needs and pain points.
• Bias for Action & Ownership: Teams are encouraged to take initiative, make decisions quickly, and own the outcomes.
• Innovation: A culture that supports experimentation and the exploration of new technologies, particularly AI, to solve complex problems.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's culture is characterized by its leadership principles, which are deeply ingrained in daily operations. Understanding and aligning with principles like Customer Obsession, Ownership, Bias for Action, and Invent and Simplify will be crucial for success. The scale of Amazon and AWS means that design decisions can impact millions, necessitating a robust, scalable approach.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Principal UX Designer. This is a senior individual contributor role, typically one or two levels below a Director of Design. It signifies deep expertise, strategic impact, and the ability to lead and influence without direct line management authority over all designers. The role demands a blend of high-level strategic thinking, hands-on design expertise, and leadership in shaping design culture and practice.

Reporting Structure: The Principal UX Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director within AWS Applied AI Solutions. They will work closely with senior leaders in Product Management and Engineering, influencing their roadmaps and strategies.

Operations Impact: This role has the potential for immense impact by shaping the user experience of AI-powered business applications that millions of companies worldwide will use. The success of these applications, driven by intuitive and trustworthy AI experiences, will directly influence customer adoption, satisfaction, and ultimately, revenue for AWS. The designer will be instrumental in defining how AI is perceived and utilized in business contexts.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Progress to a Design Director role, managing a team of designers and setting strategic direction for a larger organization.
• Specialization: Deepen expertise in AI/ML UX, becoming a recognized authority in designing for complex intelligent systems.
• Cross-Organizational Influence: Expand influence across broader AWS or Amazon product areas, driving design best practices and innovation.
• Product Strategy: Move into product management or strategy roles, leveraging deep user and technology insights.
• Mentorship & Community: Become a key mentor and thought leader, shaping the next generation of AI UX designers through internal programs and external speaking engagements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Principal" title signifies a high level of autonomy and influence. Growth opportunities will focus on expanding that influence, deepening specialization, or transitioning into management. The role is positioned to be a critical driver of future product innovation within AWS.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site. The role is based in either Sunnyvale, California, or Seattle, Washington, indicating a preference for in-person collaboration and access to Amazon's physical office spaces. Office Location(s):

• Sunnyvale, California: Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, offering proximity to tech talent and innovation hubs.
• Seattle, Washington: Amazon's headquarters city, with a significant corporate presence and a vibrant tech ecosystem.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hubs: Amazon offices are designed to foster collaboration, with open workspaces, meeting rooms, and common areas conducive to team interactions and brainstorming sessions.
• Technology-Rich Environment: Access to state-of-the-art hardware, software, and internal tools necessary for advanced UX design, prototyping, and AI experimentation.
• Cross-Functional Integration: The workspace will facilitate close, day-to-day interaction with product managers, software engineers, applied scientists, and other designers, promoting a highly integrated product development process.

Work Schedule: While a standard 40-hour work week is typical, the nature of working on cutting-edge AI solutions at a company like Amazon often requires flexibility. Project deadlines, global team collaboration, and the iterative process of AI development may necessitate working beyond standard hours at times.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement suggests Amazon values in-person collaboration for its senior design roles, especially in areas as complex and collaborative as AI. The office environments in Sunnyvale and Seattle are well-established tech hubs, offering a dynamic and resource-rich setting.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial phone screen to assess basic qualifications, cultural fit, and interest.
• Portfolio Review & Design Challenge: A key stage will involve presenting your portfolio to a panel of designers and potentially product/engineering leaders. This is often followed by a design challenge, which could be a take-home assignment or an in-person/virtual whiteboarding session focused on a specific problem related to AI-native applications.
• Hiring Manager Interview: An in-depth discussion with the hiring manager focusing on strategic thinking, leadership, mentorship capabilities, and alignment with the team's goals.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with key stakeholders from applied science, engineering, and product management to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.
• Executive Review: For Principal level roles, there may be an interview with a senior leader (e.g., Director of Design, VP) to ensure strategic alignment and high-level impact potential.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate for Impact: Select 3-4 of your most impactful projects that demonstrate strategic thinking, complex problem-solving, and significant user/business outcomes, with a strong emphasis on AI/ML if possible.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you overcame, your specific contributions, and the measurable results. Use a clear narrative structure.
• Highlight AI/ML Experience: If you have direct experience designing AI-powered products, showcase this prominently. Explain your approach to user trust, transparency, and handling AI's inherent ambiguity.
• Demonstrate Systems Thinking: Showcase projects that illustrate your ability to design for consistency and scalability across multiple touchpoints or services.
• Quantify Outcomes: Whenever possible, use data and metrics to demonstrate the impact of your design work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand AI Design Nuances: Be prepared for challenges that probe your understanding of AI/ML concepts and how to translate them into user-friendly experiences. Think about explainability, control, and trust.
• Think Strategically: For design challenges, focus on defining the problem space, identifying key user needs, and proposing a strategic solution, not just a UI sketch.
• Articulate Your Process: Be ready to explain your thought process step-by-step, justifying your design decisions and demonstrating how you'd gather feedback and iterate.
• Practice Storytelling: Present your ideas clearly and concisely, as if you were presenting to senior leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's interview process is known for its rigor and focus on their leadership principles. For a Principal UX Designer role, expect a deep dive into strategic thinking, leadership potential, and the ability to handle ambiguity and drive impact. The portfolio presentation and design challenge are critical junctures.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, XD), InVision, Axure RP. Proficiency in advanced prototyping tools will be valuable for demonstrating complex interactions and AI workflows.
• Collaboration & Project Management: Jira, Confluence, Asana, Trello, Slack. Essential for working within Agile/Scrum environments and collaborating with distributed teams.
• AI/ML Collaboration: Familiarity with tools or platforms used by applied scientists and ML engineers. This could include specific ML frameworks, data visualization tools, or APIs that designers might interact with or prototype against.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, AWS CloudWatch. Understanding how to interpret user behavior data to inform design.
• Product Analytics: Amplitude, Mixpanel, Pendo. Tools for deep dives into user engagement and feature adoption.
• A/B Testing Platforms: Optimizely, VWO, internal Amazon experimentation platforms. Crucial for data-informed design validation.

CRM & Automation: While not a primary focus for a UX Designer, understanding the systems that drive customer interactions (e.g., Salesforce, Marketo) can provide context for business application design.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on AI-native solutions suggests that familiarity with tools or concepts related to ML model interaction, data pipelines, and AI experimentation platforms could be a significant advantage, even if not a direct requirement for day-to-day design execution. Proficiency in advanced prototyping tools is also key for demonstrating complex AI interactions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Deeply understanding and advocating for the customer's needs and experience as the primary driver for all design and product decisions.
• Ownership: Taking full responsibility for the design outcomes, from initial concept through to successful implementation and iteration.
• Invent and Simplify: A drive to find innovative solutions by simplifying complex problems and technologies, especially in the domain of AI.
• High Standards: Committing to excellence in craft, execution, and the overall user experience, never settling for mediocrity.
• Bias for Action: The ability to make decisions quickly and execute effectively, even with incomplete information, while managing risks.
• Data-Driven: Using data (user research, analytics, A/B tests) to inform design decisions and measure success.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A highly collaborative approach, working closely with Product Management, Engineering, and Applied Science teams as integral members of product development squads.
• Constructive Debate: Openness to diverse perspectives and engaging in healthy debate to arrive at the best solutions, always with respect for differing opinions.
• Knowledge Sharing: A culture that encourages sharing insights, best practices, and lessons learned across teams to elevate the collective expertise.
• Iterative Feedback: Embracing a continuous feedback loop, both giving and receiving constructive criticism to refine designs and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's leadership principles are foundational to its culture. For a Principal UX Designer, demonstrating alignment with these principles, particularly Customer Obsession, Invent and Simplify, and Ownership, will be critical for fitting into the team and company ethos.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity in AI: Translating rapidly evolving AI capabilities into predictable, trustworthy, and valuable user experiences requires navigating significant technical and conceptual ambiguity.
• Balancing Innovation with Scalability: Pushing the boundaries with AI while ensuring solutions are scalable, reliable, and maintainable for millions of users across diverse global markets.
• Building Trust in AI: Convincing users to trust AI-driven applications, especially for critical business functions, through transparent design and robust user controls.
• Influencing Diverse Stakeholders: Aligning senior leaders, scientists, and engineers who may have different priorities and technical perspectives on the optimal user experience.
• Defining New Design Paradigms: The role is at the forefront of AI-native design, requiring the creation of new interaction models and design patterns that may not yet exist.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into AI/ML: Direct exposure to cutting-edge AI research and development within AWS, offering unparalleled opportunities to learn about advanced ML models and their applications.
• Industry Leadership: Opportunities to shape the future of AI design through internal innovation and potentially external thought leadership (conferences, publications).
• Mentorship & Skill Advancement: Access to mentorship from senior leaders and peers, and formal/informal training to enhance skills in AI, data science, and strategic design.
• Broad Product Exposure: Work across a portfolio of business applications, gaining broad understanding of various industry challenges and how AI can address them.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents unique challenges and opportunities at the intersection of AI and user experience. The ability to thrive in ambiguity and pioneer new design approaches will be key. The growth potential is significant, offering a chance to become a leader in a rapidly evolving field.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you defined the UX strategy for a complex, multi-service product. What was your process, and how did you gain alignment?" (Focus on strategic thinking, systems approach, and influence.)
• "How would you approach designing an AI feature that needs to build trust with users who are initially skeptical of AI? Walk us through your process." (Assess understanding of AI trust, transparency, and user-centricity.)
• "Tell us about a time you had to balance competing user needs with significant technical constraints or business goals. How did you navigate this?" (Evaluate problem-solving, trade-off management, and business acumen.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "How do Amazon's Leadership Principles, such as Customer Obsession or Invent and Simplify, resonate with your personal design philosophy and work style?" (Gauge cultural fit and understanding of Amazon's values.)
• "Describe your experience mentoring junior or senior designers. What is your approach to elevating design craft within a team?" (Assess leadership and mentorship capabilities.)
• "What excites you most about the potential of AI in business applications, and what do you see as the biggest ethical considerations for designers in this space?" (Understand passion for AI and awareness of its implications.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure for Impact: Begin with a high-level overview of your career and design philosophy, then dive into 3-4 key projects. For each project, clearly state the problem, your role, the solution, your process, and the measurable impact.
• Emphasize Strategic Contribution: For Principal level, focus on why you made certain design decisions and how your work influenced product direction or business outcomes, not just the final UI.
• Showcase AI/ML Work: If applicable, dedicate specific slides or sections to your AI/ML design projects. Detail your approach to user trust, explainability, and handling AI's probabilistic nature.
• Be Prepared for Deep Dives: Anticipate questions about specific design choices, trade-offs, research methodologies, and how you collaborated with technical teams.
• Practice Your Narrative: Rehearse your presentation to ensure it flows logically, is concise, and effectively communicates your expertise and impact.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for a Principal role at Amazon requires demonstrating strategic depth, leadership potential, and a deep understanding of user-centric design within complex technological domains like AI. Be ready to defend your decisions with data and strategic reasoning.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Principal UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs career site via the provided URL.
• Tailor Your Resume: Ensure your resume highlights your 12+ years of UX design experience, emphasizing leadership, strategy, systems thinking, and any experience with AI/ML products or complex services. Quantify achievements wherever possible.
• Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate your portfolio to showcase 3-4 impactful projects that best demonstrate your strategic capabilities, AI/ML design experience (if any), systems thinking, and ability to drive measurable outcomes. Ensure clear storytelling and quantifiable results.
• Research AWS Applied AI Solutions: Understand the mission and current offerings of AWS Applied AI Solutions. Familiarize yourself with Amazon's Leadership Principles and how they apply to design and AI.
• Practice Your Presentation: Rehearse your portfolio presentation, focusing on a clear narrative, strategic justification for your design decisions, and highlighting your leadership and mentorship experience. Be prepared for potential design challenges.

⚠️ 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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