Sr. UX Designer, Design Systems, Project Kuiper

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. UX Designer, Design Systems, Project Kuiper

Company: Amazon

Location: Redmond, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: August 20, 2025

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (6+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Drive the definition and design of mobile and web design framework capabilities for Project Kuiper's satellite broadband initiative.

• Develop and maintain a comprehensive design system, including components, tools, and human interface guidelines for website and mobile applications.

• Collaborate with a multi-disciplinary team of designers to create innovative UX frameworks and features that ensure a consistent cross-device experience.

• Champion the adoption and evolution of a design system, simplifying mechanisms and building blocks for designers and engineers working on no-code/low-code products within Amazon.

• Apply a customer-obsessed approach to design system foundations, components, and patterns, expanding reach to new customers and technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: While the input data positions this as a "Sr. UX Designer," the emphasis on "design systems" and "framework capabilities" strongly aligns with the strategic, process-oriented, and cross-functional nature of operations roles. This role requires not just design execution but also the creation and management of scalable design assets and processes, which is a core function within operations disciplines like Design Operations or Product Operations. The focus on empowering designers and engineers, and optimizing their workflows through a design system, mirrors the goals of operational efficiency and standardization.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Identify, create, and optimize design foundations, reusable components, and high-level patterns for the Kuiper Design System, ensuring scalability and consistency.

• Deliver high-quality design artifacts, including wireframes, user flows, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes, that elevate visual and user experience standards.

• Partner closely with product managers and engineering teams to ensure the successful implementation and integration of design system elements into Kuiper's digital products.

• Collaborate with a diverse group of designers, engineers, and stakeholders across various teams and organizations to drive design system adoption and influence its future direction.

• Create and optimize the processes and tools that facilitate collaboration among designers, developers, and other consumers of the design system.

• Work with product and engineering teams to establish and maintain a cohesive and consistent customer and user experience across all supported devices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a strong focus on process creation, optimization, and standardization, particularly in building and managing a design system. This aligns with the operational aspects of ensuring efficiency, reusability, and consistency in product development workflows, a key characteristic of operations roles.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

Experience:

• Minimum of 6 years of dedicated experience in UX design or interaction design.

• Minimum of 6 years of experience in creating detailed design deliverables, including mockups, wireframes, and interactive prototypes for web and mobile applications, as well as complex workflows.

• Proven experience in establishing, designing, and effectively utilizing comprehensive design systems and design frameworks.

Required Skills:

• UX Design & Interaction Design: Deep understanding and practical application of user-centered design principles and interaction design methodologies.

• Design Systems: Proficiency in establishing, designing, and utilizing design systems and frameworks for scalable product development.

• Prototyping & Wireframing: Expertise in creating wireframes, user flows, and interactive prototypes using industry-standard tools.

• Figma Proficiency: Extensive experience using Figma for prototyping design concepts, defining user interface architecture, and documenting UI patterns, components, and guidelines.

• Visual Design: Strong visual design sensibilities with the ability to create aesthetically pleasing and functional user interfaces.

• Collaboration & Communication: Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate design rationale and influence stakeholders.

• Customer Focus: A strong customer-obsessed mindset with the ability to synthesize user insights and feedback into design solutions.

• Portfolio: An available online portfolio showcasing a range of design deliverables, including design systems, personas, journey maps, wireframes, and prototypes.

Preferred Skills:

• Consumer/Enterprise Experience: Experience designing user-facing experiences for either consumer or enterprise markets.

• Accessibility Standards: Experience in applying and advocating for best practices in accessible UX, with a preference for experience designing for federal 508 Compliance.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: 4+ years of experience working in direct collaboration with product managers, developers, and other key stakeholders.

• Product Lifecycle Experience: Experience participating in and contributing to the complete product development lifecycle of successfully launched applications.

• Prototyping (HTML/JS/CSS): Ability to prototype in environments like HTML, JavaScript, and CSS is a plus but not a strict requirement.

• Adobe Creative Cloud: Familiarity or experience with Adobe Creative Cloud tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, or similar is beneficial.

• User Research: Demonstrated history of conducting user research or actively assisting with the collection of user insights and feedback (e.g., customer interviews, usability studies) and leveraging this data to inform design decisions.

• Large-Scope Projects: Proven ability to deliver design solutions for projects of significant scope and complexity, with a track record of leading design projects to successful launch.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Required Skills" section is heavily weighted towards operational competencies like design system management, process standardization (via UI patterns and guidelines), and tool proficiency (Figma). The "Preferred Skills" further emphasize cross-functional collaboration, process integration (product lifecycle), and data-driven design (user research), all critical elements in operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design System Deliverables: Showcase examples of well-defined and implemented design systems, highlighting foundational elements (e.g., typography, color palettes, spacing) and reusable components.

• Process Documentation: Include examples of how design processes were documented, standardized, and communicated to development and design teams.

• User Flow & Wireframe Examples: Present clear and logical user flows and wireframes that demonstrate problem-solving for user tasks and information architecture.

• Prototyping Capabilities: Demonstrate proficiency in creating interactive prototypes that effectively communicate design intent and user interaction.

• Design System Adoption & Impact: Where possible, provide evidence of how the design system was adopted by teams and the resulting improvements in efficiency, consistency, or user experience.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design & Optimization: Examples of how you've designed, documented, and optimized workflows for design creation, handoff, and implementation.

• Component Library Management: Showcase processes for managing, versioning, and updating a component library within a design system.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Processes: Illustrate processes established for effective collaboration between design, engineering, and product management teams.

• Design Governance: Examples of how design governance was established and maintained to ensure adherence to the design system.

📝 Enhancement Note: This section is crucial for operations roles. The request for "Design System Deliverables," "Process Documentation," and "Design Governance" directly maps to the need for structured, repeatable, and scalable processes that are core to operations. Candidates should focus on demonstrating their ability to build and manage systems that drive efficiency and consistency.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• Based on Amazon's disclosed compensation strategy for Redmond, WA, the salary range for this Senior UX Designer role is expected to be between $127,100 to $211,600 per year.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Access to a full range of medical benefits.

• Financial Well-being: Support for financial health and planning.

• Equity Opportunities: Potential for stock options or other equity-based compensation.

• Sign-on Bonuses: Possibility of receiving sign-on payments as part of the total compensation package.

• Additional Benefits: A full range of other benefits may be provided, subject to position specifics.

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are anticipated, likely around 40 hours per week.

• While the role is on-site, specific daily scheduling may offer some flexibility within the typical business day for operations and project management needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided by Amazon is specific and comprehensive. The benefits listed are typical for large tech companies and should be highlighted as attractive elements for operations professionals seeking stability and growth. The mention of "total compensation" implies a holistic view that includes salary, equity, and benefits.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Internet & Satellite Communications / Aerospace / Technology. Project Kuiper aims to provide global broadband internet access via a constellation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, positioning Amazon at the forefront of a rapidly evolving and highly technical sector.

Company Size: Amazon is a global technology and e-commerce giant, employing hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide. This scale implies robust infrastructure, established processes, and significant resources, but also necessitates clear communication and adherence to standards within specialized teams like Project Kuiper.

Founded: Amazon was founded in 1994. Project Kuiper, a more recent initiative, embodies Amazon's continuous innovation and expansion into new technological frontiers, reflecting an entrepreneurial spirit within a large corporate structure.

Team Structure:

• Multi-disciplinary: The UX team is part of a broader Project Kuiper initiative that includes world-class engineers, product managers, researchers, and other specialists.

• Reporting: The Sr. UX Designer will likely report into a UX Lead or Design Manager within the Kuiper organization, with strong dotted-line reporting or collaboration with product and engineering leads.

• Collaboration: Expect intense cross-functional collaboration with product development, engineering (software and hardware), and potentially marketing and business development teams to ensure a unified product vision and user experience.

Methodology:

• Customer Obsession: A core Amazon principle, driving all design and product decisions. User insights and feedback are paramount.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Designs are validated and iterated upon using user research, usability testing, and analytics.

• Agile Development: Likely operates within an agile or iterative development framework, requiring adaptability and rapid prototyping.

• Design System Governance: Emphasis on creating and maintaining a systematic approach to design, ensuring consistency and efficiency across a large and complex product ecosystem.

Company Website: https://www.amazon.com and Project Kuiper specific information may be found on amazon.jobs.

📝 Enhancement Note: Understanding Amazon's "customer obsession" and data-driven approach is key. For an operations-minded designer, the emphasis on "Design System Governance" and "Agile Development" signifies a structured environment where process and efficiency are valued.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned as a Senior UX Designer, signifying a mid-to-senior level of expertise with a focus on leading design initiatives, particularly within the complex domain of design systems. This level often involves mentorship and strategic input into design processes and standards.

Reporting Structure: The Sr. UX Designer will report to a design leadership role within Project Kuiper. Collaboration will be extensive with Product Managers and Software Development Engineers, providing exposure to end-to-end product lifecycles and strategic business objectives.

Operations Impact: The design system created and managed by this role will directly impact the efficiency and consistency of product development across Kuiper's web and mobile platforms. By providing reusable components and clear guidelines, the designer will enable faster iteration cycles, reduce design debt, and ensure a high-quality, cohesive user experience for Kuiper's customers, thereby supporting the overall business goal of delivering broadband to underserved areas.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Potential to grow into a lead or principal role focused on expanding the scope and impact of the Kuiper Design System, potentially influencing broader Amazon design practices.

• Cross-functional Expertise: Opportunity to deepen knowledge in satellite technology, network engineering, and large-scale software development through close collaboration with specialized teams.

• Product Ownership: Develop a strong understanding of product strategy and business objectives, leading to opportunities in product management or broader GTM operations roles.

• Mentorship: As a senior member, there will be opportunities to mentor junior designers and contribute to the growth of the design team's capabilities and processes.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities highlight a career path that extends beyond pure design execution, touching on strategic process improvement, cross-functional leadership, and technical domain expertise, which are all attractive aspects for operations professionals.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: The role requires the candidate to be on-site in Redmond, WA, indicating a traditional office-based work environment. This setting is typical for large technology companies, fostering in-person collaboration and team cohesion.

Office Location(s): Redmond, Washington, USA. This location places the employee within a major technology hub, offering access to a vibrant ecosystem of tech companies and talent.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: The office environment likely includes dedicated collaborative spaces, meeting rooms, and potentially open-plan areas designed to foster interaction and idea-sharing among design, product, and engineering teams.

• Tools & Technology: Access to standard corporate IT infrastructure, including high-performance workstations, software licenses (e.g., Figma, Adobe Creative Cloud), and internal communication tools.

• Team Interaction: Frequent opportunities for direct, in-person interaction with colleagues, design critiques, brainstorming sessions, and project reviews will be integral to daily work.

Work Schedule: While specific hours are not detailed, a standard 40-hour work week is typical. The on-site requirement suggests a need for presence during core business hours to facilitate team collaboration and project alignment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement is a key differentiator. For operations roles, this often means a more integrated team experience and direct access to resources and collaborators, which can be beneficial for process implementation and problem-solving.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Application Submission: Submit resume and online portfolio through the Amazon jobs portal.

• Initial Screening: Recruiters will review applications and portfolios for basic qualifications and relevant experience.

• Hiring Manager/Team Interviews: Expect multiple rounds of interviews, often including:

  • Portfolio Review: A dedicated session to walk through your portfolio, discussing specific projects, your design process, and the impact of your work. Focus on design systems, process optimization, and collaboration.
  • Behavioral Questions: Assessing how you handle specific situations, aligned with Amazon's Leadership Principles (e.g., "Are you a builder?", "Dive Deep," "Bias for Action").
  • Technical/Design Challenges: Potentially a design exercise or case study related to design systems or user experience challenges relevant to Project Kuiper.
  • Cross-functional Stakeholder Interviews: Meetings with product managers and engineers to assess collaboration skills and technical understanding.

• Final Round: Typically involves senior leadership or hiring managers for final assessment.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Highlight Design System Impact: Clearly articulate the challenges you addressed, the solutions you designed within the system, and quantifiable outcomes (e.g., improved design consistency, faster development cycles, increased adoption rates).

• Showcase Process: Detail your process for creating, documenting, and evolving design systems. Include examples of governance, collaboration methods, and how feedback was incorporated.

• Demonstrate Tool Proficiency: Explicitly show your work in Figma, illustrating your ability to create and manage components, styles, and documentation.

• Tell a Story: Structure your portfolio projects with a clear narrative: problem, your role, process, solution, and impact. Emphasize your contributions to cross-functional teams.

• Tailor to Amazon: Research Amazon's design principles and Leadership Principles, and weave them into your project discussions.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Case Study: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or evolving a design system for a complex product like Project Kuiper. Consider scalability, accessibility, and developer handoff.

• Process Improvement Scenario: Anticipate questions about how you would improve design workflows, increase collaboration, or drive adoption of a design system within a large organization.

• Leadership Principles: Practice answering behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result), aligning your experiences with Amazon's core principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on a portfolio review, particularly for design systems and process, is a strong indicator of operational evaluation. Candidates should prepare to demonstrate not just design skill but also their ability to create and manage scalable design operations.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Figma: Essential for prototyping, UI design, component creation, and design system documentation. Proficiency in advanced Figma features (e.g., auto layout, variants, shared libraries) is expected.

• Design System Platforms: Experience with tools or methodologies for managing and distributing design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook integration) may be beneficial.

• Prototyping Tools: Beyond Figma, familiarity with other prototyping tools for specific use cases.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Research Tools: Experience with tools for conducting usability testing, user interviews, and analyzing user feedback (e.g., UserTesting.com, Lookback).

• Analytics Platforms: Familiarity with web and mobile analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Amplitude, Mixpanel) to understand user behavior and product performance.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a CRM role, understanding how design systems integrate with product development pipelines and potentially customer feedback loops is valuable.

• Version Control Systems: Familiarity with concepts related to version control for design assets (e.g., Abstract, or Figma's built-in version history) is important for design system management.

• Project Management Tools: Experience with tools like Jira, Asana, or Trello for tracking design tasks and project progress.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of Figma as a primary tool and the implied need for design system management tools and user research platforms highlight the technical requirements. For operations, understanding how these tools integrate and support broader product development workflows is key.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Design decisions must be rooted in understanding and serving the needs of Kuiper's target users.

• Ownership: Take responsibility for the design system's success, driving its evolution and ensuring its effectiveness.

• Innovation: Continuously seek new and better ways to build and scale the design system and user experiences.

• Bias for Action: Proactively identify opportunities for improvement and implement solutions efficiently.

• Deliver Results: Focus on creating tangible impact through well-designed, usable, and consistent interfaces that support Kuiper's mission.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-functional Integration: Work closely with product, engineering, and research teams, fostering a collaborative environment where design is integrated early and often.

• Design Critiques & Feedback: Actively participate in and lead design critiques, providing constructive feedback and being receptive to input from peers and stakeholders.

• Knowledge Sharing: Contribute to a culture of shared learning by documenting best practices, sharing insights, and mentoring other designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on Amazon's Leadership Principles directly informs the expected team culture and values. For operations, demonstrating alignment with principles like "Ownership" and "Bias for Action" is crucial, as these drive efficiency and proactive problem-solving.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Scaling Design Systems: The primary challenge will be designing and managing a design system that can scale effectively across a large constellation of satellites, diverse user interfaces, and evolving technologies.

• Cross-Team Adoption: Ensuring widespread adoption and consistent application of the design system across multiple product teams and development cycles will require strong advocacy and support.

• Balancing Consistency and Flexibility: Maintaining a cohesive brand and user experience while allowing for necessary product-specific customization and innovation.

• Evolving Technology Landscape: Adapting the design system to new devices, platforms, and user interaction paradigms as Project Kuiper evolves.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Deep Dive into Design Systems: Gain unparalleled expertise in building and scaling enterprise-level design systems.

• Industry-Specific Knowledge: Learn about the unique UX challenges and opportunities in the satellite communications and aerospace industries.

• Cross-functional Skill Development: Enhance collaboration and communication skills by working closely with engineers, product managers, and potentially legal and compliance teams.

• Amazon's Scale: Experience operating and influencing design within one of the world's largest and most complex technology organizations.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherently operational in nature, focusing on scalability, process adoption, and system management. The growth opportunities lean into developing specialized operations skills and gaining broad technical and business context.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Design System Strategy: "How would you prioritize the development of a design system for a new, large-scale product like Project Kuiper? What are the key foundational elements you'd focus on first?" (Prepare to discuss phased rollouts, core components, and governance).

• Collaboration & Process: "Describe a time you had to influence engineers or product managers to adopt your design system. What strategies did you use, and what was the outcome?" (Focus on communication, advocacy, and process integration).

• Problem-Solving: "Imagine a scenario where different teams are not adhering to the design system. How would you diagnose the problem and implement solutions to improve compliance?" (Think about training, documentation, tooling, and feedback loops).

Company & Culture Questions:

• Leadership Principles: "Tell me about a time you had to take ownership of a project that was failing or behind schedule." (Prepare examples for "Ownership," "Bias for Action," "Dive Deep," "Invent and Simplify").

• Customer Focus: "How do you ensure your design decisions are truly customer-obsessed, especially when balancing business needs with user experience?" (Discuss user research methods, feedback incorporation).

• Team Dynamics: "How do you approach collaboration with engineers who may have different priorities or perspectives?" (Highlight communication, empathy, and shared goals).

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Process & Impact: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your specific role, the process you followed (especially for design systems), the solutions you implemented, and the measurable impact.

• Design System Case Study: Dedicate a section of your portfolio or presentation to a design system project, showcasing its structure, components, guidelines, and any evidence of adoption or improvement.

• Quantify Success: Use metrics and data whenever possible to demonstrate the value of your work (e.g., "reduced design time by X%", "increased UI consistency by Y%").

• Figma Walkthrough: Be ready to navigate your Figma files to demonstrate your design process, component organization, and documentation practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation advice focuses on demonstrating operational capabilities – strategic thinking about systems, process improvement, cross-functional influence, and data-driven impact – in addition to core design skills.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. UX Designer position with Project Kuiper at Amazon:

• Submit Your Application: Navigate to the Amazon jobs portal and submit your resume and a link to your online portfolio.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features your experience with design systems, including specific examples of components, processes, and their impact. Tailor case studies to highlight collaboration, problem-solving, and efficiency gains.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize your 6+ years of UX and interaction design experience, proficiency with Figma, and specific accomplishments related to design systems, process optimization, and driving adoption. Use keywords from the job description.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, especially concerning design systems and cross-functional collaboration. Prepare to discuss your experience using Amazon's Leadership Principles through the STAR method.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Project Kuiper's mission, Amazon's customer-centric culture, and its core Leadership Principles. Understand how a design system contributes to operational efficiency and user experience at scale.

⚠️ 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.