Senior UX Designer, Design System Lead, WWGST, Grocery and In-Store Experience (GRAISE)

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer, Design System Lead, WWGST, Grocery and In-Store Experience (GRAISE)

Company: Amazon

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: UX Design / Design Systems

Date Posted: 2026-09-01

Experience Level: Mid-Senior Level (7+ years)

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the development and evolution of a comprehensive, multi-surface design system for in-store grocery experiences, ensuring consistency and efficiency across diverse platforms like Dash Cart, Self-Checkout, and mobile applications.

• Drive hands-on customer experience (CX) design for next-generation in-store shopping journeys, translating user needs and business objectives into intuitive and engaging interactions.

• Serve as the primary point person and evangelist for the design system, defining contribution models, lifecycle management, and driving adoption across design and engineering teams.

• Champion system-wide quality, including cross-platform coherence, accessibility standards, and brand consistency, while coaching teams on balancing flexibility, usability, and efficiency.

• Strategically integrate AI capabilities into the design system's tooling and workflows to accelerate and democratize the product development cycle.

📝 Enhancement Note: While this role is primarily UX Design focused, the emphasis on leading a design system, driving adoption, and ensuring technical parity with code suggests a strong overlap with principles of operations and process management. The successful candidate will need to operationalize design practices and ensure the design system functions as a scalable, efficient engine for product development.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Design end-to-end in-store customer experiences, encompassing user interactions, information architecture, and visual language, delivering artifacts such as user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity designs.

• Conduct in-depth analysis of customer pain points, triangulating qualitative and quantitative data, user feedback, and technical constraints to iteratively refine design solutions.

• Foster close collaboration with Product Managers, Researchers, Engineers, Design Technologists, Industrial Designers, and Store Designers to conceptualize and deliver innovative solutions.

• Partner with UX Research to design and execute generative and evaluative studies, leveraging insights to enhance user experiences.

• Define and refine design system contribution and review models, lifecycle management, versioning, and scalability standards, actively promoting adoption and providing enablement resources.

• Uphold and enforce system-wide quality standards, including cross-platform coherence, accessibility, and brand consistency, guiding teams in making informed trade-offs.

• Explore and implement AI integrations within design system tooling and designer workflows to accelerate product development cycles.

• Collaborate closely with engineering teams to ensure design intent is accurately translated into code, maintaining parity between the system and its implementation.

• Actively mentor junior designers on design system usage, craft, and best practices, elevating the overall design-system fluency within the organization.

• Clearly and persuasively communicate complex design and system decisions to diverse audiences, including product, engineering, and design leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a dual focus on strategic design system leadership and hands-on CX design. The "point person and evangelist" aspect for the design system implies a need for strong operational oversight, process definition, and change management skills, akin to a product operations or program management function within the design discipline.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience. Experience:

• Minimum of 7+ years of experience in delivering user-centered design solutions as a UX Designer or Interaction Designer.

• Demonstrated experience in building, scaling, and maintaining multi-platform design systems, including expertise in component architecture, variants, design tokens, grid systems, and published libraries. Required Skills:

• Profound expertise in user-centered design principles and methodologies for creating intuitive and engaging customer experiences.

• Proven ability to design complex, multi-surface design systems that support a wide range of form factors, resolutions, and use cases.

• Strong command of various design, wireframing, and prototyping tools (e.g., Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite).

• Experience in planning and conducting UX research, including generative and evaluative studies, and translating findings into actionable design improvements.

• Demonstrated success in collaborating with and influencing cross-functional partners, including product management, engineering, and research teams, to deliver results.

• Skill in defining and managing design system governance, including contribution models, versioning, and quality standards.

• Understanding of accessibility standards and best practices to ensure inclusive design solutions. Preferred Skills:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a design-related field.

• Demonstrated passion for and experience integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the design and product development workflow to accelerate and democratize team building processes.

• Proficiency in building design concepts using code to effectively communicate design decisions to engineering teams.

• Experience in mentoring and coaching other designers, particularly in the context of design system adoption and best practices.

• Familiarity with retail or grocery store technology environments.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for 7+ years of experience and a proven track record in building and scaling design systems, alongside influencing stakeholders, positions this role at a senior level with significant operational impact. The emphasis on "delivering results by partnering with and influencing others" points to the need for strong stakeholder management and process-driven execution, crucial for effective design system operations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Showcase a minimum of 2-3 complex design system projects, detailing the system's architecture, component library, and contribution guidelines.

• Include case studies demonstrating end-to-end UX design for consumer-facing applications or experiences, highlighting problem definition, ideation, user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and final designs.

• Provide examples of how user research informed design decisions and iterative improvements.

• Demonstrate experience in cross-platform design, illustrating how designs are adapted and maintained for different devices and use cases.

• Present evidence of collaboration with engineering teams, showcasing how design intent was translated into implemented features. Process Documentation:

• Examples of process documentation for design system contribution, review, and adoption, illustrating how you've operationalized design system management.

• Documentation or examples of how you've defined and managed design system governance, including versioning strategies and release cadences.

• Case studies detailing how you've measured the impact and success of a design system, potentially including metrics on efficiency, consistency, or adoption rates.

• Any artifacts that demonstrate your approach to bridging the gap between design intent and technical implementation, such as style guides integrated with code documentation.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Design System Lead role, the portfolio is critical for demonstrating not just design craft but also the ability to operationalize design. Candidates should focus on showcasing their understanding of governance, scalability, and the processes required to maintain a living design system, akin to managing a complex product or operational framework.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• The base salary range for this position in Seattle, Washington, is $137,800 - $186,400 USD annually.

• This range is indicative and may vary based on factors such as experience, qualifications, and location. Benefits:

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

• Prescription drug coverage.

• Basic life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, with options for supplemental life plans.

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

• Medical Advice Line for health-related queries.

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

• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.

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

• Paid Time Off (PTO) for vacation, personal time, and sick leave.

• Parental leave benefits for new parents.

• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) as part of the total compensation package, reflecting Amazon's commitment to employee ownership and long-term success. Working Hours:

• Standard full-time working hours are typically 40 hours per week.

• While the role is on-site, flexibility in daily scheduling may be available, subject to team and business needs.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range is based on the USA, WA, Seattle location as indicated in the raw data. The benefits listed are extensive and common for large tech organizations like Amazon, with a particular emphasis on comprehensive health and wellness programs, retirement savings, and equity through RSUs. The "working hours" are based on the typical full-time expectation, with an acknowledgement of potential flexibility within an on-site context.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-commerce, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Retail Technology, Consumer Electronics.

Company Size: Amazon is a global technology and e-commerce giant, employing hundreds of thousands of individuals worldwide, indicating a highly structured and resource-rich environment for operations professionals.

Founded: 1994, by Jeff Bezos. Amazon has a long history of innovation, customer obsession, and pioneering new markets, which influences its culture of continuous improvement and ambitious goal-setting.

Team Structure:

• The GRAISE (Grocery Ads and In-Store Experience) team is part of Worldwide Grocery Store Tech (WWGST), suggesting a focused operational unit within a larger technology division.

• This team is multi-disciplinary, comprising passionate designers, product managers, UX researchers, applied scientists, and engineers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.

• The reporting structure likely involves design leadership within the WWGST organization, with the Senior UX Designer reporting to a Design Manager or Director. Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Amazon's culture heavily emphasizes data analysis to inform product development and operational improvements. Expect a rigorous approach to measuring impact and iterating based on metrics.

• Customer Obsession: The core principle driving all operations and design efforts is a deep focus on understanding and delighting the customer.

• Bias for Action & Iteration: A culture of rapid experimentation, learning from failures, and continuous iteration is prevalent, encouraging a proactive and agile approach to operations and design.

• Frugality & Efficiency: Amazon operates with a strong sense of frugality, driving teams to find efficient solutions and optimize resource allocation, which is highly relevant for design system operations.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's "Leadership Principles" are foundational to its culture and operational practices. For a design system lead, understanding principles like "Customer Obsession," "Invent and Simplify," "Are Right, A Lot," and "Dive Deep" will be crucial for aligning design system strategy with broader company objectives and for navigating internal stakeholder relationships.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This role is positioned at a Senior level, requiring significant experience and the ability to lead strategic initiatives like a design system. It's a critical juncture for a UX designer to move from individual contribution to leadership and operational ownership within a specialized domain. The role demands a blend of deep design craft and the strategic, operational acumen to manage a complex, evolving system.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director within the WWGST organization. They will collaborate closely with Product Management, Engineering Leads, and UX Research counterparts, influencing product roadmaps and technical implementations. The role also involves mentoring junior designers, indicating a potential for leading small project teams or functional areas.

Operations Impact: The design system is a critical operational asset that directly impacts the efficiency, speed, and quality of product development for in-store grocery experiences. By ensuring consistency and providing reusable components, this role significantly streamlines the development lifecycle, reduces redundant work, and ultimately enhances the customer experience and business outcomes for Amazon's grocery operations. The integration of AI into the system further amplifies this operational impact by accelerating innovation.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design System Leadership: Potential to grow into a Principal or Director-level role focused on design systems across broader Amazon divisions or to lead larger design teams.

• Product Ownership: Transition into Product Management roles, leveraging deep understanding of user needs and technical constraints gained from design system leadership.

• Technical Specialization: Deepen expertise in areas like AI integration in design tools, advanced prototyping, or front-end development for design system components.

• Cross-Functional Mobility: Opportunities to move into program management or operations roles within larger technology or retail initiatives at Amazon, utilizing a strong understanding of process and scalability.

• Mentorship & Team Building: Develop leadership skills through active mentorship and by contributing to the growth and operational maturity of the design organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth opportunities emphasize a progression from specialized design leadership to broader organizational impact, aligning with typical career paths in large tech companies for individuals who can demonstrate operational excellence and strategic thinking within their domain.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role, implying a traditional office environment where in-person collaboration, team meetings, and access to company resources are prioritized. Amazon offices are typically modern, equipped with amenities to support employee productivity and well-being.

Office Location(s): The primary location is Seattle, Washington. The team also has members in Austin, TX, other parts of WA, and Boston, MA (Hudson, MA). This distributed team structure means that while the role is on-site in Seattle, significant collaboration will occur remotely with other team members.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Hub: The office space will likely be designed to encourage spontaneous interactions, brainstorming sessions, and team collaboration, essential for a role that bridges design and engineering.

• Technology-Rich Environment: Expect access to high-performance workstations, advanced design software, and robust network infrastructure to support complex design and prototyping tasks.

• Cross-Functional Interaction: The workspace will facilitate regular interaction with product managers, engineers, researchers, and other designers, fostering a dynamic and integrated workflow.

• Design System Focus: Dedicated spaces or resources for design system discussions, workshops, and reviews may be available to support the lead's responsibilities.

Work Schedule: The standard work week is 40 hours. While on-site, there might be flexibility in start and end times, but core hours will likely be expected for team synchronization and client-facing activities. The nature of leading a design system often requires responsiveness to urgent issues or urgent development needs, which might occasionally extend working hours.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Seattle, coupled with a distributed team, highlights the importance of strong remote collaboration skills and the ability to manage communication across different time zones and work environments. The office setup will likely support both focused individual work and intensive team collaboration.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial phone screen to assess basic qualifications, experience, and cultural fit.

• Portfolio Review & Technical Interview: Candidates will present their portfolio, focusing on design system leadership and hands-on UX design case studies. This will be followed by in-depth discussions on design process, problem-solving methodologies, and technical understanding of design systems and their implementation. Expect questions on component architecture, design tokens, and governance.

• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and UX Researchers to assess collaboration skills, ability to influence, and understanding of business and technical constraints.

• Design System Leadership Interview: A dedicated session focusing on your experience leading design systems, including strategy, adoption, and scaling. You may be asked to articulate your vision for the GRAISE design system.

• Hiring Manager Interview: A final interview with the hiring manager to discuss overall fit, career aspirations, and address any remaining questions.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select projects that best showcase your dual expertise in hands-on UX design and design system leadership. Prioritize projects with demonstrable impact.

• Tell a Story: For each case study, clearly articulate the problem, your role, the process you followed, the challenges you faced, and the measurable outcomes.

• Highlight Design System Operations: Explicitly detail your approach to design system governance, contribution models, scaling strategies, and how you drove adoption and maintained quality. Use specific examples of processes you implemented.

• Quantify Impact: Where possible, use metrics to demonstrate the success of your designs and design system efforts (e.g., time saved in development, reduction in UI inconsistencies, increase in designer productivity).

• Demonstrate Technical Fluency: Be prepared to discuss how design systems integrate with code, including concepts like design tokens and component libraries. If you have coding experience, be ready to discuss it.

Challenge Preparation:

• Design System Strategy: Be prepared to discuss how you would approach building or evolving a design system for a specific context (e.g., in-store retail experiences).

• Problem-Solving Scenarios: Anticipate hypothetical scenarios related to design system adoption challenges, conflicting stakeholder needs, or technical debt.

• AI Integration: Think about how AI can be practically applied to enhance design system workflows, component generation, or designer productivity.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Practice articulating how you would collaborate with engineering and product teams to ensure design system alignment and successful implementation.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process at Amazon is typically rigorous and data-driven. For this role, expect a strong emphasis on demonstrated experience in design system leadership, operationalizing design processes, and the ability to influence cross-functional teams. The portfolio review will be a critical component, requiring candidates to clearly articulate their strategic approach to design system management and its impact.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable given industry trends and Amazon's typical toolset), Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop).

• Wireframing & User Flows: Tools integrated within Figma/Sketch, or dedicated tools like Miro, Axure.

• Design System Management: Figma's component features, Storybook (for code-based component documentation), or custom internal tools.

Analytics & Reporting:

• User Behavior Analytics: Tools like Adobe Analytics, Google Analytics, or internal Amazon analytics platforms to track user interactions within in-store experiences.

• Performance Metrics: Dashboards and reporting tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, internal Amazon tools) to monitor design system adoption, contribution rates, and impact on development velocity.

CRM & Automation:

• Project Management & Collaboration: Jira, Confluence, Asana, or internal Amazon equivalents for task tracking, bug reporting, and documentation.

• Version Control: Git (likely used in conjunction with design technologists for code-based design system components).

• Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, or internal Amazon communication platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools are not listed, the role's requirements strongly suggest proficiency in industry-standard design and prototyping software, particularly Figma, which is widely used for design systems. The mention of "parity with code" implies a need for understanding how design systems are implemented and maintained, potentially involving collaboration with design technologists who use tools like Storybook and version control systems.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: A relentless focus on understanding and meeting customer needs, driving all design and system decisions to improve the in-store grocery shopping experience.

• Invent and Simplify: A drive to innovate and find elegant, efficient solutions, particularly in how the design system can simplify the development process and enhance user interactions.

• Are Right, A Lot: A commitment to making informed decisions based on data, research, and deep analysis, ensuring the design system and its components are robust and well-reasoned.

• Dive Deep: A willingness to thoroughly analyze problems and understand the underlying complexities of both user needs and technical implementations to build effective design solutions and systems.

• Ownership: Taking full responsibility for the design system, its evolution, quality, and adoption, ensuring its success as a critical operational asset.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A highly collaborative approach, working closely with product managers, engineers, researchers, and industrial designers to co-create solutions and ensure alignment.

• Data-Informed Dialogue: Discussions and decision-making are grounded in user research, analytics, and performance metrics, fostering objective and productive conversations.

• Constructive Feedback: An environment where feedback is openly given and received, focused on continuous improvement of both individual designs and the design system as a whole.

• Agile & Iterative: Embracing an iterative development process, allowing for flexibility and rapid adaptation based on learnings and evolving requirements.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's Leadership Principles are deeply embedded in its culture and guide team interactions and decision-making. For this role, demonstrating an understanding and application of these principles, particularly in the context of operationalizing a design system, will be key to cultural fit.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Breadth and Depth: Managing a complex, multi-surface design system while also contributing hands-on design expertise requires effective time management and prioritization.

• Driving Adoption: Persuading and enabling diverse teams to adopt and consistently use the design system can be a significant challenge, requiring strong evangelism and support.

• Technical Evolution: Keeping the design system aligned with rapidly evolving technologies, including AI advancements and new platform capabilities, necessitates continuous learning and adaptation.

• Cross-Functional Alignment: Ensuring consistent application and understanding of the design system across various product teams, each with their own priorities and technical stacks, demands strong communication and negotiation skills.

• Maintaining Quality at Scale: As the system grows and more teams contribute, upholding a high bar for quality, consistency, and accessibility across all components becomes increasingly complex.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI in Design: Explore and implement cutting-edge AI tools and techniques to enhance design system capabilities and the designer workflow.

• System Architecture: Deepen expertise in scalable design system architecture, component patterns, and design token strategies for large organizations.

• Leadership Development: Gain experience in mentoring, team building, and strategic planning through leading the design system initiative.

• Retail Technology Innovation: Immerse yourself in the evolving landscape of in-store retail technology and its intersection with UX design.

• Cross-Disciplinary Learning: Collaborate with world-class engineers, researchers, and product managers, expanding your understanding of different disciplines and their operational impacts.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges are framed to highlight areas where the candidate can leverage their skills to create significant impact, while the growth opportunities point towards professional development and career advancement within Amazon's tech ecosystem.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• How would you define and operationalize the contribution model for a large, multi-team design system like the one for GRAISE?

• Describe a time you had to convince stakeholders (product, engineering) to adopt a new design system or a significant change within an existing one. What was your strategy, and what was the outcome?

• How do you balance the need for design system consistency with the flexibility required for unique product features or platform-specific optimizations?

• What metrics would you prioritize to measure the success and operational efficiency of a design system, and how would you track them?

• How do you envision integrating AI into a design system to accelerate product development and democratize design processes? Company & Culture Questions:

• How do Amazon's Leadership Principles resonate with your approach to design and design system leadership? Provide examples.

• What are your thoughts on Amazon's customer obsession, and how would that influence your design system strategy for grocery shoppers?

• How would you foster a collaborative and inclusive design culture within a distributed team?

• Describe your experience working in a fast-paced, data-driven environment. Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure your presentation: Start with an overview of your role and the project's goals. Clearly articulate the problem you were solving, especially for design system initiatives.

• Focus on Process & Impact: For each case study, walk through your design process, emphasizing how you leveraged research, iterated, and collaborated. Quantify the impact of your work, particularly for design system contributions (e.g., time saved, consistency improvements).

• Showcase Design System Operations: Dedicate a significant portion of your presentation to your design system experience. Detail your approach to component architecture, governance, scaling, and adoption. Use visual aids to explain system structure and contribution workflows.

• Be ready for deep dives: Anticipate detailed questions about your design decisions, technical considerations, and how you managed trade-offs. Be prepared to discuss the "why" behind your choices.

• Engage your audience: Make it a conversation. Be ready to answer questions from the interviewers and ask thoughtful questions yourself.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview preparation focuses on anticipating questions that probe both design craft and operational leadership. Candidates should prepare to articulate their strategic thinking, problem-solving abilities, and experience in managing complex systems and cross-functional relationships, aligning with Amazon's emphasis on data-driven decision-making and leadership principles.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer, Design System Lead position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs portal using the provided link.

• Tailor your resume: Highlight your 7+ years of UX design experience, with a strong emphasis on your proven track record in building, scaling, and maintaining multi-platform design systems. Use keywords from the job description such as "design systems," "component architecture," "design tokens," "governance," and "cross-platform."

• Curate your portfolio: Prepare a presentation that clearly showcases 2-3 key design system projects and 1-2 end-to-end UX design case studies. Ensure your portfolio demonstrates your operational approach to design system management, including governance, contribution models, and adoption strategies. Quantify impact where possible.

• Research Amazon's Design Philosophy: Familiarize yourself with Amazon's Leadership Principles and how they translate into design and product development. Understand the company's customer obsession and focus on innovation.

• Prepare for behavioral and situational questions: Practice answering questions related to your experience in influencing stakeholders, managing complex projects, and leading design initiatives, particularly in a distributed team environment.

⚠️ 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.