Senior UX Designer, Kiro

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior UX Designer, Kiro

Company: Amazon

Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

Job Type: Full-Time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design / Product Design

Date Posted: September 16, 2026

Experience Level: 7+ Years Design Experience

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead the end-to-end user experience design for Kiro, an innovative agentic AI platform from AWS, transforming how software is built by millions of developers.

• Drive the design of complex, multi-step workflows for developers interacting with autonomous AI agents, focusing on intuitive steering and spec-driven development across diverse platforms (IDE, CLI, Web, Mobile).

• Conduct deep audience understanding and early-stage design thinking, including concept modeling, ecosystem mapping, and user story development to define product strategy.

• Collaborate closely with product management, engineering, and UX research teams to advocate for the developer audience and influence long-term product direction.

• Mentor junior designers and establish scalable design patterns to elevate the design practice across the Kiro product organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within AWS, a division of Amazon, focusing on cutting-edge AI development tools. The "Kiro" platform signifies a significant product initiative, implying a high level of impact and visibility for the chosen Senior UX Designer. The emphasis on "agentic AI" and "developer audience" suggests a need for deep understanding of complex technical workflows and user needs within the software development lifecycle.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Conduct and synthesize user research to build comprehensive mental models of developer workflows, pain points, and adoption patterns for agentic AI tools.

• Lead concept design initiatives, including ecosystem maps, concept models, user stories, and experience frameworks to establish foundational product direction.

• Own and execute the complete design process for significant features across the Kiro platform, encompassing IDE, CLI, Web, Mobile, and Kiro Crew (open-source workspace).

• Design intuitive and effective user interfaces for agentic workflows such as spec-driven development, autonomous operation, parallel agent coordination, and correctness verification.

• Rapidly iterate on design solutions through prototyping at appropriate fidelities, from sketches and storyboards to high-fidelity interactive prototypes, selecting the most effective tools and methods for each challenge.

• Ensure design consistency and coherence across desktop, terminal, browser, and mobile surfaces, while respecting the unique interaction paradigms of each.

• Partner with product management and engineering teams to articulate strong design rationale, advocate for customer needs, and influence product strategy.

• Mentor junior designers, fostering their growth and contributing to the team's overall design expertise and output.

• Define and implement scalable design patterns and best practices that enhance design quality and consistency across the Kiro platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic, early-stage design thinking and hands-on execution. The scope includes a broad range of platforms and unique interaction challenges related to AI-driven development, requiring a designer comfortable with ambiguity and innovation. Mentorship and pattern definition indicate a senior-level expectation for leadership and team development.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design (e.g., Interaction Design, Graphic Design, Human-Computer Interaction) or a related field is implied.

Experience: A minimum of 7 years of professional design experience, with at least 3 years specifically focused on working with or evaluating AI systems.

Required Skills:

• Proven expertise in User Experience (UX) design principles and methodologies.

• Strong proficiency in interaction design, creating intuitive and efficient user flows.

• Demonstrated ability in concept modeling and early-stage design thinking, including ecosystem mapping and user story development.

• Extensive experience with rapid prototyping at various fidelities (e.g., sketches, wireframes, interactive prototypes).

• Solid understanding of user research techniques and the ability to synthesize findings into actionable design strategies.

• Experience designing complex, multi-step workflows across multiple platforms or surfaces.

• Proficient in using a variety of design, wireframing, and prototyping tools (specific tools not listed, implying flexibility).

• Excellent information architecture skills, organizing complex information logically.

• Ability to articulate design rationale and advocate for customer needs to product and engineering teams.

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, working effectively with product managers, engineers, and researchers. Preferred Skills:

• Experience designing developer tools, Integrated Development Environments (IDEs), command-line interfaces (CLIs), or open-source developer experiences.

• Demonstrated track record of flexibly adapting design processes and methods based on the specific problem, timeline, and team dynamics.

• Experience or strong interest in AI systems, machine learning, and agentic development paradigms.

• Skills in visual design and UI design, though the primary focus is on interaction and workflow.

• Experience mentoring junior designers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The qualifications highlight a need for a designer with a strong foundation in early-stage design and complex workflow creation, particularly for technical audiences. The preference for developer tool experience and AI systems knowledge is critical for success in this specialized role. The emphasis on adapting processes suggests a need for an agile and resourceful designer.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• A comprehensive portfolio showcasing deep audience understanding and early-stage design thinking. This should include examples of concept models, ecosystem maps, user stories, and experience frameworks.

• Demonstrations of how research insights are translated into robust design strategy, not just polished final UI mockups.

• Case studies detailing the design of complex, multi-step workflows across multiple platforms or surfaces, emphasizing information architecture and interaction design.

• Evidence of rapid iteration and prototyping at the right fidelity for various stages of the design process.

• Examples of how you have advocated for customer needs and influenced product direction through design. Process Documentation:

• Showcase examples of how you define and document design processes, particularly in ambiguous or early-stage product development.

• Include case studies that illustrate your approach to understanding user needs and translating them into tangible design solutions.

• Demonstrate your ability to select and adapt design methodologies based on project requirements and constraints.

• Provide examples of how you collaborate with engineering and product teams to ensure successful implementation of design solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The portfolio requirements are heavily weighted towards demonstrating strategic thinking, research-to-design translation, and the ability to handle complexity and ambiguity, rather than just final visual outputs. This indicates that the hiring team wants to see the designer's thought process and problem-solving capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $137,800 - $186,400 USD annually.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive health insurance: medical, dental, vision, prescription coverage.

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

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

• Medical Advice Line.

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

• Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage.

• 401(k) matching program.

• Paid Time Off (PTO).

• Parental Leave.

• Sign-on payments.

• Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with the expectation of on-site presence.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is specific to Seattle, WA. Amazon's compensation structure often includes a significant equity component (RSUs) and potential sign-on bonuses, which are clearly listed here alongside standard benefits. The "40 hours per week" is a standard designation, but actual workload in senior roles can fluctuate, especially in fast-paced tech environments.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Technology (Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Software Development)

Company Size: Amazon is a global technology giant with hundreds of thousands of employees. The Kiro product organization, while part of this larger entity, likely operates with a more focused, agile team structure.

Founded: Amazon was founded in 1994, but the Kiro initiative represents a new, forward-looking venture within AWS, focusing on the future of software development.

Team Structure:

• The UX design and research team is embedded directly within the Kiro product organization, functioning as a unified team alongside product and engineering.

• This structure ensures design has a significant voice in strategic decisions from inception through product launch.

• Close collaboration with dedicated UX research support is a cornerstone of the team's methodology. Methodology:

• Design decisions are grounded in real customer insight, heavily influenced by close collaboration with UX researchers, rather than assumptions.

• The team supports the full Kiro product suite, including IDE, CLI, Web, Mobile, Kiro Crew, the Kiro agent, and platform capabilities.

• A culture of mutual support, open work sharing, and valuing diverse perspectives and working styles is promoted.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: The culture described emphasizes a highly integrated, data-driven approach to design, with a strong emphasis on customer research and collaboration. Being embedded within the product organization offers significant influence. The mention of "agentic AI" and "developer tools" suggests a culture that embraces innovation and cutting-edge technology.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior UX Designer role, indicating a position of significant individual contribution and potential leadership. It requires a high degree of autonomy, strategic thinking, and the ability to mentor others. The scope covers complex product areas and cross-functional influence.

Reporting Structure: The Senior UX Designer will report within the Kiro product organization, likely to a Design Lead or Director, and will work closely with Product Management and Engineering leads. The team structure is described as "one team," implying collaborative leadership.

Operations Impact: The work of the Senior UX Designer will directly impact how millions of developers build software using AI. This involves shaping the user experience of a foundational AI development platform, influencing productivity, adoption, and the future of software engineering practices. The role requires advocating for the developer audience with senior leadership.

Growth Opportunities:

• Specialization: Deepen expertise in designing for AI-driven development tools and agentic systems.

• Leadership: Progress into a Lead UX Designer or Design Manager role, overseeing design strategy and mentoring larger teams within AWS or other Amazon product groups.

• Skill Development: Enhance skills in areas like complex system design, AI interaction patterns, and cross-platform design. Opportunities for learning through mentorship, cross-functional projects, and potential access to internal training or conferences.

• Broader Impact: Contribute to defining new paradigms in software development and AI interaction, potentially influencing industry standards.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers substantial growth potential, moving beyond individual contribution to team leadership and strategic influence within a critical AWS product. The emphasis on impact for "millions of developers" highlights the significant career trajectory available.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role in Seattle, Washington, indicating a traditional office-based work environment within Amazon's corporate facilities.

Office Location(s): Seattle, Washington, United States. Amazon has a significant presence in Seattle, offering access to extensive resources and amenities.

Workspace Context:

• The workspace is likely collaborative, with opportunities for close interaction with product managers, engineers, and UX researchers, as the team operates as "one team."

• Access to industry-standard design tools and technology will be provided.

• The environment is described as supportive, encouraging open work sharing and diverse working styles.

Work Schedule: Standard 40-hour work week, with the expectation of on-site presence. The dynamic nature of product development, especially in AI, may lead to periods of intensive work.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in Seattle suggests a collaborative, in-person work culture typical of large tech companies. The integrated team structure implies a dynamic and interactive workspace where designers are closely partnered with other disciplines.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: Review of resume and portfolio to assess experience, skills, and alignment with role requirements.

• Hiring Manager/Recruiter Call: Discussion to gauge fit, understand motivations, and outline the interview process.

• Design Portfolio Review & Presentation: A key stage where candidates present their portfolio, focusing on early-stage design thinking, research-to-design translation, and complex workflow examples. This will likely involve presenting case studies and discussing design rationale.

• Design/Team Interviews: Sessions with other designers, researchers, and potentially product managers/engineers to assess design thinking, collaboration skills, and cultural fit.

• Executive/Senior Leadership Interview: Potentially a final round to assess strategic thinking, leadership potential, and alignment with company vision.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Process, Not Just Polish: Highlight your thought process, how you approached ambiguous problems, your research synthesis, and how you translated insights into strategic design decisions.

• Showcase Early-Stage Work: Include examples of concept models, ecosystem maps, user stories, and experience frameworks. Demonstrate how you frame problems before diving into detailed UI.

• Detail Complex Workflows: Present case studies on designing multi-step, cross-platform workflows. Explain your information architecture and interaction design choices.

• Articulate Design Rationale: Clearly explain why you made specific design decisions, backing them up with research and user insights.

• Demonstrate Adaptability: Show how you've adapted your design process to different project needs, timelines, and team structures.

• Tailor to Kiro: If possible, subtly connect your experience to the challenges of designing for AI-driven developer tools and agentic systems.

Challenge Preparation:

• Be prepared to discuss how you would approach designing for AI steering, trust in AI code generation, and cross-platform consistency for developer tools.

• Practice articulating your design strategy and rationale concisely and persuasively.

• Consider how you would conduct user research for a novel product like Kiro and what key questions you would ask developers.

• Think about how you would mentor junior designers and contribute to design system/pattern development.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on early-stage design and process in the portfolio review is crucial. Candidates should prepare to articulate their strategic thinking and problem-solving approach, not just present final designs. The interview process will likely involve significant interaction and evaluation of design leadership capabilities.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: A variety of tools are expected, implying flexibility. Common industry standards include Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP, or similar. Specific requirements will depend on the team's current stack.

• Wireframing: Tools like Balsamiq, Miro, or features within Figma/Sketch.

• User Research Platforms: Tools for user testing, surveys, and data analysis (e.g., UserTesting.com, SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics).

Analytics & Reporting:

• While not explicitly a data analyst role, understanding how to leverage analytics to inform design decisions is key. Familiarity with tools that track user behavior within software applications (e.g., Amplitude, Mixpanel, Google Analytics) would be beneficial.

• Tools for visualizing user journey data or workflow adoption metrics. CRM & Automation:

• Not directly applicable to the core UX design function, but an understanding of how user data and feedback loops are managed within broader product systems (potentially CRM-like systems for feedback aggregation) could be relevant.

• Familiarity with how designs integrate into development workflows and CI/CD pipelines might be a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: The role requires proficiency in a range of design and prototyping tools, with an emphasis on flexibility. While not a direct user of analytics or CRM systems, a Senior UX Designer is expected to understand how their designs impact user behavior and how to leverage data to inform their work.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Deeply understanding and advocating for the developer audience is paramount. Design decisions must be grounded in customer needs and pain points.

• Innovation: The Kiro platform represents a significant innovation in AI-driven software development; a culture that embraces experimentation and pushing boundaries is expected.

• Ownership & Accountability: Taking full ownership of the design process from concept to execution and being accountable for the outcomes.

• Bias for Action: Rapid iteration and prototyping are valued, suggesting a culture that prioritizes progress and learning through doing.

• Data-Driven Decisions: Design choices are informed by user research and data, not just intuition.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teamwork: Designers, researchers, product managers, and engineers function as a cohesive unit, fostering open communication and shared goals.

• Constructive Feedback: A culture that encourages open sharing of work and constructive feedback to improve designs collectively.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Strong collaboration and communication with all stakeholders to ensure alignment and successful product development.

• Diverse Perspectives: Valuing different working styles and backgrounds to drive more robust and creative solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The team culture emphasizes a blend of customer focus, innovation, and collaborative execution. The values align with Amazon's broader principles, with a specific focus on the unique challenges and opportunities of designing for AI and developer tools.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Designing for Ambiguity: Navigating the early, undefined stages of a novel product like agentic AI development tools requires comfort with uncertainty and the ability to create structure.

• User Trust in AI: Building designs that foster trust in AI systems that write and validate code on behalf of developers is a significant user experience challenge.

• Cross-Platform Cohesion: Ensuring a seamless and consistent user experience across diverse surfaces (IDE, CLI, Web, Mobile) while respecting their unique interaction paradigms.

• Defining New Workflows: Establishing intuitive ways for developers to steer autonomous agents and manage spec-driven development processes.

• Mentoring and Scaling: Balancing hands-on design work with the responsibility of mentoring junior designers and defining scalable design patterns.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• AI/Agentic Systems Expertise: Gaining deep knowledge in the rapidly evolving field of AI-driven development and agentic technologies.

• Complex System Design: Honing skills in designing intricate, multi-faceted systems and workflows.

• Leadership and Mentorship: Developing leadership capabilities through mentoring and contributing to team-wide design strategy.

• Industry Influence: Contributing to shaping the future of software development tools and practices.

• Amazon/AWS Resources: Access to internal training, workshops, and potentially conferences related to UX, AI, and cloud technologies.

📝 Enhancement Note: The challenges presented are inherent to pioneering new product categories and technologies. The growth opportunities are significant, offering deep specialization in a high-demand field and pathways to leadership.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe a time you had to design for a completely novel user behavior or interaction paradigm. How did you approach it?" (Focus on early-stage framing, research, and iterative process).

• "How would you build trust in an AI system that writes and validates code for developers? What are the key UX considerations?" (Think about transparency, control, error handling, and feedback mechanisms).

• "Imagine you need to design a workflow for developers to steer an autonomous agent. What are the critical interaction points and decision-making moments you'd focus on?" (Consider spec definition, agent configuration, progress monitoring, and intervention points).

• "How do you balance designing for consistency across multiple platforms (e.g., IDE, Web, Mobile) while respecting the unique strengths of each?" (Discuss design systems, platform guidelines, and adaptive UIs). Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you most about Kiro and AWS's approach to agentic AI?" (Show genuine curiosity and understanding of the product's vision).

• "How do you typically collaborate with product managers and engineers? Describe a challenging collaboration and how you navigated it." (Emphasize partnership, communication, and shared goals).

• "How do you incorporate user research into your design process, especially when dealing with early-stage concepts?" (Highlight your research synthesis and translation skills).

• "Describe a situation where you had to influence senior leadership with your design recommendations." (Focus on data-backed rationale and persuasive communication). Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure Your Narrative: For each case study, clearly outline the problem, your role, the process you followed (research, ideation, iteration, testing), the solutions you designed, and the impact/outcomes.

• Emphasize "Why": For every design decision, explain the rationale behind it, linking it back to user needs, business goals, or technical constraints.

• Showcase Early-Stage Artifacts: Dedicate time to presenting concept models, ecosystem maps, user flows, and wireframes to demonstrate your strategic thinking.

• Discuss Challenges and Learnings: Be open about the difficulties you encountered and what you learned from the project. This shows self-awareness and a growth mindset.

• Prepare for Q&A: Anticipate questions about your design choices, alternative solutions you considered, and how you would approach similar problems in the future.

• Tailor to Kiro: If possible, draw parallels between your portfolio examples and the challenges of designing for Kiro.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation should focus on demonstrating strategic thinking, problem-solving in ambiguous environments, and a deep understanding of the developer audience. The portfolio presentation is a critical component where candidates must showcase their thought process and ability to translate research into impactful designs.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior UX Designer position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs portal via the provided URL.

• Portfolio Customization: Curate your portfolio to prominently feature case studies demonstrating early-stage design thinking, complex workflow design, and your ability to translate user research into strategic design decisions. Prioritize examples that showcase your process and problem-solving approach over solely polished UI.

• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume highlights your 7+ years of design experience, specifically mentioning your 3+ years working with or evaluating AI systems. Quantify achievements where possible, focusing on impact and scope.

• Interview Preparation: Practice articulating your design process, rationale, and strategic thinking. Prepare specific examples for behavioral questions and be ready to discuss how you would tackle the unique challenges of designing for agentic AI and developer tools.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with AWS's mission, Kiro's product vision, and Amazon's customer-centric culture. Understand the challenges and opportunities in the AI and developer tools space.

⚠️ 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.