Sr. UX Manager, AI Services

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Sr. UX Design Manager, AI Services

Company: Amazon

Location: Santa Clara, California; East Palo Alto, California; San Francisco, California, United States

Job Type: Full-time

Category: User Experience (UX) Design Management, AI/ML Product Design

Date Posted: June 6, 2026

Experience Level: 10+ Years

Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead and mentor a team of UX designers in shaping the user experience for Amazon Bedrock and the broader AWS AI/ML portfolio, focusing on generative AI platforms and model customization.

• Drive the design vision and strategy for complex AI/ML capabilities, translating them into intuitive and scalable user experiences for technical builders and developers.

• Establish and evolve design processes, quality standards, and design systems to support rapid product iteration in a fast-paced, cloud computing environment.

• Champion the adoption of emerging AI tools and workflows to transform traditional design practices and enhance developer experience within the organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned within Amazon Web Services (AWS), a core revenue driver for Amazon, specifically focusing on their rapidly growing generative AI platform, Amazon Bedrock. The emphasis on "rocketship service" and aggressive growth metrics (tokens processed, customer spend) indicates a high-impact, high-visibility role requiring exceptional leadership and strategic design thinking to manage significant product expansion and user adoption. The core responsibility extends beyond Bedrock to encompass a suite of other critical AWS AI services, demanding a broad understanding of the AI/ML landscape.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a diverse team of UX designers across multiple geographies, fostering a collaborative and inclusive team culture that attracts and retains top talent.

• Define and communicate a cohesive design vision and strategy for the Amazon Bedrock platform and the broader AWS AI services portfolio, ensuring consistency and high quality across all customer touchpoints.

• Partner closely with product management, engineering, applied science, research, marketing, and legal teams to translate complex AI/ML capabilities into intuitive user experiences for developers.

• Establish and evolve design processes, frameworks, and quality standards that enable the team to deliver high-impact work efficiently and maintain pace with rapid product growth.

• Drive cross-team alignment on shared design patterns, interaction models, and design systems that scale effectively across multiple AI services.

• Lead the team through significant process transformation, defining how to adopt AI-assisted workflows and adapt traditional design processes for emerging AI technologies.

• Represent the design team in leadership forums, communicating design strategy, progress, and impact to senior stakeholders, linking customer needs, business goals, and creative output.

• Champion a data-driven decision-making approach to inform design choices and measure the impact of user experience improvements.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities highlight a blend of people management, strategic design leadership, and operational process improvement. The emphasis on "shipping product quickly and often" and "rapid growth" suggests a need for agile methodologies and a proactive approach to process optimization. The role's scope across multiple AI services implies a requirement for strong system thinking and the ability to manage complex design portfolios.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is listed, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in HCI, Design, Computer Science, or a related field is typically expected for this level of role in the tech industry.

Experience:

• Minimum of 10 years of professional design experience.

• Minimum of 5 years of experience leading multi-discipline design teams (e.g., visual design, interaction design, user research).

• Proven experience leading diverse teams across multiple geographies in delivering end-to-end experiences, including user flows, wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity visuals. Required Skills:

• UX Design Management: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and grow design teams, foster inclusive cultures, and attract top talent.

• Design Strategy: Expertise in defining and communicating a cohesive design vision and strategy for complex product portfolios.

• Generative AI & AI/ML Understanding: Familiarity with generative AI concepts, inference platforms, model hosting, and customization workflows.

• Cross-functional Collaboration: Skill in partnering effectively with product management, engineering, applied science, and other stakeholders.

• Agile Design & Development: Experience embedding design within product teams for agile design and development collaboration.

• Design Systems & Interaction Models: Ability to drive alignment on shared design patterns, interaction models, and scalable design systems.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in using data to inform design choices and measure impact.

Preferred Skills:

• Executive Communication: Experience presenting to and effectively advising cross-functional senior executives.

• AI Agent Development: Fluency in designing intuitive CLI commands and developer-facing interaction patterns for AI agent development using SDKs and CLIs.

• Rapid Deployment Environments: Proven ability to thrive in high-tempo environments, shipping fast, iterating in real-time, and delivering tactical outcomes with minimal overhead.

• Change Management & Enablement: Experience leading teams through technology transformations, including structured enablement, change strategy, hands-on training, and measurable adoption outcomes for emerging design technologies.

• User Research & Usability Testing: Deep understanding of user research methodologies to inform design decisions for technical audiences.

• Prototyping & Visual Design: Strong skills in creating wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity visuals.

📝 Enhancement Note: The preferred qualifications, particularly "AI Agent Development" and "leading teams from zero to fluent in emerging design technologies," underscore the role's focus on pioneering new AI-driven design practices. This suggests candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience in adopting and evangelizing new tools and methodologies within design organizations.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• Design Leadership Case Studies: Demonstrations of leading design teams through complex product development cycles, showcasing team growth, process improvements, and successful product launches.

• Strategic Design Vision Examples: Evidence of defining and executing a cohesive design strategy for a product or portfolio, illustrating how user needs, business goals, and technical constraints were balanced.

• Cross-functional Collaboration Showcase: Examples of successful partnerships with engineering, product management, and applied science teams, highlighting contributions to product strategy and execution.

• Design Process Innovation: Portfolio pieces detailing the creation or significant evolution of design processes, workflows, or design systems, particularly in fast-paced or evolving environments.

• Impact Metrics & ROI: Quantifiable results demonstrating the impact of design decisions on user adoption, engagement, efficiency, or business outcomes, especially within AI/ML or cloud services.

Process Documentation:

• Workflow Design and Optimization: Candidates should be prepared to discuss how they've designed, documented, and optimized design workflows to improve team efficiency and product quality.

• Implementation of New Methodologies: Examples of successfully implementing new design processes, tools, or frameworks (e.g., AI-assisted design workflows, new agile practices) within a team.

• Performance Measurement Frameworks: Experience in establishing metrics and frameworks to measure the effectiveness of design processes and the impact of design work on product success.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given the role's focus on evolving design practices with AI, candidates should highlight portfolio examples that demonstrate adaptability, innovation in process, and the ability to measure the impact of these changes. A strong portfolio should illustrate not just individual design craft but also leadership in shaping how design teams operate and deliver value, particularly in technical domains like AI/ML.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range:

• San Francisco, California: $198,400 - $268,400 USD annually.

• Santa Clara, California: Comparable range expected, aligning with the San Francisco market due to proximity and cost of living.

• East Palo Alto, California: Comparable range expected, aligning with the San Francisco market due to proximity and cost of living.

Benefits:

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Includes medical, dental, vision, prescription insurance, Basic Life & AD&D insurance, and option for Supplemental life plans.

• Wellness & Support: EAP (Employee Assistance Program), Mental Health Support, and Medical Advice Line.

• Financial Planning: Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs), and 401(k) matching.

• Work-Life Balance: Paid Time Off (PTO) and Parental Leave.

• Total Compensation Package: Includes sign-on payments and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), in addition to base salary.

Working Hours: Standard 40 hours per week, with the expectation of flexibility required to meet project deadlines and team needs in a fast-paced environment.

📝 Enhancement Note: The provided salary range ($198,400 - $268,400 USD) is for San Francisco, CA. For Santa Clara and East Palo Alto, CA, the cost of living and tech market compensation are highly competitive and largely align with the San Francisco area. This range reflects a senior leadership role with significant responsibilities in a high-cost-of-living area. The total compensation includes not just base salary but also substantial equity (RSUs) and potential sign-on bonuses, which are standard for senior technical and management roles at Amazon.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, E-commerce, Digital Services. Amazon is a global leader across multiple sectors, with AWS being its most profitable division.

Company Size: Extremely Large (over 1 million employees globally). This implies vast resources, complex organizational structures, and numerous opportunities for impact and career growth.

Founded: 1994. Amazon has a long history of innovation, customer obsession, and pioneering new markets.

Team Structure:

• The design team is part of the AWS AI Services organization, specifically focusing on customer-facing console experiences for services like Amazon Bedrock, Amazon Transcribe, Translate, Comprehend, Textract, and Rekognition.

• The team is embedded within product teams, working closely with product managers, engineers, and applied scientists in an agile development environment.

• The hiring manager is a Sr. UX Design Manager, and the role reports into higher levels of UX leadership within AWS AI Services. Methodology:

• Customer Obsession: A core Amazon leadership principle, driving decisions based on customer needs and long-term value.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Heavy reliance on data, metrics, and customer feedback to inform product strategy and design choices.

• Agile Development: Rapid iteration, frequent releases, and close collaboration between design, product, and engineering.

• Process Innovation: A willingness to adapt and evolve processes, especially in rapidly changing fields like AI, to maintain competitive advantage.

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

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's culture is characterized by its leadership principles, which are integral to performance reviews and daily work. For this role, "Customer Obsession," "Invent and Simplify," "Bias for Action," "Dive Deep," and "Think Big" are particularly relevant. The scale of Amazon means that even within a specific team like AWS AI Services, there are extensive internal resources and established processes to leverage.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: Senior Management (Sr. Manager). This level implies significant responsibility for team performance, strategic direction, and cross-functional influence. The role is critical in shaping the user experience of foundational AI services that drive AWS revenue.

Reporting Structure: The Sr. UX Design Manager will likely report to a Director-level UX leader within AWS AI Services. The team managed includes a mix of junior and senior designers.

Operations Impact: The design team's work directly influences how millions of customers (developers, data scientists, businesses) adopt and scale generative AI and other AI/ML services. This has a direct impact on AWS revenue growth, customer acquisition, and market leadership in the AI space.

Growth Opportunities:

• Leadership Expansion: Potential to grow the team, manage a larger portfolio of AI services, or move into higher leadership roles within AWS UX.

• Specialization in AI/ML UX: Deepen expertise in designing for cutting-edge AI technologies, becoming a thought leader in this domain.

• Cross-functional Leadership: Further develop skills in influencing product strategy and driving large-scale initiatives across multiple organizations.

• Mentorship & Talent Development: Significant opportunity to mentor and develop designers at all career stages, contributing to the broader UX talent pool within Amazon.

• Industry Influence: Opportunity to shape industry best practices for AI/ML UX through internal innovation and potentially external contributions (conferences, publications).

📝 Enhancement Note: The role is positioned at a critical juncture in the AI revolution. Growth opportunities are tied to Amazon's aggressive expansion in AI/ML and the successful adoption of these services by a global customer base. Success here can lead to significant career advancement within Amazon or establish the candidate as a recognized leader in the field of AI UX.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This is an on-site role, implying work within Amazon's corporate offices in Santa Clara, East Palo Alto, or San Francisco. These environments are typically modern, designed for collaboration, and equipped with advanced technology.

Office Location(s): Santa Clara, East Palo Alto, and San Francisco, California. These are major technology hubs, offering access to talent and industry events.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Spaces: Offices are designed with open work areas, meeting rooms, and collaboration zones to encourage interaction between team members and cross-functional partners.

• Technology Rich: Access to Amazon's internal tools, high-performance computing resources, and cutting-edge design software and hardware.

• Dynamic Pace: The environment is fast-paced, reflecting the rapid iteration cycles of AWS product development. Expect a high level of energy and engagement.

• Cross-functional Integration: Designers work closely with engineers, PMs, and scientists, often co-located or in close proximity.

Work Schedule: While the core hours are standard (likely 9-5 or similar), the "Bias for Action" and "Deliver results" leadership principles at Amazon mean that flexibility and dedication are expected to meet critical deadlines and product launch schedules. The role requires being readily available to support the team and stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: The on-site requirement in the Bay Area suggests a highly collaborative and integrated working model. Candidates should be prepared for an environment where face-to-face interaction with product and engineering teams is a key component of the design process. The emphasis on speed and iteration means the work environment will be demanding but also highly rewarding for those who thrive in such settings.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process: Typically involves multiple stages:

1. Recruiter Screen: Initial conversation to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.

2. Hiring Manager Interview: Deeper dive into experience, leadership style, strategic thinking, and alignment with the role's core responsibilities.

3. Design Portfolio Review: Presentation of key projects, focusing on leadership, strategic impact, process innovation, and results. This is a critical stage for a management role.

4. Cross-functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Management, Engineering, and Applied Science leaders to assess collaboration skills and domain understanding.

5. Leadership Principles (LPs) Interviews: Dedicated sessions focused on assessing how candidates embody Amazon's Leadership Principles through behavioral examples.

6. Final Round / Debrief: Senior leadership review and decision-making.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership & Strategy: For a Sr. Manager role, prioritize examples demonstrating team leadership, strategic vision, process improvement, and cross-functional influence over individual design craft.

• Tell a Story: Structure your case studies to clearly articulate the problem, your team's approach (including process and collaboration), your specific role and contributions, the challenges faced, and the measurable outcomes/impact.

• Quantify Impact: Use data, metrics, and customer feedback to demonstrate the success and business value of your team's work. Highlight how design decisions drove adoption, efficiency, or revenue.

• Showcase Process Innovation: Be prepared to discuss how you've evolved design processes, adopted new tools (especially AI-assisted ones), and fostered a culture of continuous improvement within your teams.

• Tailor to AI/ML: Emphasize any experience designing for complex technical domains, AI/ML products, or developer tools. Highlight your understanding of the target user (technical builders).

Challenge Preparation:

• Behavioral Questions: Prepare specific, STAR-method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) examples for each of Amazon's Leadership Principles. For this role, focus on Customer Obsession, Invent and Simplify, Bias for Action, Dive Deep, Think Big, and Earn Trust.

• Strategic Thinking: Be ready to discuss your approach to defining design strategy for a rapidly evolving product like Amazon Bedrock, how you'd balance innovation with execution, and how you'd align design with business goals.

• Team Management Scenarios: Prepare for questions about mentoring designers, managing performance, resolving conflicts, and building inclusive team cultures.

• AI/ML Product Thinking: Consider how you would approach designing for generative AI services, understanding developer needs, and anticipating future trends in AI-assisted design.

📝 Enhancement Note: Amazon's interview process is rigorous and heavily focused on behavioral examples tied to their Leadership Principles. Candidates must be prepared to provide detailed, specific examples that demonstrate their experience and leadership capabilities. The portfolio review is not just about the final product but the process and leadership that drove it.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping Software: Figma, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop), InVision, Axure RP. Proficiency in at least one industry-standard tool is expected.

• Collaboration & Documentation: Confluence, Jira, Slack, Microsoft Teams. Essential for cross-functional communication and project management.

• User Research Platforms: UserTesting.com, Maze, Hotjar, Qualtrics, or similar tools for conducting remote and in-person research.

• Design Systems Tools: Tools for managing and contributing to design systems (e.g., Zeroheight, Storybook, or custom solutions).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Web Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, or AWS's own analytics services for tracking user behavior and product performance.

• Data Visualization: Tableau, Power BI, Looker, or similar tools for creating dashboards and communicating insights.

• Internal AWS Tools: Familiarity with AWS's internal data and analytics platforms will be beneficial.

CRM & Automation: While not directly managing CRM, understanding how user data flows from various touchpoints into customer profiles and how automation impacts user journeys is crucial. Familiarity with cloud platforms and APIs is a plus.

📝 Enhancement Note: While specific tools may vary, a strong foundation in industry-standard UX design and collaboration tools is essential. For this role, familiarity with tools and platforms used in cloud computing and AI/ML development environments, as well as an understanding of how design integrates with data pipelines and analytics, would be highly advantageous. The mention of "AI agent development using SDKs and CLIs" suggests an appreciation for developer tools and command-line interfaces.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Customer Obsession: Deeply understanding and advocating for the needs of technical builders using AWS AI services.

• Invent and Simplify: Finding innovative solutions to complex UX challenges and simplifying intricate AI/ML capabilities.

• Bias for Action: Moving quickly and decisively, iterating rapidly to deliver value in a fast-paced environment.

• Dive Deep: Thoroughly understanding the technical underpinnings of AI/ML services and the nuances of the developer experience.

• Think Big: Envisioning future possibilities for AI services and their UX, pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

• Earn Trust: Building strong relationships with cross-functional partners and demonstrating reliability and integrity.

• Ownership: Taking responsibility for the team's output, processes, and impact on customer success.

Collaboration Style:

• Integrated Teams: Designers are embedded within product teams, working daily with PMs, engineers, and scientists.

• Data-Informed: Collaboration is heavily influenced by data, metrics, and user research findings.

• Iterative & Experimental: A culture that encourages experimentation, learning from failures, and continuous improvement.

• Direct & Candid: Communication is typically direct and focused on problem-solving and achieving results, aligned with Amazon's leadership principles.

📝 Enhancement Note: The Amazon Leadership Principles are not just values; they are operational tenets that guide daily decisions and performance evaluations. Candidates should demonstrate how they embody these principles in their leadership approach and team management. The collaborative style is highly integrated and results-oriented, requiring strong communication and partnership skills.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Pace of AI Innovation: Keeping up with the extremely rapid advancements in AI/ML and translating them into user-friendly experiences.

• Complexity of AI/ML: Designing for highly technical audiences and complex concepts in areas like generative AI, model customization, and inference management.

• Scaling Design Across Services: Ensuring consistency and quality across a growing portfolio of AI services while maintaining team agility.

• Process Transformation: Leading the team through significant changes in design practices, including the adoption of AI-assisted workflows and new methodologies.

• Balancing Speed and Quality: Delivering high-impact work quickly without compromising user experience or long-term product strategy.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Cutting-Edge Technology: Direct exposure to and design leadership for foundational generative AI services, offering unparalleled learning in a high-growth field.

• Leadership Development: Formal and informal opportunities to hone leadership skills within a large, matrixed organization known for developing leaders.

• Industry Best Practices: Opportunity to contribute to and learn from best practices in AI/ML UX design and advanced technology adoption.

• Mentorship: Access to senior leaders within AWS UX and Product Management for guidance and career development.

• Formal Training & Certifications: Potential access to Amazon's internal learning resources, workshops, and potentially external training relevant to AI and leadership.

📝 Enhancement Note: The primary challenge and growth opportunity lie in navigating the frontier of AI development. Success in this role means not only managing a design team but also actively shaping the future of how developers interact with and leverage AI, positioning the candidate at the forefront of technological innovation.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Describe your approach to defining a design vision for a rapidly evolving AI platform like Amazon Bedrock. How do you balance innovation with practical execution and developer needs?"

• "How would you lead your team to adopt AI-assisted design tools and workflows? What change management strategies would you employ, and how would you measure their success?"

• "Imagine a scenario where engineering wants to prioritize a technically complex feature with limited user benefit. How would you, as a design leader, influence the decision-making process and advocate for the user experience?" Company & Culture Questions:

• "How have you demonstrated Customer Obsession in your previous leadership roles, particularly when designing for technical audiences?"

• "Tell me about a time you had to 'Invent and Simplify' a complex process or product experience. What was the outcome?"

• "Describe a situation where you had to Dive Deep into a technical problem to make a design decision. What was your process?" Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Structure: Begin with an overview of your leadership philosophy and team's mission. Then, present 2-3 key case studies that best showcase your strategic impact, team leadership, and ability to drive innovation in complex technical domains.

• Content: For each case study, clearly articulate the business/customer problem, the scope of your team's involvement, your specific leadership actions and strategies, the challenges encountered, the design process followed (especially any innovations), and the measurable results.

• Delivery: Be confident, articulate, and prepared to answer detailed questions about your decision-making process, team dynamics, and the impact of your work. Engage the interviewers and be ready to discuss your thought process candidly.

📝 Enhancement Note: Prepare to discuss your experience with AI/ML, developer tools, and fast-paced product development environments. Be ready to provide specific, quantifiable examples that align with Amazon's Leadership Principles. The portfolio review is crucial; practice presenting your most impactful leadership stories concisely and powerfully.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Sr. UX Design Manager, AI Services position:

• Submit your application through the Amazon Jobs portal.

• Portfolio Customization: Ensure your portfolio prominently features case studies demonstrating leadership in complex product development, strategic vision, process innovation (especially related to AI/ML or emerging tech), and quantifiable impact. Tailor your presentation to highlight experience with developer tools and cloud services.

• Resume Optimization: Update your resume to emphasize leadership experience, strategic contributions, cross-functional collaboration, and specific achievements in areas like AI/ML, UX strategy, and team management. Use keywords from the job description naturally.

• Interview Preparation: Thoroughly review Amazon's Leadership Principles and prepare STAR-method examples for each. Practice presenting your portfolio and be ready to discuss your approach to managing design teams, driving product strategy, and fostering innovation in AI/ML UX.

• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Amazon's culture, leadership principles, and AWS's AI/ML offerings, particularly Amazon Bedrock. Understand the company's customer-centric approach and commitment to innovation.

⚠️ 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.