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Description

We’re looking for a design leader to join our growing Alexa AI Systems team— someone who is energized by the future of AI-powered products and passionate about shaping both the ideas and the products that bring them to life. This is a blended role, ideal for a design leader who thrives as a hands-on people manager.

You will work at the front lines of invention, crafting product stories that explore bold, new directions in AI, then seeing them through to tangible hardware and software launches. You’ll collaborate closely with cross-functional partners in Industrial Design, Engineering, Research, and Product Management to prototype, test, and scale new experiences that bridge physical and digital design.

Key job responsibilities

• Explore & Define: Lead early-stage concept development that pushes the boundaries of AI-powered interactions across hardware and software.

• Design with Intent: Craft compelling product narratives and user experiences that align emerging technologies with human needs.

• Collaborate Across Disciplines: Work fluidly between atoms and pixels—translating user insights and technical possibilities into integrated designs.

• Prototype & Build: Develop and iterate design solutions through hands-on prototyping and close partnership with engineering.

• Ship Impactful Products: Drive work from concept to execution and contribute to shipped products that customers love.

• Shape the Team: Depending on your track, mentor designers and/or help define the future of the team’s design culture, tooling, and methods.

A day in the life

What You’ll Explore and Influence:

1) Exploring new hardware and software opportunities powered by AI: You’ll lead design team efforts that imagine how AI can reshape the form and function of everyday objects. This goes beyond simply integrating AI into existing devices—it’s

about asking what new kinds of devices should exist because AI exists. You’ll prototype new interaction models that leverage onboard machine learning, edge inferencing, and multimodal sensing to create experiences that feel intuitive,

adaptive, and human. Whether it’s inventing a novel wearable, a context-aware home device, or a hybrid physical-digital tool, you’ll push the boundaries of what’s possible when software intelligence meets hardware invention.

2) Going beyond the traditional GUI:

We’re entering a post-GUI world—one where touchscreens and menus are no longer the center of every interaction. Your work will imagine and design interaction paradigms that leave behind flat screens and point-and-click metaphors. You’ll

explore how voice, gestures, environmental cues, spatial presence, and predictive behavior can become primary interaction methods. You’ll define how interface design evolves when it’s no longer bound by rectangles and pixels, but instead is

embedded in the world around us.

3) Designing for ambient, context-aware interfaces in the smart home: You’ll investigate how ambient computing can turn a smart home into a seamless,

responsive, and emotionally intelligent environment. Instead of users issuing

commands, devices will anticipate needs and respond in nuanced ways—lighting that adjusts with mood, audio systems that follow you room to room, or assistants that speak less but do more. Your design work will focus on subtlety, context-

awareness, and designing systems that listen, learn, and act with minimal friction. You’ll consider ethical design principles, transparency, and user trust in these always-on experiences.

4) Creating a unified interaction model across screens, spaces, and devices:

A key challenge—and opportunity—is building a design system that spans across a diverse ecosystem: from screen-rich devices (like tablets or thermostats) to screenless ones (like speakers, wearables, or embedded objects). You’ll help define how core information, user intent, and feedback persist and adapt as people move

through different contexts—at home, in their car, or out in the world. Your work will

help establish continuity across time, place, and form factor, ensuring a cohesive

experience whether the user is tapping, talking, glancing, or simply moving through

space.

5) Bridging the boundaries between industrial design and interaction design:

This role sits at the intersection of form and function, and you’ll play a pivotal role in

shaping both. You’ll collaborate closely with industrial designers to co-create

physical products where the interaction model is deeply informed by shape,

materials, posture, and affordances. Rather than designing in parallel, you’ll design

in unison—ensuring that how something looks, feels, and responds are part of a

unified system. You’ll help shape a new design language where physical and digital

interactions are fully integrated, natural, and human-first.

Basic Qualifications

10+ years of experience as a user experience designer, interaction designer, product designer, industrial designer or similar role. • A portfolio of work demonstrating experience creating great user-centered design solutions. • Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills. • Proven experience with rapid, iterative design and development processes. • Proven track record presenting to and influencing people, from other designers to senior executive management. • Experience leading projects and teams in a collaborative multi-disciplinary team including designers, industrial design, product managers, and engineers. • Fluency in best practices for multi-platform information architecture and design, as well as strong knowledge of usability principles and techniques. • Bachelor’s, or equivalent degree, in Design, HCI, ID, or related field or equivalent professional experience within the design field.

Preferred Qualifications

• You are excited about the role AI will play in the next generation of consumer devices—and want to help define it.

• You enjoy working at the intersection of strategy and execution, imagining bold futures and building toward them.

• You love engaging in early, ambiguous problem spaces and helping teams navigate toward clarity.

• You thrive in cross-disciplinary environments and are eager to work on both hardware and software design.

• You are comfortable switching between Individual Contributor and Manager responsibilities, based on what the team needs.

• You want to grow in a place that supports flexible career paths, whether as a design lead, a people manager, or both.

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $162,300/year in our lowest geographic market up to $268,400/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered, equity, sign-on payments, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits. For more information, please visit https://www.aboutamazon.com/workplace/employee-benefits . This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.