We're seeking a Sr. Principal UX Researcher who is passionate about shaping the future of AI-native business applications at scale. This is a rare opportunity to define the research vision for Amazon's next generation of AI-powered solutions — influencing not just product direction, but the broader field of human-AI interaction. As a Sr. Principal UX Researcher, you will architect research strategy that spans across multiple AI solutions, customer journeys, and organizational boundaries, turning AI capabilities into meaningful, trustworthy, and human-centered experiences for millions of customers worldwide.
You will operate at the highest levels of research leadership, setting the bar for how research and AI intersect across AWS, shaping organizational strategy, and establishing the standards by which the entire research discipline operates. You will influence product, business, and organizational strategy at the executive level, develop and grow a team of researchers, and partner with the most senior leaders across design, science, engineering, and product to push the boundaries of what's possible with AI-driven user experiences.

You will be a player-coach expected to be hands-on in tactics, strategy, and vision, while also setting the long-term direction for a high-impact team of researchers and elevating the craft of UX research across AWS.

Key job responsibilities
* Define and Own the Research Vision: Establish the multi-year UX research vision and strategy across AWS Applied AI Solutions, ensuring research insights drive intuitive, elegant, and scalable customer experiences at an organizational level
* Lead the Most Complex Research Initiatives: Own and drive the highest-impact, most ambiguous research programs across AWS — where AI product and business strategy is undefined and the stakes are highest
* Pioneer AI-Native Research Innovation: Set the industry standard for AI-focused user research by inventing and adapting methodologies to understand how customers interact with AI systems, building trust, and driving adoption at scale
* Executive-Level Strategic Influence: Shape product, business, and organizational direction at the VP and SVP level, identifying transformational opportunities where research insights can redefine AI-powered customer outcomes
* Establish Cross-Org Research Standards: Define and institutionalize research frameworks, measurement criteria, and reusable methodologies that create consistency and raise the bar across all AI solutions and teams within AWS
* Organizational Leadership and Talent Development: Build, mentor, and elevate a team of researchers from junior to senior levels; model research excellence and raise the overall quality of research craft, storytelling, and strategic impact across the organization
* Advanced and Emerging Research Methods: Independently design and lead the most sophisticated quantitative and qualitative research programs, including survey design, statistical modeling, behavioral analytics, causal inference, and experimental design for AI systems
* Data Synthesis and Executive Storytelling: Triangulate research insights with engagement metrics, experiment data, user logs, and AI performance metrics to craft compelling, executive-ready narratives that drive product improvements and long-term business strategy
* Mechanisms for Organizational Influence: Build scalable mechanisms for communicating insights and influencing decision-makers at all levels — from product teams to C-suite — driving customer delight and measurable business outcomes

A day in the life
* Leads and sponsors user research that defines end-to-end AI customer experiences and shapes long-term business strategy for AWS Applied AI Solutions at the highest organizational levels
* Champions inclusive and accessible AI products that serve diverse global customer needs and use cases, setting the standard for responsible AI research practices
* Architects significantly complex, cross-functional research programs to identify customer segments, latent needs, and AI adoption patterns — influencing strategy across multiple teams and business units
* Brings clarity to AI complexity at scale: probes foundational assumptions about human-AI interaction, illuminates systemic risks and opportunities, and fosters shared understanding of customer needs across the organization
* Communicates with precision and authority, balancing business objectives with customer needs, and driving critical conversations about AI ethics, trust, and responsible deployment at the executive level
* Enables the organization to move with speed and confidence in AI innovation while maintaining the highest standards of research rigor; exercises exceptional judgment in driving decisions that shape AWS's AI strategy

About the team
AWS Applied AI Solutions is an organization with ambitions to be a leading provider of business applications, leveraging Amazon's unique experience and expertise, used by millions of companies worldwide to manage day-to-day operations. Our mission is to accelerate our customers' businesses by delivering intuitive and differentiated technology solutions that solve enduring business challenges. We blend vision with curiosity and Amazon's real-world experience to build opinionated, turnkey solutions. Where customers prefer to buy over build, we become their trusted partner with solutions that are no-brainers to buy and easy to use.

The AWS Applied AI Solutions team is at the forefront of AI innovation, designing and building the next generation of intelligent business applications. We work closely with global Product, Engineering, Science, Marketing, and Business Development teams to deliver compelling AI-powered experiences that transform how businesses operate. Our research team plays a critical role in ensuring these AI solutions are not just technically advanced, but truly meet customer needs and drive meaningful business outcomes.

Basic Qualifications

* 10+ years conducting UX research on products and working in close partnership with executive and C-suite leadership
* Deep technical proficiency in diverse research methods, including quantitative analysis, qualitative research, and mixed-methods approaches, with demonstrated expertise in AI/ML product research
* Master's or PhD degree in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Statistics, Psychology, Anthropology, Data Science, or related field
* Proven track record of influencing organizational strategy and executive decision-making through user research findings
* Demonstrated expertise in survey design, statistical modeling, causal inference, experimental design, and advanced behavioral analytics
* Proven ability to build and scale research programs from the ground up in highly ambiguous, fast-paced environments
* Experience leading, mentoring, and developing research teams across multiple levels of seniority

Preferred Qualifications

* PhD in Human-Computer Interaction, Cognitive Science, Behavioral Science, Statistics, or a related field, with a research focus on human-AI interaction, trust in automated systems, or decision-making under uncertainty
* 16+ years of UX research experience, including demonstrated impact at the organizational or industry level through research programs that have shaped product strategy, business direction, or the broader research discipline
* Proven experience building and scaling research functions within large, matrixed organizations — including hiring, developing, and retaining senior research talent
* Deep expertise in AI/ML product research, including experience studying how customers build trust in AI systems, interpret AI-generated outputs, and adopt AI-powered workflows in enterprise or consumer contexts
* Experience conducting research on agentic AI systems, large language model (LLM)-powered products, or generative AI applications, with the ability to design novel methodologies where established frameworks do not yet exist
* Track record of publishing, presenting, or contributing to the broader UX research or human-AI interaction community (e.g., CHI, CSCW, NeurIPS, internal research symposia, or equivalent)
* Demonstrated ability to influence without authority across organizational boundaries — driving alignment and action among senior leaders, cross-functional partners, and external stakeholders
* Experience establishing research operations infrastructure at scale, including tooling, governance, participant recruitment pipelines, and research repository systems
* Expertise in responsible AI research practices, including accessibility, inclusive design, algorithmic fairness, and ethical considerations in AI deployment
* Familiarity with AWS cloud services, enterprise software ecosystems, or B2B SaaS product environments, with the ability to quickly develop deep domain fluency

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

Los Angeles County applicants: Job duties for this position include: work safely and cooperatively with other employees, supervisors, and staff; adhere to standards of excellence despite stressful conditions; communicate effectively and respectfully with employees, supervisors, and staff to ensure exceptional customer service; and follow all federal, state, and local laws and Company policies. Criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with some of the material job duties of this position. These include the duties and responsibilities listed above, as well as the abilities to adhere to company policies, exercise sound judgment, effectively manage stress and work safely and respectfully with others, exhibit trustworthiness and professionalism, and safeguard business operations and the Company’s reputation. Pursuant to the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

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.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, CA, Sunnyvale - 216,400.00 - 292,800.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 196,700.00 - 266,200.00 USD annually