Principal Cultural Researcher, Futures Insights, Futures Insights, Devices Design Group

Join us in shaping the future of Amazons revolutionary products! As a Principal Cultural Researcher on the Futures Insights team which is part of Amazons Devices and Services Design Group youll play a pivotal role in influencing midtolong term strategic planning for nextgeneration and netnew device and service innovations. Your research which starts at Phase Zero will help the organization situate emerging technologies within a deep understanding of enduring and emerging human needs cultural trends and broader systems (e.g. STEEP analysis). Our work begins at the start of the design process identifying insights and opportunities to drive humanitycentered innovation throughout. We collaborate with a variety of teams and functions in our work driving efforts that are at times embedded within futures concept explorations or independent of them.

We recognize that the combination of skills and experience required to do this work can take many forms. Maybe youre a design ethnographer cultural anthropologist futures researcher strategic foresight analyst design strategist or user experience researcher with deep experience in the 01 product space Either way wed love to hear from you if this role sounds exciting. This role is currently based in our Seattle studio.


Key job responsibilities
* Independently plan and execute global infield research programs on topics of strategic relevance to the organization leading the output and activities of the projects lifecycle (e.g. screener development to final insight reports)
* Translate insights into inspiring design guidance (e.g. design directions principles scenarios) strategic frameworks and other operational criteria aligned to business goals to drive adoption of the work
* Drive the development and scaling of mechanisms to help the team operationalize and optimize how we execute socialize and drive adoption of strategic cultural insights and trends work across multiple organizations and executive leaders within the Devices & Services leadership team
* Collaborate with Futures Design and other key partners to inform and shape midtolong term concept development and innovation roadmaps
* Help leadership determine the right research questions to ask informing longterm research roadmaps that align with business strategy and goals
* Persuade decisionmakers at all levels of the organization to take aligned action on research findings
* Define invent and execute research methods appropriate to the questions at hand including but not limited to ethnographic foresight and survey techniques
* Act as a subject matter expert within the UXR team and the broader researcher community mentoring researchers and helping to elevate their work where necessary

A day in the life
In this role youll dive deep into understanding human needs behaviors motivations and sociocultural trends to inform futures design explorations or broader organizational strategy. Your work will consist of two major types:
1) embedded within a crossdisciplinary team exploring new concepts (35 years out) and
2) driving independent foundational research programs around themes of strategic relevance to the organization.

To that end your daytoday might consist of:

* Closely partnering with the Futures Design team to shape concept development and innovation roadmaps.
* Leading inhome customer interviews in Brazil talking to academic experts about social robotics or exploring the fringes of cultures for emerging signals and trends.
* Creating the artifacts necessary to plan and deliver insights (e.g. screeners discussion guides insights reports) as well as artifacts and activities necessary to help activate them.
* Planning and facilitating workshops to help teams immerse in and design with the insights surfaced by your work.
* Working with the Head of Futures Insights and Futures Design leaders to invent new and optimize existing mechanisms to help the team execute global research faster and scale its outputs across multiple organizations across the Devices and Services organization.



About the team
The Futures Insights team is a research team within a larger user experience research (UXR) team inside Amazons Devices and Services Design group. Our team is split across our Seattle and London studios. We draw on a variety of methods and disciplines to inform our work: strategic foresight cultural analysis ethnography and design research methods. The Devices and Services UXR team is a collaborative group of ethnographers psychologists human factors researchers and research scientists dedicated to providing deep insights into customer motivations and behaviors. The broader teams research supports multiple time horizons with product line research teams influencing existing roadmaps and Futures Insights shaping the furthest out time horizons. Collectively we work closely with the business and design to clarify opportunities inspire innovation and translate insights into operational outcomes.

* 10 years of field research with a focus on early generative research that informs longterm business strategy ideally in the digital products and services industry
* A portfolio that illustrates how your research has informed strategic decisionmaking with a focus on innovation initiatives
* Ability to independently drive multiple concurrent projects in an agile environment
* Working knowledge of quantitative and qualitative research methods with deep expertise in ethnographic semiotic codesign or other qualitativeled design research methods
* Excellent written communication presentation and interpersonal skills; the ability to communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively across different audiences and varying levels of the organization
* Experience translating and creatively activating insights via design principles strategic frameworks scenarios design provocations workshops or other similar approaches
* Strategic businessbuilding approach to research with a proven capacity for translating data into bottomline impact
* Experience planning and executing international incontext inperson research (e.g. home workplace office)
* Ability to travel including internationally as needed to conduct research collaborate with partners and teammates
* BA in Anthropology Design Research Sociology Media and Cultural Studies or a related field

* Passion for understanding and applying the latest learnings and innovations in social and behavioral science research methods and design
* Demonstrated ability to balance human needs with business needs translating insights into inspiring design guidance and strategic business impact
* Ability to handle high complexity and ambiguity in research questions and ways of working
* Experience systematically weaving research insights into ideation and design sprint processes
* Ability to plan and comfortably facilitate workshops and other collaborative working sessions with crossfunctional partners to help activate the work
* Experience with emerging technologies (e.g. AI XR etc.) and multimodal device interaction (e.g. touch voice and mediated control)
* Strong design acumen and comfort working with design tools to create research outputs (e.g. Figmabased presentations trend reports) and activation materials (e.g. scenarios design prompt cards)
* Experience with futures or foresightfocused methodologies and frameworks like STEEP analysis the Futures Triangle Scenario development Causal Layer Analysis etc.

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 for more information. If the country/region youre applying in isnt 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 $163000/year in our lowest geographic market up to $269500/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on jobrelated knowledge skills and experience. Amazon is a total compensation company. Dependent on the position offered equity signon 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 This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our internal or external career site.