The database market is being reshaped by AI, real-time computing, and the migration of the world's most critical workloads to the cloud. AWS Databases — a $17B portfolio spanning Aurora, DynamoDB, Neptune, ElastiCache, and more — is at the center of that shift, serving millions of active customers who depend on our infrastructure every second of every day. This is one of the most consequential and competitive technology spaces in the world, and the people decisions we make here directly determine whether we keep inventing faster than anyone else.
AWS Databases is seeking a strategic and solution-focused Sr HR Specialist to power the trajectory of this business by ensuring we have the right talent mix, senior leadership, and capabilities to innovate and deliver exceptional customer experiences. As a Sr HR Specialist, you will serve as a leader of people and organizational strategy, accelerating business outcomes through diagnosis, development, and execution of integrated solutions. You will partner directly with senior engineering and product leaders building the future of managed databases at global scale — building trusted relationships that enable you to effectively coach, act as a change agent, and influence critical decisions around talent and organizational design to drive business results. In a space where the competition for deep technical talent is real and the pace of invention is relentless, your work will shape the organizations capable of sustained delivery at the highest level.
Key job responsibilities
Organizational Effectiveness
- Leverage knowledge of the business, global landscape, and trends to tailor people-focused solutions that drive business outcomes
- Interpret key people metrics and trends, utilizing mechanisms to inspect and monitor risks
- Design, recommend, and implement effective organizational structures that align with business strategy, strengthen culture, and enable inclusive decision-making
- Partner with senior leaders to build customer-centric organizations that foster agility and empower frontline decision-making
Senior Leader and Leadership Team Effectiveness
- Assess both long-term and immediate senior leader talent needs to achieve business goals
- Develop strategies to build required senior leader skills and establish inclusive talent pipelines
- Coach and advise individual leaders and leadership teams on improving management abilities, addressing business challenges, and strengthening culture
- Challenge senior leaders when necessary to break mental models on ways of working, biases, structure, and talent decisions
Change Management
- Use listening mechanisms to identify trends, risks, and hotspots to inform change plans and maximize customer experience
- Drive effective change environments by leveraging multiple perspectives and inclusive communication strategies
- Influence and coach senior leaders as they build their teams' ability to navigate organizational changes
- Monitor and evaluate implemented changes to assess effectiveness and durability
Talent Planning
- Build long-term inclusive workforce plans aligned with business objectives
- Coach and support senior leaders in executing workforce plans and making resource allocation decisions
- Anticipate industry trends and talent needs, determining gaps in current and future capabilities
- Create talent goals and cadence with the Senior Leadership team, building inclusive talent mechanisms into the organization's rhythm of business
Key Competencies:
Influence without Authority
- Effectively influence senior leaders and peers without direct authority
- Build credibility through expertise and trusted relationships
- Drive change initiatives across organizational boundaries
- Persuade stakeholders using data-backed recommendations and compelling narratives
Dealing with Ambiguity
- Thrive in environments with incomplete information and "live in the grey"
- Work independently to make progress despite uncertainty
- Navigate complex situations with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities
- Maintain effectiveness during periods of significant organizational change
Gen AI Fluency
- Explores new GenAI tools, considers ethics, and measures effectiveness
- Applies security measures while experimenting with GenAI to improve work processes
- Combines AI with human expertise while maintaining transparency and accountability
- Evaluates when GenAI adds value and validates outputs through fact-checking before implementation.
High Judgment
- Make high-velocity decisions independently with limited guidance
- Balance competing priorities and make appropriate trade-offs
- Exercise sound judgment in sensitive situations involving people and organizational issues
- Know when to escalate issues versus when to resolve independently
Problem Solver/Scenario Planning
- Anticipate challenges before they arise and develop proactive solutions
- Create multiple future scenarios to prepare for various business outcomes
- Develop contingency plans for high-impact organizational changes
- Apply creative thinking to solve complex organizational problems
A day in the life
This role requires balancing strategic thought leadership with hands-on execution. You will partner with business leaders to develop HR solutions aligned with business objectives, lead organizational design initiatives, drive talent strategies, and create mechanisms to assess organizational health. You must be comfortable dealing with ambiguity while building structured mechanisms to drive successful and equitable outcomes.
About the team
