We're a company of pioneers. It's our job to make bold bets, and we get our energy from inventing on behalf of customers. Success is measured against the possible, not the probable. For today's pioneers, that's exactly why there's no place on Earth they'd rather build than Amazon.

The Global Data Center Operations (GDCO) organization is the foundation of AWS infrastructure, powering the cloud services that millions of customers rely on every day. Our People Experience and Technology (PXT) team partners with GDCO leadership to build exceptional organizations, develop talent, and drive strategic people initiatives that enable our business to scale globally.

We are seeking a Principal Program Manager, Business Operations to serve as a strategic partner to GDCO leadership, driving critical people initiatives and operational excellence across our global data center network. This is a fixed-term 12-month contract position that will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of our organization during a period of significant growth and transformation.

As Principal Program Manager, you will serve as the primary liaison between GDCO business leaders and PXT stakeholders, orchestrating complex people programs and strategic initiatives across our geographically dispersed organization spanning AMER, EURI, and APMEA regions. You will own the rhythm of business for people-related mechanisms and drive data-informed decision making to strengthen our organization and enhance the employee experience.

In this role, you will demonstrate many of the Amazon Leadership Principles, including Ownership, Dive Deep, Earn Trust, Think Big, Deliver Results, Learn and Be Curious, Have Backbone; Disagree and Commit, and Invent and Simplify. You will integrate the Human Resources Mission to "build a workplace for Amazonians to invent on behalf of customers" by driving people initiatives that enable GDCO to attract, develop, and retain world-class talent while scaling to meet the demands of our rapidly growing business.

Key job responsibilities
Strategic Partnership & Stakeholder Management
- Own, manage, and drive the relationship and deliverables with GDCO business and PXT stakeholders around people initiatives and strategic projects
- Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leadership on organizational health, talent strategy, and people-related business decisions
- Build and maintain strong partnerships across global and regional teams to ensure alignment and execution excellence
Rhythm of Business Leadership
- Lead and facilitate critical HRD rhythm of business mechanisms including 2x2s, People MBR (Monthly Business Reviews), Goal Reviews, and Team Summits
- Design and optimize meeting cadences to drive accountability, transparency, and strategic decision-making
- Ensure consistent communication and alignment across all organizational levels
Talent Management & Organizational Development
- Own talent inspection rhythms, including Q1/Q3 talent reviews globally, ensuring robust succession planning and development strategies
- Drive initiatives to strengthen organizational effectiveness, including job family reviews, span of control optimization, and organizational design improvements
- Partner with leadership to identify high-potential talent and create development pathways
Data-Driven Insights & Reporting
- Dive deep into reporting and inspection leveraging employee sentiment data, organizational health metrics, and other relevant PXT reports and anecdotal data
- Drive prioritization of people initiatives by working backwards from defined outcomes and business objectives
- Create compelling narratives from data to influence leadership decisions and resource allocation
Strategic Project Delivery
- Work across global and regional teams to initiate and drive delivery of key strategic projects as they evolve
- Lead global change management initiatives
- Ensure change initiatives are executed with empathy, transparency, and minimal disruption to business operations
Global Standardization & Harmonization
- Serve as a conduit role standardizing processes and programs across regionally dispersed organizations (EURI, APMEA, AMER)
- Drive consistency in people practices while respecting regional nuances, such as On Call Pay structures, benefits programs, and compliance requirements
- Identify opportunities to scale best practices and eliminate redundancies across regions
Program Innovation & Continuous Improvement
- Identify gaps in current people programs and develop scalable solutions to address organizational needs
- Research and recommend new tools, methodologies, and approaches to enhance program effectiveness
- Build out program milestones and supporting documentation to set internal and external stakeholders up for success