Principal, HR Specialist - Research Intelligence & Strategic Insights, ER Strategy

Amazon"s Employee Relations (ER) Strategy, Policy and Global Operations Employee Experience (GOEX) team supports Amazon"s global workforce. We are seeking a Principal, HR Specialist, Research Intelligence & Strategic Insights to join our team as a senior-level individual contributor reporting to the ER Research, Strategy and Solutions Team Leader.

The successful candidate will have a demonstrated ability to: (i) assess data, workplaces, behaviors, external trends, and relationships to identify risks and gaps in the work environment; (ii) develop and execute sustainable, scalable initiatives, mechanisms, and programs that affect long-lasting changes at all levels; (iii) influence leaders to win alignment, support, and change; and (iv) work cross-functionally to design and execute effective large-scale proactive strategies.

This Principal will possess significant employee relations expertise, excellent judgment, and highly-developed analytical, research, and communication skills. The role emphasizes data-driven research and forward-looking trend analysis rather than reactive ER issues and/or investigations management.

Key job responsibilities

Key job responsibilities

Research & Trend Intelligence

• Design and maintain ongoing workforce research and trend-monitoring frameworks that detect emerging labor market shifts, geopolitical signals, and employee sentiment patterns
• Conduct competitive benchmarking and labor market research to identify best practices and emerging risks
• Develop predictive risk models to anticipate ER challenges before they escalate
• Produce research outputs (reports, dashboards, insights) that inform strategic decision-making

Risk Detection and Mitigation

• Apply employee relations expertise to successfully identify trends and challenges, predict and mitigate risk, and develop and execute solution-focused strategies and programs
• Synthesize workforce data, labor-market intelligence, and employee sentiment to surface emerging risks and opportunities

Data Analysis & Strategic Insights

• Exercise strong analytical skills using data and anecdotes to develop persuasive narratives and recommendations
• Define and measure success of programs through clear KPIs and research-backed evaluation frameworks
• Build and maintain research repositories and knowledge bases that enable organizational learning

Cross-Functional Leadership & Partnership

• Partner with cross-functional teams including

Public Policy, PR, Legal, Operations, Investor Relations, and Communications to develop and implement comprehensive strategies that align with organizational priorities

• Lead research initiatives that inform policy decisions and public-facing communications

Program & Project Delivery at Scale

• Independently design, own, and lead successfully large-scale, network-wide projects that improve frontline employee experience
• Translate research findings into scalable mechanisms and programs for entire networks

Communication & Executive Influence

• Rapidly produce high-quality written communications that concisely analyze problems and move solutions from concept to execution
• Present research findings and strategic recommendations to senior leadership with clarity and impact
• Build constructive relationships with critical stakeholders and peers to share information, influence change, and leverage resources to deliver results

Problem-Solving & Ambiguity Management

• Work independently with minimal supervision in ambiguous situations and persevere over internal and external barriers to drive resolutions
• Challenge current practices and industry status quo to generate creative mechanisms that bring about large-scale solutions

A day in the life

This role may also be based at one the following locations: Dallas (DFW20), NYC (JFK36), Boston (BOS21), Austin (AUS20), Sunnyvale (SJC44), Tempe (PHX12), Atlanta (ATL63), Chicago (ORD11), San Diego (SAN18), Culver City (LAX78). Relocation assistance will not be provided to these locations.