Principal Jobs in Virginia

DESCRIPTION

Can you explain what a complex technical organization does in a way that makes engineers proud, executives confident, and the outside world curious? Do you see communications not as a support function but as a strategic lever — one that shapes how an organization is perceived, funded, and trusted? Do you have the instinct to find the story inside the data and the craft to make it land with any audience? If so, this is the role.

Intelligent Talent Acquisition (ITA) builds the products, science, and technology behind Amazon's hiring. The work is sophisticated. The impact is massive. And almost nobody outside ITA can articulate what we do or why it matters. That's the problem you'll solve.

As Principal, Strategic Communications & Organizational Voice, you'll own how ITA tells its story — internally to Amazon leadership and partner organizations, and externally to the broader talent and technology community. This isn't writing newsletters. You'll build a communications program from scratch: defining ITA's narrative, creating content that establishes credibility and earns organizational leeway, and ensuring that every major initiative, result, and change is communicated in a way that resonates with the right audience at the right level. You won't just craft messages — you'll build the capability, scale through others as the function grows, and establish mechanisms that outlast your individual involvement. We're looking for someone who can architect a strategy that compounds over time.

Key job responsibilities

In partnership with Amazon's Communications & Public Relations teams, you will:

• Define and maintain ITA's core narrative: what we do, why it matters, and what makes our approach different
• Build ITA's internal brand across Amazon — partner orgs, leadership, and the broader HR/TA community should understand and value what ITA delivers
• Develop an external presence strategy: publications, speaking opportunities, thought leadership content that positions ITA as an industry leader in talent acquisition technology and science
• Create original content: case studies, mechanism deep-dives, outcome narratives, leadership interviews, and team spotlights that make ITA's work visible and compelling
• Partner with ITA's Director and leadership team to prepare strategic communications for VP-level reviews, org announcements, and cross-functional updates
• Own the narrative framing for business reviews — translate operational data into a story that tells leadership what's happening, what it means, and what to do about it
• Prepare "anticipated questions" and strategic positioning for leadership reviews
• Ensure consistency across all leadership communications — one voice, one story, adapted for each audience
• Own ITA's wiki and institutional knowledge infrastructure — make it findable, current, and useful
• Ensure every team, product, and initiative has a clear, accessible description that a new hire or partner org could understand in 5 minutes
• Build and maintain a communications calendar that aligns with ITA's rhythm of business
• Partner with the Change Management team to ensure every significant change has persona-specific messaging: ICs hear what changes for them, managers hear what they do differently, leaders hear what they inspect
• Translate complex, technical, or science-driven changes into clear language that builds understanding rather than resistance
• Support feedback loop closure with communications that demonstrate ITA listens and responds

A day in the life

You start the morning reviewing a strategy doc from an organizational leader — the content is accurate but reads like a project status update. You reshape it into a narrative that explains why this matters and what it means for the teams affected, you coach the author. Mid-morning, you're working on a case study about how ITA's assessment science reduced hiring defects — this will be published internally first and adapted for an external audience later. After lunch, you prep leaders for an executive review: the data is ready, but the story needs sharpening. You reframe the narrative around three key decisions, with anticipated questions and recommended positioning. You close the day by reviewing the wiki — a new delivery team launched last month and their page is still a placeholder. You draft the content and send it to the delivery lead for review.

About the team

ITA Business Operations & Change Management is the operating system for Intelligent Talent Acquisition — the organization that builds the products, science, and technology behind Amazon's hiring. BizOps tells leadership what's happening and why. Change Management ensures that when we decide to do something about it, it actually happens. Strategic Communications ensures that the right people understand what ITA does, why it matters, and what's changing.

This role reports to the Chief of Staff & BizOps Lead. You'll partner daily with the Strategic Operations & Change Management Lead, People & Org Health, and the CM Domain Leads. You'll work directly with ITA's and ATS's leadership team on executive communications.

This function doesn't exist yet. You're not inheriting a comms calendar and a template library. You're building ITA's voice from scratch — and if you do it well, other orgs will ask how you did it.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree, or 7+ years of work experience
• Experience conveying complex technical concepts to both technical and business audiences
• Experience building cross-functional partnerships and influencing stakeholders across the organization to act without having a direct reporting relationship
• 5+ years of digital content management, communications, or content strategy experience

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in talent management, organizational network analysis, and organizational design and development
• Master's degree in communications, marketing, advertising or business

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 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.

LOCATION

USA, VA, Arlington - 149,800.00 - 202,600.00 USD annually