[JOB POSTING] AR Manager, Amazon Web Services – Seattle, USA

Company: Amazon Web Services
Role: AR Manager
Location: Seattle, USA
Contact: Emily Dorch at Amazon

Amazon Web Services (AWS) seeks a creative, self-motivated, high-judgement, well-connected and experienced analyst relations (AR) professional to help drive its communications program. The AWS cloud computing platform is used today by hundreds of thousands of businesses and developers around the world, ranging from start-ups to Fortune 50 enterprises. These companies are consuming compute capacity, storage, database services and more in the cloud, rather than undertaking the heavy lifting of maintaining their own datacenters. By implementing systems on these foundational components, businesses can focus on adding value to their customers and getting to market quickly rather than worrying about building and scaling physical infrastructure.
Cloud computing is arguably one of the most impactful developments in technology within the last 20 years. AWS is a pioneer and leader in the fast growing field of cloud computing. The successful candidate will have the unique opportunity to drive execution of our AR program. The AR Manager role is tasked with driving awareness of the rapidly expanding number of services in the AWS technology infrastructure portfolio. The AWS AR Manager must be comfortable with balancing strategic thinking with tactical, detailed execution while working independently, sorting through ambiguously defined problems, identifying and facing big challenges, and adjusting to sudden and frequent change.

The ideal candidate is motivated by learning in a highly creative and dynamic culture where they will need to participate in the challenge of breaking new ground and redefining best practices. In this role, the candidate will have a direct opportunity to impact AWS results, helping to innovate AR processes and communications as needed. The right candidate possesses media/analyst experience/relationships, is an expert at writing and creating stories, can quickly understand technically deep topics, successfully managed numerous Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves, and possess a proven track-record of securing powerful coverage results.

This role is based in Seattle and will require periodic travel.

There are thousands of analysts at hundreds of firms worldwide who are trying to understand and help customers understand the new paradigm of cloud computing. Our role is to inform these analysts and explain how AWS is different than traditional IT infrastructure offerings, and to work with these analysts to understand core customer requirements and concerns.

The AWS AR Manager will be responsible for:

• Partner with AR Director to develop and execute worldwide analyst strategy
• Drive analyst awareness of AWS service offerings and significantly expand analyst understanding of the unique AWS approach to cloud computing
• Proactively and simultaneously manage multiple vendor ratings, and secure positive placement of AWS services in key reports such as the Gartner Magic Quadrant and Forrester Wave
• Advance the development, simplification and innovation of the AWS AR program while defining repeatable best practices for the organization
• Deliver on-going AR program activities such as analyst briefings, inquiries, reporting and other core program tactics
• Collaborate with PR and services teams to educate analysts on service and feature launches for ever-expanding portfolio of AWS services
• Prioritize and manage incoming requests for information, research review, customer references, event speakers, and research
• Write presentations and prepare executives for engaging with analysts
• Defining, measuring and reporting success and learnings
• Driving alignment with sales, marketing and product engineering to maximize awareness of customer requirements, existing market evidence, and AR program impact

Basic Qualifications:

• 4-7 years of combined press and analyst relations experience in the tech industry
• 4+ years of AR experience directly interacting with Gartner, Forrester and other major IT industry analyst firms
• Experience managing vendor rating in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves
• Experience managing a current network of analyst contacts
• Bachelor’s degree

Preferred Qualifications:

• Excellent written and oral communications skills
• Clearly understands technology and can abstract business/solution value
• Team player who is willing to roll up their sleeves to get the job done
• Self-starter with a strong sense of ownership
• Outstanding attention to detail
• Able to prioritize in complex, fast-paced environment
• Natural tendency to invent, simplify, and take innovative approach to AR
• Creative thinker with bias for action
• Strong project management skills
• Experience successfully managing vendor rating in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants and Forrester Waves preferred
• Previous, first-hand experience delivering analyst tours, analyst summit, and other events is a plus
• IIAR Certification and membership preferred, although not essential.