The Principal Deal Lead is a senior member of the Deals Strategy and Governance (DSG) team responsible for leading deal strategy on complex, high-value Support opportunities from pursuit through close. This individual will own the end-to-end commercial strategy for individual deals - triaging deal requirements, structuring commercial solutions, navigating deal approval processes, and partnering closely with Sales to drive deal velocity. They will assist with complex contract negotiations and escalations, develop deal-specific financial models, and work cross-functionally with Sales, Business Development, Finance, Legal, and Contracting to meet custom deal requirements. The Principal Deal Lead will identify barriers to Support adoption and develop repeatable strategies and mental models to overcome them, ensuring that commercial solutions are structured in a way that serves both the customer and the business. Insights drawn from individual deal execution will directly inform DSG's broader commercial strategy, and this leader is expected to contribute actively to the evolution of deal frameworks, approval mechanisms, and governance approaches across the team.
The ideal candidate has a background in deal strategy, sales operations, or commercial roles at a technology company and brings the financial depth and negotiation experience to structure complex deals and communicate their economics clearly to senior executives. They operate autonomously in ambiguous deal environments, build credibility quickly with internal and external stakeholders, and have a demonstrated track record of closing difficult, high-value opportunities. They are equally comfortable building a detailed deal model and presenting a commercial recommendation to VP-level leadership, and they bring the judgment to know when to apply a proven structure and when to carve a new path. Beyond individual deal execution, they translate patterns and learnings from their deal work into improved frameworks and playbooks that raise the commercial bar for the broader team.
Key job responsibilities
• Lead deal strategy for complex, large, and highly competitive Support opportunities in AMER, managing end-to-end deal cycles from pursuit identification through contract execution and close.
• Develop deal-specific commercial strategies and mental models; navigate complex contract negotiations and escalations, ensuring deal structures optimize outcomes for both the customer and the business.
• Triage incoming deal requirements and structure commercial solutions using DSG's portfolio of available commercial levers within established governance frameworks.
• Work closely with Sales and Sales Operations teams to collaborate on deal strategy, provide real-time visibility into deal progress and approval status, and rapidly execute to remove deal blockers.
• Navigate deal approval processes cross-functionally, partnering with Finance, Legal, Contracting, and Compliance to meet custom deal requirements and obtain approvals on a timeline that supports deal momentum.
• Source, analyze, and report on quantitative deal data; build deal-specific financial models, formulate projections, and evaluate commercial alternatives to identify the optimal path to close.
• Build and maintain deal analytics and reporting on deal velocity, commercial program adoption, win rates, and margin KPIs; report on monthly, quarterly, and annual performance for your region and contribute to leadership business reviews.
• Identify patterns across deals to surface barriers to Support adoption; translate deal learnings into repeatable strategies, playbooks, and mental models that improve commercial execution across the team.
• Contribute to the development and refinement of deal approval frameworks, best practices, and governance mechanisms in partnership with DSG leadership.
• Influence and contribute to VP and S-Team goal attainment across sales and business development organizations; drive alignment on new approaches in ambiguous and first-of-kind commercial situations.
• Mitigate complex, long-term commercial and deal risks by looking around corners, building sustainable solutions, and ensuring commercial mechanisms are designed for repeatability and scale.
A day in the life
A typical day centers on active deal pursuit. You may start the morning reviewing pipeline with a Sales team to prioritize which opportunities require deal strategy support, then move into a working session with Finance and Legal to structure a commercial proposal for a large enterprise renewal with non-standard requirements. In the afternoon, you might present a deal recommendation to VP-level stakeholders for approval, work through a contract escalation with the Contracting team, or run an ad-hoc analysis to evaluate whether a specific commercial structure is margin-accretive given a customer's spend profile. You close the day by updating deal reporting and flagging a systemic approval bottleneck you have observed across several deals to the broader DSG team. You are the connective tissue between Sales, Finance, Legal, and Product on complex deals - the person who brings structure, commercial judgment, and execution speed to opportunities that do not fit a simple playbook.
About the team
The Deals Strategy and Governance (DSG) team is an established, cross-functional organization within AWS Support, embedded within the broader Support Product function. DSG is responsible for driving Support deal strategy and execution across NAMER, overcoming commercial challenges through innovative deal structures that enable growth. The team partners directly with Sales, Finance, Legal, and Product to develop and govern the commercial tools that field sellers rely on in a complex enterprise sales environment.
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS
- 7+ years of developing, negotiating and executing business agreements experience
- 7+ years of professional or military experience
- 7+ years of Go-To-Market, Business Development, Sales, or Consulting experience
- Bachelor's degree
- Experience developing strategies that influence leadership decisions at the organizational level
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience as a founder or executive focused on related segments, or as a practice leader or business unit owner
- Experience selling to Fortune 1000 or Global 2000 organizations
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.
USA, NY, New York - 193,700.00 - 262,000.00 USD annually
USA, TX, Austin - 176,100.00 - 238,200.00 USD annually
USA, VA, Arlington - 176,100.00 - 238,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Bellevue - 176,100.00 - 238,200.00 USD annually
USA, WA, Seattle - 176,100.00 - 238,200.00 USD annually
