Big Tech PgM (Amazon)
Evaluating an offer for a program manager role at Amazon (Non Tech likely on the retail side). How is something like this viewed in the market, I struck out in recruiting for consulting so is this a “viable” alternative? Long term goal is GTM/Strategy/Product at a FAANG or similar. Appreciate any input.
Based on the most helpful WSO content, a Program Manager (PgM) role at Amazon, even on the retail side, can be a strong stepping stone for your long-term goals in GTM/Strategy/Product at a FAANG or similar. Amazon is known for its capex-intensive business, and roles on the retail side often involve significant analytical work, such as modeling incremental margins and capacity utilization. This experience can provide a solid foundation for understanding unit economics and operational strategy, which are valuable skills for transitioning into product or strategy roles.
Additionally, Amazon's brand name and the exposure to cross-functional teams can enhance your marketability. While consulting might have been a different path, this role can still position you well for future opportunities, especially if you leverage the experience to build a strong narrative around your strategic and operational expertise.
If your goal is to transition into product management, consider exploring internal opportunities at Amazon, such as their rotational programs or networking with teams in product roles. Amazon's internal mobility and the breadth of its business lines can provide pathways to align with your long-term aspirations.
Sources: Amazon: King of Commerce, https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/hedge-fund/best-industries-to-specialize-in?customgpt=1, Tech As An Alternative to Finance, Q&A: Healthcare Industry FLDP, Q&A: Managing Director at Large Global Asset Manager
Ignore my title, I'm in corp strategy at a FAANG
Program management is PMO, i.e. not typically very strategic work. Your job will be herding cats -- getting people to provide status updates, fill out templates, schedule meetings, and other primarily admin tasks. PGM ladder is often one of the more desirable internal exits for admins (i.e. secretaries) as upward advancement in that area is often limited
However scope can vary, and if you're good and network effectively then (A) internal transfers are not off the table, and (B) you can put yourself into a position to fill PGM roles that have a bit more problem solving or thought partnership involved. Technical PGM is probably something you can work towards in the moderate term and would probably be a lot more rewarding and impactful, not to mention would open many other doors. Alternatively you could look at more interesting roles from worse companies after a couple years if internal transfers at Amazon don't work out. Worst case scenario you just hit up business school in a few years. What you don't want to do is chill at PGM for like 6 years and then decide you want to do something more strategic -- at that point you'll have too much experience to want to do truly entry level roles, and probably won't have the skills & experience to compete for the roles you want
Given how shit the job market still is, especially in the realm of meaningful strategic roles in tech open to entry level talent, I'd consider this a pretty good job to land out of college -- especially when you consider that the position is well paid
Thank you for your response! This is interesting, I hear very conflicting views about what this role would actually look like day to day, some say it’s more of an admin role whilst others say it’s more strategic, for instance quite a few people in this team at Amazon specifically come from strategy consulting (MBB/T2 consulting and 1 or 2 from IB too). Also the job requires SQL and some of the interviewers I spoke to mentioned working on forecasting, financial planning, procurement, operations and identifying cost saving opportunities as well as building out predictive models based on historical data (using python etc). This doesn’t seem like an admin role but honestly I keep reading conflicting things. Some also say the PgM works hand in hand with the product manager and sometimes they do the same thing as the product managers just on a higher level. During my interview I also completed a business case study which involved creating a selling plan based on financial data which doesn’t seem to align with what you’ve stated the job would look like.
That's huge! In this case then I'd base expectations much more strongly on the specific interactions you've had with the team and the backgrounds of the folks on it over the title. It's not uncommon for the same or a similar title to mean different things across companies or even across teams within the same company
I'd try to find people on linkedin who were previously on your specific team and see what they're up to to set expectations on potential exits (internal and otherwise)
Tbh having worked as an L4 in Finance at Amazon London for a while, one thing I realised is the job description is almost pointless for Amazon. I'm a Finance Analyst working on evaluating investments at the Global Operations level, there's another Finance Analyst running the reporting for their Amazon Fresh numbers in the EU. We both had the same job description but our jobs are very different. It's the same for PMs. I know PMs doing admin roles like the above person said, and I also know PMs running innovative ideas end to end. Best bet is to try and see what team you'd get before committing to the offer (i.e. don't reject but keep your options open until you know your team and you've spoken to them and are confident you'll like that role)
Edit: Although I'm not sure if you applied directly to a team, I just applied for a Finance Analyst programme which might be why my job description was vague
this is really interesting! how does comp look for your position? is it stagnant at all?
I’m UK based so these numbers may seem quite low. Base is 50k, sign on bonus 12k + 14k USD relocation (for some reason relocation is calculated in USD not GBP all other numbers are GBP except RSU’s), second year sign on bonus 10k & 20k RSU’s. Comp is decent for a role like this and pretty early in my career I can imagine US numbers are much better. I think progression is slower than finance since you to have prove yourself to progress but I know at L6/7 you could expect 150-200k GBP total comp which is super high for London. Anyway Amazon encourages a lot of vertical progression so for instance my team has a bunch of ex product managers and vice versa a lot of the product management team comes from program management people move around. I’m also joining the book department (kindle, audible etc) which from what I’ve read is a more “desirable” place to be in Amazon so this may be completely different from other products on the retail side like fashion.
thank you for sharing. sounds like a great role
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