Career solution: Christelle Ngambula shares how she planned her Amazon career to land her dream job
Meet Christelle Ngambula, Senior Solutions Architect at Amazon Ads. A passionate problem-solver, Christelle shares how the Amazon Leadership Principles helped her land her dream job.
Hi, Christelle. Can you tell us a bit about your team?
The Global Advertising Partnership Development team helps customers scale their use of Amazon Ads worldwide. We do this through software innovation, the creation of retail and advertising tools, partner development, and technical support such as education programs.
How did you become a Solutions Architect?
I initially joined Amazon as a Technical Account Manager, but I had my sights set on becoming a Solutions Architect. It took nearly two years of dedication, but I made it happen!
How did you make the jump?
Through hard work and being customer-obsessed. To qualify as a Solutions Architect, I needed to gain a lot of technical knowledge. But I love diving deep into problems and innovating on behalf of the firms I work with, which allowed me to develop a solid understanding of Amazon Ads API infrastructure. My manager was really supportive throughout my upskilling journey, helping me gain the experience necessary to prove my skills and meet the high bar required for the new role.
Can you tell us more about being a Solutions Architect at Amazon Ads?
I work with advertisers and the companies supporting them, helping them seamlessly implement Amazon Ads APIs into their solutions. This involves providing strategic guidance, recommending best practices, and tailoring solutions to meet our advertisers' needs.
What do you love most about your role?
At Amazon, I have the freedom to improve customer experience and to create and scale initiatives. I'm obsessed with collecting feedback; it’s essential not only for delivering better products but also for identifying pain points. Starting with the customer and working backward to achieve goals is one of our core principles at Amazon. It allows me to do what's right for customers and empowers me to innovate and propose new solutions.
Besides customer obsession, what else guides your work at Amazon Ads?
We have 16 Leadership Principles that shape Amazon’s culture every day in ways we don’t even realize. One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that these principles aren’t limited to working at Amazon. They can be applied to all aspects of life and help you face any situation. Thanks to Amazon, I know it’s okay to make mistakes, change my mind, and seek out diverse opinions when faced with a problem.
What do you like about working at Amazon Ads?
I have great colleagues, and our leadership team is visible, open, and approachable. Everyone feels like their voice is heard. Amazon fosters a sense of safety in the workplace, regardless of your background. We have a lot of affinity groups; I’m a member of the People with Disabilities group. It’s important for me to understand how we can be more inclusive, and I’m trying to integrate this knowledge into my work.
It can’t be all work and no play. How do you like to relax?
I’ve always been sporty. As a kid, I started with athletics (the U.S. equivalent is track and field), handball, and football. Then I got into running. I love it, and I’ve run at least 10 kilometers every week for the past 10 years. I use this time to meditate and think about my life and what I’m going to do next. It’s a great way to de-stress and re-charge.
Finally, you’ve recently been promoted, and you also moved from London to Madrid; that’s a lot of change.
It has been. My husband’s family is going through a difficult period, so we needed to move to Spain to support them. I wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to stay in my role, but my manager and leadership were incredibly understanding and approved the relocation. It was a change in my life where I really needed my employer’s support, and Amazon has been so helpful. I will always be grateful for this.
And I was also promoted last year! What I'm enjoying about this more senior role is getting to lead new programs and build things that don’t exist yet. This is exactly what I'm doing right now. I’m also excited about being part of more strategic initiatives that have wider impact. It’s great to know that my work is improving the business and leaving a mark.