Product Design Director

At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to design a better future. Our Product Design Directors craft the interfaces, systems, and experiences that define how brands behave in the modern world, across mobile, spatial, voice, wearables, and AI-powered environments.

As a Product Design Director, you’ll lead the design of products and brand experiences for some of the world’s most influential organisations, from luxury ecosystems and cultural platforms to next-generation mobility and wellness systems. You’ll guide multi-disciplinary teams to create elegant, human-centred design solutions that are as intelligent as they are inspiring.

You’ll define design direction across a portfolio of complex, high-impact digital products, establishing benchmarks in accessibility, interaction, and multi-modal experience. You’ll champion the new frontier of brand user interfaces: adaptive design languages that translate brand identity into behaviour, sound, motion, and intelligence.

AKQA Product Design Directors operate at the intersection of brand, craft, and computation, working side-by-side with strategy, data, and engineering teams to shape products that learn, evolve, and earn love over time.

This is a leadership role within AKQA’s London studio, part of a globally connected studio network shaping the future of digital experiences for brands including Nike, Rolls-Royce, Samsung, Airbnb, and Google. You’ll be at the forefront of AI-powered product design, helping redefine how creativity, intelligence, and empathy coexist in every interaction.

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ROLE REQUIREMENTS

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• Lead concept, design, and delivery of world-class digital products and connected experiences that define new standards for creativity and usability.
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• Partner with UX, Creative Technology, and AI Engineering teams to shape AI-native interfaces, generative UI systems, and adaptive design components.
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• Establish and evolve brand-led design systems that perform across screen, voice, gesture, and spatial interfaces.
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• Embed accessibility and inclusivity from first principles, ensuring WCAG compliance and usability for all audiences.
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• Drive experimentation across new modalities: voice and audio UX, wearable ecosystems, computer vision, and mixed reality.
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• Mentor, grow, and inspire a diverse team of product designers, cultivating craftsmanship, critical thinking, and innovation.
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• Collaborate closely with strategists and client partners to translate brand purpose into tangible, useful digital products.
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• Represent AKQA in new business opportunities, articulating the value of design in solving complex business and human challenges.
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• Contribute to AKQA’s global culture of learning, sharing insights on design ethics, AI co-creation, and emerging interaction paradigms.
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QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

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• 10+ years’ experience (as a guide, not a restriction) in product design or interaction design at leading studios or in-house teams.
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• Proven leadership in delivering large-scale, multi-platform digital products from concept to launch.
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• Mastery of Figma and contemporary design-system workflows (tokens, auto-layout, component libraries), along with complementary tools such as code-based interaction design software and no-code web/app solutions.
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• Strong understanding of human-centred design, accessibility, motion, and micro-interaction principles.
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• Familiarity with AI design tools, prototyping in Framer, Principle, ProtoPie, or After Effects, and collaboration with machine-learning or data-science teams.
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• Demonstrable success in uniting brand and product through interface design, e.g. motion language, sound design, or spatial storytelling.
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• Experience mentoring mid- and senior-level designers; a track record of growing creative excellence and cultural impact.
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• Comfortable presenting to senior clients and executives, and confident operating within fast-paced, high-stakes environments.
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• Systems thinker with a deep sensitivity to brand and narrative.
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• Calm, credible communicator who brings clarity and optimism to complex challenges.
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• Obsessed with emerging technologies and their human potential.
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• Advocate for inclusive design and accessible innovation.
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• Balances bold vision with precision in craft.
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Please include your portfolio link and examples of your work in your application. We are not able to accept applications that do not include a link to your work.

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