At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to design a better future. Our strategists help brands navigate complexity, uncover opportunities and create meaningful experiences that connect customer needs with business ambition.
As an Associate Strategy Director, you'll lead customer experience, product and service strategy for some of the world's most influential organisations, working across sectors including healthcare, nutrition, financial services and beyond. You'll help clients define how their products, services and touchpoints work together to create connected experiences, differentiated propositions and meaningful customer value.
You'll work at the intersection of customer experience, business strategy, design and technology, bringing clarity to complex challenges and translating strategic thinking into actionable plans. As customer behaviour evolves through AI, emerging platforms and connected ecosystems, you'll help brands rethink where they show up, how they engage and the value they provide.
This is a senior strategy role within AKQA's London studio, working closely with UX, design, technology and multidisciplinary teams across our global network. You'll independently lead complex projects, build trusted client relationships and help shape new business opportunities, with some international travel potentially required.
ROLE REQUIREMENTS
- Lead complex customer experience and product strategy engagements, from discovery and opportunity definition through to experience vision, strategic recommendations and delivery planning.
- Connect customer needs, business objectives, research and technology capabilities to define clear strategic direction and identify opportunities for growth.
- Map customer journeys, services and ecosystems to uncover unmet needs, friction points and opportunities across channels and touchpoints.
- Define how brands can create value across owned digital experiences, AI and LLM-driven discovery, partnerships and third-party platforms.
- Partner closely with UX, service design and technology teams to translate strategic opportunities into product and service propositions, experience principles and actionable requirements.
- Guide the development of customer journeys, concepts, service blueprints and strategic roadmaps, ensuring recommendations are desirable, commercially valuable and technically feasible.
- Design and facilitate workshops with senior stakeholders, using design thinking and collaborative problem-solving to build alignment and drive decisions.
- Develop compelling strategic narratives, frameworks and presentations that communicate complex ideas clearly and inspire confidence among senior clients.
- Translate customer research, business insights and performance data into meaningful strategic priorities, success measures and recommendations.
- Lead client relationships and multidisciplinary project teams, providing strategic direction, constructive feedback and clarity throughout delivery.
- Contribute to new business opportunities, pitches, proposals and scopes, helping shape and grow AKQA's customer experience offering.
- Collaborate across AKQA's international studios and specialist teams to deliver connected, consistent and innovative customer experiences.
QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS
Significant experience in customer experience strategy, product strategy, service design or a related discipline, gained within an agency, consultancy or product-led organisation.
Proven ability to independently lead complex strategic engagements and build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
Strong systems thinking, with the ability to connect customer journeys, business models, organisational processes and technology into a coherent strategic vision.
Experience shaping digital products and services, working closely with UX, design and engineering teams to translate strategy into practical solutions.
Confident applying design thinking, facilitating workshops and navigating ambiguity to bring clarity, alignment and actionable outcomes.
Excellent storytelling and communication skills, with the ability to develop polished, persuasive presentations for executive audiences.
Strong commercial awareness, with experience contributing to new business pitches, proposals, project scopes and delivery planning.
An informed perspective on emerging technologies, particularly AI and LLMs, and how they are changing customer behaviour and brand experiences.
Comfortable using research, customer insights and performance data to inform strategic recommendations and measure success.
Experience working across complex customer ecosystems, ideally within healthcare, nutrition, financial services or other regulated industries.
Collaborative and confident leader who can guide multidisciplinary teams, challenge thinking and inspire high-quality work.
Curious, proactive and comfortable moving between big-picture strategic thinking and the practical detail required to bring ideas to life.
Comfortable working with international teams and travelling occasionally, including to the US, depending on project requirements.
Explore our extensive range of benefits here.
We believe great work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach including required in-office days. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.
AKQA is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.
About WPP
WPP is the trusted growth partner for the world’s leading brands. We unite cutting-edge media intelligence and data solutions, world-class creativity, next-generation production, transformative enterprise solutions and expert strategic counsel in a single company – powered by exceptional talent and our agentic marketing platform, WPP Open, to help our clients navigate change, capture opportunity and deliver transformational growth. For more information, visit WPP.com.
Skills Required
- Significant experience in customer experience strategy, product strategy, service design, or a related discipline within an agency, consultancy, or product-led organization.
- Experience independently leading complex strategic engagements and building trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
- Strong systems thinking across customer journeys, business models, organizational processes, and technology.
- Experience shaping digital products and services with UX, design, and engineering teams.
- Experience applying design thinking, facilitating workshops, and navigating ambiguity.
- Excellent storytelling and communication skills, including executive-level presentations.
- Commercial awareness and experience contributing to new business pitches, proposals, project scopes, and delivery planning.
- Informed perspective on emerging technologies, particularly AI and LLMs, and their impact on customer behavior and brand experiences.
- Experience using research, customer insights, and performance data to inform recommendations and measure success.
- Experience working across complex customer ecosystems, ideally in healthcare, nutrition, financial services, or other regulated industries.
- Collaborative leadership experience guiding multidisciplinary teams and delivering high-quality work.
- Comfort working with international teams and traveling occasionally, including to the United States.
AKQA Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about AKQA and has not been reviewed or approved by AKQA.
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Parental & Family Support — Policies include fully paid parental leave for all parents, adoption support, and family leave for caregiving needs. Additional supports such as subsidized backup childcare and regional enhancements reinforce family care.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage offers multiple plan options with full preventive care, mental‑health resources, and dental and vision coverage. Some regions provide 24/7 virtual doctor access and supplementary healthcare budgets for services not covered by insurance.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time‑away provisions include generous paid holidays with increases over tenure and a companywide year‑end closure. Special, study, and event‑based leave (e.g., weddings, moving) broaden the range of available time off.
AKQA Insights
What We Do
AKQA is the frontier agency, uniting imagination, design, craft and technology to create new forms of value. For more than three decades, we've helped brands imagine what’s next and make what matters, from pioneering digital to defining the next era of AI. Operating across 19 countries and 30 locations, we work with organisations to build intelligent systems, digital products, connected ecosystems and immersive experiences that shape culture, deepen brand relevance and unlock growth. AKQA is a WPP agency.
