Experience Design Director

AKQA Media; Dubai; On-site; AED 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

AKQA Media is seeking an Experience Design Director to lead innovative customer experience projects in Dubai. This role involves guiding a team to create standout digital products across various channels and devices, building collaborative strategies, and ensuring high standards of design. Ideal candidates will have robust experience in UX/UI and team management, particularly in the MENA region, and will champion the integration of AI in design processes. If you thrive in a meritocratic culture and are eager to produce meaningful work, we welcome your application.

Qualifications

• Global knowledge of where experience design is going across UX and UI.
• Experience of the MENA region, specifically UAE and KSA.
• Extensive information architecture/content strategy/user experience/usability experience for blue-chip clients.
• Experience of line management and team development.
• Experience of working with standard IA and UCD tools and processes.
• Solid understanding of innovative technologies and specifically AI.
• Experience of content management systems and e-commerce.
• Experience of cross-platform design.

Responsibilities

• Lead teams to concept, design, and deliver standout digital products, activations and ecosystems.
• Set the creative direction for experience-led briefs and bring them to life through systems thinking and design craft.
• Translate business opportunities into compelling experience strategies and prototypes that excite clients and move work forward.
• Partner with Strategy, Visual Design, Copy, Tech, and Accounts to ensure creative intent holds across every touchpoint.
• Build narratives and storytelling that elevate how we present and sell our design work to clients.
• Mentor and develop experience and UI designers, building a team culture grounded in experimentation, rigor, and ambition.
• Champion innovation through AI-enhanced experiences, adaptive design systems and data-driven interfaces.

Skills

Experience design

Team management

Prototyping

User experience

Information architecture

AI knowledge

E-commerce experience

Cross-platform design

Job description

The Experience team at AKQA are at the forefront of new thinking and techniques. Responsible for the development of innovative customer experiences across a wide variety of channels and devices, the team uses their own research, ideation and design, with minimal direction.

As an Experience Design Director at AKQA, you will lead our approach to experience in the region, while managing the wider experience team. You will be responsible for the creation of innovative customer experiences across a wide variety of channels and devices. You will work in an autonomous and collaborative manner, leading team members in collaboration with other disciplines. You will be expected to come up with ideas of how best to deliver your work in line with AKQA standards and you will be the key experience champion/liaison with your clients, helping to share ideas while managing client expectations and participation in the UX design process.

From our location in the heart of Dubai, AKQA offers our staff the opportunity to produce meaningful work for world-class. You will work in an environment which fosters a meritocratic culture and encourages ownership.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Lead teams to concept, design, and deliver standout digital products, activations and ecosystems


• Set the creative direction for experience-led briefs and bring them to life through systems thinking and design craft.


• Translate business opportunities into compelling experience strategies and prototypes that excite clients and move work forward


• Partner with Strategy, Visual Design, Copy, Tech, and Accounts to ensure creative intent holds across every touchpoint


• Build narratives and storytelling that elevate how we present and sell our design work to clients


• Mentor and develop experience and UI designers, building a team culture grounded in experimentation, rigor, and ambition


• Champion innovation through AI-enhanced experiences, adaptive design systems and data-driven interfaces

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• Global knowledge of where experience design is going across UX and UI.


• Experience of the MENA region, specifically UAE and KSA.


• Extensive information architecture/content strategy/user experience/usability experience for blue-chip clients.


• Experience of line management and team development.


• Experience of working with standard IA and UCD tools and processes.


• Solid understanding of innovative technologies and specifically AI.


• Experience of content management systems and e-commerce.


• Experience of cross-platform design.

Please include your portfolio or work samples in the application.

AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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.