Associate Strategy Director

AKQA; London Borough of Islington; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

AKQA, part of WPP, is seeking an Associate Strategy Director in its London studio to lead customer experience, product and service strategy for major brands. You'll shape how products, services and touchpoints work together to create connected experiences and meaningful client value.

You’ll work at the intersection of CX, business strategy, design and technology, translating strategic thinking into actionable plans and guiding multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in customer experience strategy, product strategy or service design within an agency, consultancy or product-led organisation.
• Proven ability to independently lead complex engagements and build trusted client relationships.
• Strong systems thinking connecting journeys, business models and technology into a coherent vision.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex customer experience and product strategy engagements from discovery through to delivery planning.
• Connect customer needs, business objectives, research and technology to define strategic direction.
• Map journeys, services and ecosystems to identify unmet needs and friction points across channels.
• Define how brands create value across owned digital experiences, AI and platform partnerships.
• Collaborate with UX, design and engineering to translate opportunities into propositions and requirements.
• Develop journeys, service blueprints and strategic roadmaps with commercially valuable, feasible outcomes.
• Design and facilitate workshops with senior stakeholders to build alignment and decisions.
• Develop strategic narratives and presentations to communicate ideas to executives.
• Translate research and insights into priorities and actionable recommendations.
• Lead client relationships and multidisciplinary teams, contributing to new business opportunities.

Skills

Customer experience strategy

Product strategy

Service design

Workshop facilitation

Executive storytelling

Job description

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.