Associate Design Director, Product — Lead Digital Brand Experiences

twentysix; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

AKQA Amsterdam is seeking an Associate Design Director to shape how brands come to life through digital experiences. You will blend design thinking with digital craft, turning brand stories into intuitive interfaces, interactions and systems.

You’ll work hands-on in Figma, prototype, and help grow the craft of the team with AI-enabled workflows. You’ll lead and collaborate with design, UX, motion, and technology experts, shaping journeys and ensuring the work remains distinctively part of the

Qualifications

• Lead the digital craft across digital products, services and experiences.
• Shape the experience by turning brand, business and human needs into useful solutions.
• Translate brand identity into interfaces, interactions, motion and systems.
• Design by doing using Figma and prototyping tools to explore ideas early.
• Strong understanding of UX and human-centred design in cross-disciplinary teams.
• Create and evolve scalable, brand-led design systems with components, tokens and AI.
• Use AI naturally to improve workflow and explore new possibilities.
• Lead together with designers, strategists, experience designers and technologists.
• Maintain high design quality and mentor junior designers.

Responsibilities

• Lead the digital craft across digital products, services and experiences.
• Shape the experience, turning brand and user needs into compelling interfaces.
• Translate brand distinctions into coherent UI, interactions and motion.
• Hands-on design in Figma and prototyping to explore and test ideas.
• Collaborate with experience and service designers to shape journeys.
• Develop scalable, brand-led design systems for coherence and efficiency.
• Experiment with AI to augment design processes and outcomes.
• Guide and mentor teammates to raise craft and impact.

Skills

Lead the digital craft

Shape the experience

Brand translation to UI

Design by doing

UX & human-centred design

Brand-led design systems

AI-driven design

Cross-disciplinary leadership

Mentoring junior designers

Job description

AKQA Amsterdam is seeking an Associate Design Director to shape how brands come to life through digital experiences. You will blend design thinking with digital craft, turning brand stories into intuitive interfaces, interactions and systems.

You’ll work hands-on in Figma, prototype, and help grow the craft of the team with AI-enabled workflows. You’ll lead and collaborate with design, UX, motion, and technology experts, shaping journeys and ensuring the work remains distinctively part of the