Freelance Senior Designer

AKQA; New York (NY); On-site; USD 118,300 - 154,700; Full time

Job summary

AKQA, part of WPP, seeks an experienced Freelance Senior UI Designer with a strong emphasis in Design Systems to support a major financial services brand. This remote role runs through December 23, 2026, with a 40-hour work week.

The position emphasizes high-fidelity UI, scalable design systems, and collaboration with UX, product, strategy, and engineering. Proficiency in Figma and AI-assisted design tools is required for impactful output.

Qualifications

• Strong UI craft across digital products and services.
• Experience building and evolving design systems.
• Proficient in high-fidelity prototyping and interaction design.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality UI across digital product surfaces with user-centered craft.
• Contribute to design systems across components, tokens, patterns, variants, and states.
• Develop and deliver high-fidelity prototypes using Figma.

Skills

UI design

Design systems

Prototyping

User-centered design

Cross-functional collaboration

Visual design

AI-assisted design

Tools

Figma

Auto layout

Design system libraries

Job description

At AKQA (part of WPP) we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

Creatives at AKQA apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insight to create and bring to life beautiful ideas that move the world. Skilled storytellers and conceptors, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to develop labors of love that delight customers and deliver results for clients. Designers play essential roles in the strategy, conception, and design of beautiful ideas, products and services, bringing exceptional creative thought and craft output from brief to end user.

We are seeking an experienced Freelance Senior UI Designer with a strong emphasis in Design Systems to support one of the most recognized and trusted names in financial services, a brand with deep roots in helping people plan, protect, and secure their futures. We are doing transformative digital product work with this client, shaping the ways that millions of people engage with their financial lives. This is a meaningful, high-visibility engagement where strong visual craft and systems-level thinking have a direct impact on real people at pivotal moments. This is a remote freelance role starting as soon as possible and running through December 23, 2026.

Role Requirements

• Deliver high-quality UI design across digital product surfaces, with a strong grounding in user-centered design principles and a meticulous eye for craft
• Bring a strong UI sensibility and visual design expertise to digital product work, with complementary UX capabilities that inform and elevate your output
• Contribute to, maintain, and evolve sophisticated design systems, working confidently across components, tokens, patterns, variants, and states with a focus on scalability and consistency
• Develop and deliver high-fidelity prototypes and interactive experiences primarily utilizing Figma, with expert-level command of components, variants, auto layout, libraries, and prototyping capabilities
• Translate UX direction and wireframes into polished, pixel-precise designs that are both on-brand and highly usable
• Work both strategically and tactically, weighing tradeoffs and exploring multiple solution concepts across a complex ecosystem of digital products and services
• Adept at utilizing AI tools to inform and streamline the design process, from research to prototyping
• Collaborate closely with UX designers, product managers, strategists, and engineers to ensure design decisions are well-integrated and grounded in user needs
• Contribute to continuously raising the bar for design quality, process, and delivery standards within the engagement

Qualities and Characteristics

• A compelling portfolio of distinctive work demonstrating strong UI craft across digital products and services, with clear evidence of design systems experience
• Expert-level Figma skills, including advanced component management, variables, libraries, and design system architecture; Figma proficiency is a must
• Able to develop simple and elegant design solutions to complex design problems
• Comfortable working within complex and highly considered subject matter contexts
• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience partnering across UX, product, strategy, and engineering
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Fosters progressive and limitless thinking

Location & Commitment

• Remote (United States only)
• ASAP through December 23, 2026
• 40 hours/week
• Expected weekly compensation: 2,600 to 3,400

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.