At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the design of AI-native experiences and mentor a dynamic engineering team.
- Company: Join AKQA, a forward-thinking tech company shaping the future of AI.
- Benefits: Enjoy a hybrid work environment, competitive salary, and opportunities for growth.
- Other info: Collaborate with top talent in a creative and inclusive culture.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of AI innovation and make a real impact on global brands.
- Qualifications: Strong background in frontend engineering and AI architecture required.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 98000 £ per year.
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 products, services and experiences that capture the imagination and deliver meaningful returns for our clients.
At AKQA, you will help define the next era of AI-native customer experiences, not as a future concept, but as live products and platforms already moving into the world. The industry is entering a structural shift. Traditional digital experiences are becoming AI-native experiences, interfaces assembled in real-time around intent, conversation, retrieval and contextual generation. At AKQA, we are not exploring this future theoretically. We are already building it.
We are looking for a Director, Generative AI Experience Engineering to help define and deliver the next generation of AI-native customer experiences across commerce, content and customer interfaces for some of the world’s most ambitious brands. This role sits at the intersection of AI systems engineering, generative experience design and modern frontend architecture leadership. We are not looking for a traditional engineering manager, nor a pure AI researcher removed from delivery. We are looking for a hands-on technical leader who can operate across architecture, engineering, experimentation, delivery and client advisory simultaneously. You will lead and mentor a small engineering team whilst remaining close to the code, prototyping new ideas, shaping AI-native architectures and helping clients navigate AI transformation with confidence and clarity.
Based in a hybrid working environment, collaborating with global AKQA studios, you will work alongside some of the brightest minds in design, engineering and innovation, helping shape the future of AI-native experiences.
ROLE REQUIREMENTS- Technical Leadership
- Lead the design and architecture of AI-native experience platforms, from frontend rendering systems through to retrieval, orchestration and agentic workflows.
- Remain hands-on with engineering teams, contributing to prototypes, proof-of-concepts and production acceleration across emerging AI-enabled products and services.
- Manage and mentor a team of developers whilst driving engineering quality, technical direction and delivery standards.
- AI Systems & Experience Engineering
- Build and shape AI-native customer experiences driven by intent, contextual generation, retrieval and adaptive orchestration.
- Work across modern LLM ecosystems including foundation models, retrieval pipelines, vector storage, embeddings, multi-agent systems and AI observability tooling.
- Design systems that support conversational rendering, dynamic content assembly, streaming UX and adaptive interfaces.
- Actively experiment with AI tooling, workflows and engineering methodologies, bringing forward-thinking ideas into production environments.
- Client Advisory & Strategic Leadership
- Work directly with senior client stakeholders to shape AI transformation conversations, technical strategy and engineering roadmaps.
- Lead discovery sessions, workshops and architecture discussions, translating technical complexity into commercial and customer experience value.
- Act as the engineering authority within client engagements, confidently communicating what is technically viable, scalable and strategically valuable.
- Innovation & Delivery
- Lead rapid proof-of-concepts, innovation initiatives and production acceleration across undefined and emerging technical territory.
- Operate comfortably in ambiguity whilst balancing experimentation, delivery quality and commercial realities.
- Drive AI-augmented engineering methodologies and continuously improve engineering processes, tooling and technical standards.
- Strong experience across modern frontend engineering and AI-native architecture, with the ability to design and deliver scalable, production-ready systems.
- Frontend & Experience Engineering
- Advanced React and Next.js architecture
- Server Components, streaming UX and edge rendering
- Component systems and frontend orchestration
- AI Ecosystems & Orchestration
- Experience across modern AI ecosystems including OpenAI, Gemini, Claude and OSS models
- RAG pipelines, vector databases, embeddings and chunking
- Tool calling, agentic systems, orchestration and memory frameworks
- Prompt engineering, prompt management and context engineering
- AI observability, evaluations, governance and guardrails
- AI-Augmented Engineering
- AI-assisted development tooling including Claude Code, Cursor and Codex
- Prompt-driven engineering and AI pair-programming workflows
- Cloud & Infrastructure
- Vercel & GCP preferred, with AWS and Azure also considered
- Serverless and edge infrastructure
- AI workload deployment and optimisation
- CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure as Code
- Additional Technical Experience
- REST and GraphQL APIs
- Microservices and MACH architectures
- CMS, DXPs and MarTech ecosystems
- Must come from a strong engineering or development background with deep frontend architecture capability.
- A naturally curious and experimental mindset with strong opinions around the future of AI-native experiences and modern engineering workflows.
- Comfortable operating as both a technical architect and client-facing advisor.
- Low ego, collaborative and delivery-focused, with the ability to inspire through technical credibility rather than hierarchy.
- A systems thinker who understands the relationship between retrieval, orchestration, rendering and customer experience outcomes.
- Proactive, resilient and comfortable operating within rapid experimentation cycles and evolving technical landscapes.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to explain complex AI systems and engineering decisions to both technical and non-technical audiences.
- Passionate about emerging technologies, AI tooling and continuously evolving engineering methodologies.
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.
Director, Generative AI Experience Engineering in London employer: AKQA
At AKQA, we pride ourselves on being an innovative employer that champions creativity and collaboration in a hybrid working environment. Our commitment to employee growth is evident through mentorship opportunities and hands-on involvement in cutting-edge AI projects, allowing you to shape the future of customer experiences alongside some of the brightest minds in the industry. With a culture that values respect and inclusivity, we ensure that every team member has the opportunity to thrive and contribute meaningfully to our ambitious goals.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Director, Generative AI Experience Engineering in London
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at AKQA or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to AKQA.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like AKQA.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like AKQA that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Director, Generative AI Experience Engineering in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at AKQA.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at AKQA and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at AKQA
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If AKQA uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
