Technical Lead (AI & MACH)

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 and build adaptive digital products, services and experiences that capture the imagination and deliver impressive returns for our clients.

Our roles and responsibilities are rapidly changing during this age of rapid AI growth, adoption, capability and market options. AI Landscape and Production AI implementation experience is essential. The Technical Lead is the main driver for the end-to-end; ideation, technical innovation, design, scoping, development, deployment and maintenance of solutions using the latest tools and technologies. The Technical Lead has overall responsibility for the day-to-day technical ownership and direction of a project.

While this role is client-facing and involves leading the technical direction, you will also be expected to lead the architecture of the project and will contribute to code, particularly during critical phases or to prototype new features. You will be working closely with Business, Project Management, Creative, UX, and Data teams whilst also running on-shore, off-shore and hybrid development teams.

This role also involves contributing to Technical Strategy, ideation, pitching, pre-sales activities and engineering, thought leadership, profile creation and speaking engagements. Based in London (Farringdon), in a Hybrid working environment, frequently collaborating with our global studios and partners, you will enjoy working in a team of highly skilled people, all with strong opinions about various technologies, frameworks and approaches.

You will articulate your ideas to colleagues effectively whilst also taking on board the ideas of others and remaining solutions focused. You will thrive when faced with new challenges, view them as opportunities and constantly look to improve client offerings. You will work in a progressive environment that fosters a meritocratic culture, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields.

As a Technical Lead at AKQA, you will be inspired by technology and have a passion for creating innovative solutions. While you may from time-to-time also be asked to wear the hats of a Project Manager, Scrum-Master or Product Owner; we are looking for a Technologist first, with these additional capabilities. Technical Architecture and Engineering capability and experience is mandatory.

• Client facing.
• Thought Leadership and promotion of AKQA Technology.
• AI Implementor.
• AI Usage – proficient elevated workflow and development tooling.
• AI Enabled Experience Development & Integration – vendor and cloud landscape knowledge, systems design, integration & model customisation – with proven experience of addressing marketing challenges such as content generation, personalisation, campaign optimisation etc.
• AI Architecture – Agentic AI creation and Orchestration.
• AI Content & Data Engineering – experience of collecting, cleansing, transforming and embedding.
• AI Cost x Value calculations.
• AI Governance and Testing models.
• Design and implement first-class end-to-end Solutions and MACH Architectures.
• Ability to create prototypes or bug fixes.
• Ability to integrate innovative solutions into the technical architecture.
• Ability to analyse, appraise and make recommendations, taking into account existing client technology landscape whilst pushing new technology solutions to align with business ambitions.
• Ability to evaluate and validate the technical complexities of multi-tiered web solutions and systems integration, their underlying technologies and the latest technical tools.
• Ability to gather requirements and break them down into the technical tasks required to complete a project phase.
• Ability to operate within different software delivery methodologies such as Lean Innovation teams, KANBAN and larger SCRUM teams.
• Ability to recognise technical risk and plan to mitigate, and/or move fast to solutionise.
• Able to decide the resource profile required for a project and to provide top-down and bottom-up estimates against a scope.
• Line manage and coach Developers and help them to grow and develop their careers and capabilities.
• Ability to manage one or two; onshore, nearshore, offshore or hybrid development team(s) at a time.
• Strive to learn new skills and stay abreast of technical developments, successfully applying them to work practices.
• Ability to compare and select the most appropriate supplier or product for the required task.
• Ability and techniques to improve processes per project, client workstreams and in the technology department as a whole.

• Cloud hosting providers such as AWS, Azure, GCP, Vercel & Netlify.
• Cross-platform AI experience across AWS, Microsoft Azure, Google (e.g. Bedrock, AgentCore, Vertex, Azure ML etc.).
• Advanced Python programming.
• AI frameworks such as AutoGen, Langflow, Tensorflow.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code, CI/CD.
• Use of Middleware and RESTful or GraphQL APIs.
• Microservices and MACH Architectures.
• HTML, CSS, Javascript frameworks such as React, or Mobile technologies such as SwiftUI, Kotlin, Flutter or React-native.
• CMS, DXPs and common MarTech SaaS product integration.
• Atlassian, Azure DevOps, GitLab or similar workflow tools.
• Understanding of Automation and QA practices.

• Must be from an engineering or development background.
• A continuous-improvement approach to management.
• Proactive self-starter with acute attention to detail and drive for improvement.
• A practically-minded thought leader whose first priority is delivering excellent work.
• Advocate for improvements to processes, quality, and security.
• Analytical and positive mindset with a personable and professional approach.
• Sharp attention to detail and a passion for new technology, staying abreast with the latest developments in the industry.
• Professional written and verbal communication.
• Be able to talk about Technology to non-technical audiences (clients, stakeholders and team members).
• Champion continuous improvement and best-in-class software development processes.
• Contribute to the ideation process and be proactive in proposing technical solutions to needs that other disciplines may not be aware of.

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.