Associate Strategy Director

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 i