Associate User Experience Director - Visa… at AKQA · New York…

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. User Experience leaders at AKQA apply artistry and craftsmanship to strategic insights, designing articulate, beautiful and impactful customer experiences across a wide variety of channels and devices. Skilled storytellers and systems thinkers, they work in a multidisciplinary environment to create data-driven, user-centered solutions that transform business for our clients—while elevating the teams and practices around them. We are seeking an experienced Freelance Associate UX Director to support a massive global brand that most people rely on every single day. In this role, you will bring strong UX leadership and a systems-minded approach to a complex, high-visibility engagement, working closely with design to deliver cohesive, well-considered experiences. You will help set direction, contribute to and champion design systems, and ensure the work is grounded in user needs and executed to the highest standard. ROLE REQUIREMENTS • Lead UX thinking and direction across one or more concurrent workstreams, balancing strategic vision with hands-on delivery • Collaborate closely and fluidly with visual and product designers to ensure UX and design are tightly aligned throughout the process • Contribute to, maintain, and champion design systems—ensuring consistency, scalability, and adoption across teams • Define and communicate user journeys, flows, interaction patterns, and key design decisions with clarity and rationale • Independently deliver innovative solutions to complex problems, responsibly introducing new patterns where existing ones fall short • Distill research, data, and strategic inputs into clear UX direction that can be understood and acted on by cross-functional partners • Guide and provide feedback to more junior UX practitioners, supporting quality and growth across the team • Partner with product, strategy, and technology leads to ensure experience decisions are grounded in both user needs and business goals • Communicate effectively with senior stakeholders on both the agency and client sides, presenting work with confidence and clarity • Contribute to continuously raising the bar for UX standards, deliverables, and processes within the engagement QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS • A compelling portfolio of distinctive work demonstrating strong UX craft across complex digital products or services, with clear evidence of systems thinking • Deep expertise in design systems—contributing to, scaling, and evangelizing them within multidisciplinary teams is a must • Experience in B2B contexts—understanding the nuances of enterprise users, workflows, and stakeholder complexity—is a significant plus • Mastery of Figma and relevant prototyping/collaboration tools (e.g., Miro, FigJam) • Exceptional written, visual, and verbal communication skills; able to articulate decisions and rationale to both technical and non-technical audiences • Highly collaborative; a natural partner to designers and cross-functional teammates who brings clarity without hierarchy • Detail-oriented and delivery-focused, with the ability to manage workload independently in a fast-paced environment • Fosters progressive, limitless thinking while remaining pragmatic about constraints and timelines Location & Commitment • Remote (U.S.-based candidates only) • 40 hours/week • Expected compensation: $4,000–$5,000 per week 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.