Product Design Director

At AKQA (part of WPP), we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to design a better future. Our Product Design Directors craft the interfaces, systems, and experiences that define how brands behave in the modern world, across mobile, spatial, voice, wearables, and AI-powered environments.

As a Product Design Director in Berlin, you will lead the design of products and brand ecosystems for a focused portfolio of high-impact clients — spanning luxury, mobility, and technology. You’ll guide multi-disciplinary teams to create elegant, brand-led experiences and design solutions that are as intelligent as they are inspiring.

You’ll define how brands translate into living systems — across interfaces, services, content, and AI-powered interactions, establishing benchmarks in accessibility, interaction, and multi-modal experience. You’ll champion the new frontier of brand user interfaces: adaptive design languages that translate brand identity into behaviour, sound, motion, and intelligence.

AKQA Berlin Product Design Directors operate at the intersection of brand, product, and emerging technology, shaping solutions that are not only beautifully designed, but commercially effective and scalable – working side-by-side with strategy, data, and engineering teams

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Lead concept, design, and delivery of world-class digital products and connected experiences that define new standards for creativity and usability.

• Partner with UX, Creative Technology, and AI Engineering teams to shape AI-native interfaces, generative UI systems, and adaptive design components.

• Establish and evolve brand-led design systems that perform across screen, voice, gesture, and spatial interfaces.

• Translate brand platforms into functional, usable, and measurable product experiences.

• Embed accessibility and inclusivity from first principles, ensuring WCAG compliance and usability for all audiences.

• Drive rapid prototyping and experimentation, particularly across AI, generative systems, and emerging interaction models

• Mentor, grow, and inspire a diverse team of designers, cultivating craftsmanship, critical thinking, and innovation.

• Collaborate closely with strategists, client partners, and our creative teams to translate brand purpose into tangible, useful digital products that truly resonate.

• Represent AKQA in new business opportunities, articulating the value of design in solving complex business and human challenges.

• Play a key role in client leadership and growth, shaping opportunities and articulating design’s commercial value.

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

• 10+ years’ experience (as a guide, not a restriction) in product design or interaction design at leading studios or in-house teams.

• Comfortable operating in fast-moving, ambiguous environments with senior client stakeholders.

• Proven experience delivering end-to-end product ecosystems, not just screens or features.

• Mastery of Figma and contemporary design-system workflows (tokens, auto-layout, component libraries), along with complementary tools, such as code-based interaction design software and no-code web and app solutions.

• Strong understanding of human-centred design, accessibility, motion, and micro-interaction principles.

• Experience working with AI-driven design workflows and emerging technologies.

• Familiarity with AI design tools, prototyping in Framer, Principle, ProtoPie, or After Effects, and collaboration with machine-learning or data-science teams.

• Demonstrable success in uniting brand and product through interface design, e.g. motion language, sound design, or spatial storytelling.

• Experience mentoring mid- and senior-level designers; a track record of growing creative excellence and cultural impact.

• Comfortable presenting to senior clients and executives, and confident operating within fast-paced, high-stakes environments.

• Systems thinker with keen eye for detail and a deep sensitivity to brand and narrative.

• Calm, credible communicator who brings clarity and optimism to complex challenges.

• Obsessed with emerging technologies and their human potential.

• Strong point of view on how AI is reshaping design, products, and brands

• Advocates for inclusive design and accessible innovation.

• Balances bold vision with precision in craft.

This is a key leadership role within AKQA Berlin, a studio defined by its ambition to punch above its weight, combining global relevance with a tightly knit, international team. You will imagine what’s next and make what matters for brands including Porsche, Riese & Müller, IWC and Google. You’ll be at the forefront of AI-powered product design, helping redefine how creativity, intelligence, and empathy coexist in every interaction.

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. For more information, visit WPP.com.