VML & Ogilvy | Technical Director, Japan

WPP is the creative transformation company. We use the power of creativity to build better futures for our people, planet, clients, and communities.

Working at WPP means being part of a global network of more than 100,000 talented people dedicated to doing extraordinary work for our clients. We operate in over 100 countries, with corporate headquarters in New York, London and Singapore.

WPP is a world leader in marketing services, with deep AI, data and technology capabilities, global presence and unrivalled creative talent. Our clients include many of the biggest companies and advertisers in the world, including approximately 300 of the Fortune Global 500.

Our people are the key to our success. We're committed to fostering a culture of creativity, belonging and continuous learning, attracting and developing the brightest talent, and providing exciting career opportunities that help our people grow.

We are seeking a highly skilled and innovative Technical Director to bridge the gap between client needs and technical solutions within our agency. The ideal candidate possesses a strong understanding of both data, marketing and technical domains, with the ability to architect technical solutions across technologies for web, mobile, enterprise martech and translate complex business requirements into effective and scalable solutions. You will work closely with clients, product design teams, and engineering (front end and back end) teams to design and implement solutions that meet project objectives and shape the technical direction for our clients. We are seeking a hands – on leader for engineering teams and design teams as well as a consultative leader with clients’ technical teams. We are seeking someone who is collaborative, curious, problem solving oriented and kind.

What You’ll Do

• Architectural Design: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and develop scalable and efficient solutions [see example technologies below]. Create architectures that align with project requirements and business objectives.

• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and leadership to the development team, ensuring best practices and architectural standards are followed. Serve as a subject matter expert, staying up-to-date with the latest trends, tools, and frameworks in the creative technology space.

• Solution Development: Work closely with clients and internal stakeholders to identify business needs and translate them into technical requirements. Lead the development of production-ready web, mobile, enterprise martech solutions

• Collaboration: Collaborate with other Solution Architects, Software Engineers, Designers, and Project Managers to ensure seamless integration of

• Evaluation and Optimization: Evaluate existing systems and technologies, identifying areas for improvement and optimization. Provide recommendations for enhancements, architectural changes, or technology adoption to enhance overall solution quality and performance.

• Collaboration: Partner with teams of developers and technologists.

• Pre – sales: Participate in pre-sales conversations with clients and internal teams.

What You’ll Need

• 8-10 years Experience as a Tech Director, Solution Architect, Technical Architect, Cloud Architect, pre-sales technical lead, or similar role, with a focus on web, mobile, enterprise technologies.

• Strong understanding of architectural principles, design patterns, and best practices in software development. Can provide solutions for high performance and scalability architecture.

• Experience in designing and implementing end-to-end solutions, from requirements gathering to deployment and maintenance.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills to effectively collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders. JP and ENG preferred based on client and internal team communication.

• Have experience with any Tech stack/language/framework (JavaScript, TypeScript, ReactJS, Angular, VueJS, HTML5 / CSS 3, SASS/LESS), Mobile (iOS, Android, React Native, Flutter), Backend (NodeJS, Java, Go, PHP, Python, .Net Core), Database (MySQL, MSSQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra), Web Server (Nginx, Apache), Web (Drupal, AEM)

• Have strong solutioning experience with any of Cloud solutions: Azure, GCP or AWS.

• Excellent understanding of DevOps/CloudOps and building high-availability infrastructure.

• Leadership that combines persuasiveness, decisiveness, and competitiveness is necessary to motivate a team.

• Stay up-to-date on the latest technologies and industry best practices to drive business growth

• Design modern technical architectures to implement the solution

• Develop and oversee technical documentation of client solutions ie architectures, user manuals, platform evaluation and recommendations, conform and manage source code control guidelines for the agency

• Work with service-oriented architecture (SOA) technologies.

• Work with various teams to configure management systems via its management interfaces (E.g. EDM, Ad Platforms, CMS, etc)

• Familiarity with source code control systems (E.g. SVN, GIT)

• Familiarity with task tracking systems (E.g. Jira)

• Good understanding of quality processes and standards

• Ability to manage internal stakeholders and client stakeholders.

• Have worked in small/large teams and clients locally and regionally to deliver projects.

• Understanding how to work with product design teams is a plus.

• Exposure to Data-related projects like RFM, BI, ML, AI, is a plus.

• Skilled or Certified in Adobe, Salesforce, CDP, Loyalty Platforms, is a plus.

• Bilingual proficiency in Japanese and English (written and spoken).

• Ability to work in a fast – paced environment.

Operational & delivery excellence:

• Optimize operational efficiency as a catalyst for business success, streamlining technical processes, maximizing resource technical efficiency & utilization, minimizing project delays, number of technical showstoppers, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

• Able to own and drive to solve technical escalations

• Work with technical teams to implement and deploy solutions, ensuring quality and performance.

• Have experience working with distributed teams

Client consultation and pre- sales:

• Meet with clients to understand their business challenges and technical requirements.

• Translate client requirements into technical specifications and solution designs.

• Design and architect technical solutions that are scalable, reliable, and cost-effective.

• Participate in pre-sales conversations with clients and internal teams.

About Us

VML & Ogilvy Japan GK was established in April 2019 as a partnership between Geometry Global and The Ogilvy Group to enhance our offering to brands in Japan in support of their business ambitions and marketing objectives. We believe in the power of creativity to drive meaningful change that delivers positive business outcomes. Now more than ever the ability for an agency to flex and adapt to clients changing needs is vital in the application of communications, brand experience, commerce and technology. Our blend of global and local expertise and marketing capability is designed to meet the challenges of today while setting our clients up for success from tomorrow and beyond. VML & Ogilvy Japan GK is a WPP company (NASDAQ: WWPGY)

We believe the best work happens when we're together, fostering creativity, collaboration, and connection. That's why we’ve adopted a hybrid approach, with teams in the office around four days a week. If you require accommodations or flexibility, please discuss this with the hiring team during the interview process.

WPP 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.

Please read our Privacy Notice (https://www.wpp.com/en/careers/wpp-privacy-policy-for-recruitment) for more information on how we process the information you provide.