Technical Director

At AKQA (part of WPP) we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful  ideas, products and services. We exist to create the future together with our clients. 

The Technology Director is responsible for leading and growing the Tokyo technology team and client portfolio. Working alongside the local leadership team and regional Chief Technology Officer, you will own the Tokyo technology strategy, plan how to grow and service the Tokyo studio engagements and foster a high-performing technology team, while ensuring successful commercial engagements and technical program delivery.

You will build and lead a team of experts and coordinate with regional practice leaders and partners to deliver technology outcomes for the Tokyo client portfolio. As a member of the regional AKQA Technology Executive, you will also contribute to regional technology initiatives and practice development.

By deeply understanding client business challenges, experience goals, and technical requirements, the Technology Director serves as the central decision-maker ensuring world-class digital experiences powered by modern web architectures and frameworks, MarTech, and AI technologies.

This role reports to the local Delivery Director and the APAC CTO.  Primary reports for this role include Solution Architects, Technical Leads, and Principal Engineers.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Delivery Leadership

• Lead the technical setup and onboarding for web and digital product development projects.
• Own architecture reviews, code reviews, and technical risk assessments.
• Establish quality, performance, and security standards to ensure high-quality delivery.
• Lead high-complexity projects independently within client engagements.
• Drive technical decision-making and propose optimal implementation approaches.
• Be hands-on in delivering technology engagements and solutions as required, while building the Tokyo technology practice.

Proposal & Pre-Sales Support

• Lead RFP/RFI analysis, technical approach design, and proposal development.
• Own technical presentations, client communication, and estimation.
• Contribute to business growth by designing competitive, technology-driven solutions.
• Lead and coordinate bringing in regional technology colleagues and partners in order to create compelling RFP responses highlighting the best of AKQA’s capabilities
  
  

Team Management & Capability Building

• Lead and mentor architects, Technical Delivery Managers, and other technology team members.
• Define and maintain technical standards, development processes, and best practices to improve productivity and quality.
• Support hiring, talent development, performance management, and community engagement to strengthen the technology discipline.
• Ensure the team structure is maintained, and appropriately sized for the current and pipeline client engagements.
• Guide decisions on the mix of resources across the studio, including the mix of permanent and contract roles, and decisions on when to utilise partners within the AKQA and Itochu networks.
• Work with regional practice leaders to develop practice related talent

Solution Development & Innovation

• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies such as AI/LLM, MarTech tools, cloud platforms, and modern web frameworks.
• Provide technical insights that drive client proposals and product improvements.
• Collaborate with global teams to adopt and localize best practices and global capabilities.

Stakeholder Communication

• Lead technical discussions with client executives, IT leaders, and product owners.
• Promote collaboration with AKQA's regional and global team, and partnerships with partners.
• Work closely with PMs, designers, and strategists to ensure alignment across all project disciplines.

Reputation

• Involvement in AKQA's marketing and PR - focused on both potential clients and potential employees.
• Drive initiatives to connect with and attract key talent to AKQA.
• Foster and contribute to industry thought leadership.

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS 

• Strong interest and ongoing learning in AI, LLMs, generative AI, MarTech, and emerging technologies
• Experience designing architecture for large-scale digital products
• Experience working within a global or distributed organization
• Public technical contributions such as conference speaking, publishing, or OSS involvement
• knowledge of modern web architecture, APIs, cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure / Vercel, Netlify), and software engineering best practices