About this Client Director - Freelance role at AKQA

AKQA · Onsite · Atlanta

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.

Client leadership at AKQA builds trusted partnerships, provides cross-functional direction, and ensures our teams deliver exceptional work that meets both client ambition and cultural relevance. Client Directors are the connective tissue between client and team, guiding relationships with steadiness and care, corralling multidisciplinary talent, and keeping everyone focused on the work that matters most. They lead with judgment and diplomacy, earning trust through substance and follow-through.

We are seeking a Freelance Client Director to lead the relationship with one of the most prestigious and beloved names in the world of sport, a client whose brand is synonymous with tradition, excellence, and a deep reverence for the game. AKQA designs the look, feel, and creative vision for the client's digital experiences, partnering closely with the client and their implementation teams to bring the work to life. This is a role that calls for a steady, diplomatic leader who can collaborate seamlessly with other partners and vendors, protect the integrity of a cherished brand, and keep the entire team focused on delivering with excellence. This is a freelance role from ASAP through December 18, 2026.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Serve as the primary client leadership contact, building and maintaining a trusted, enduring partnership grounded in credibility and care
Provide cross-functional direction to the team, corralling multidisciplinary talent and keeping everyone focused on the priorities that matter most
Collaborate seamlessly with the client's implementation teams and other partners and vendors, leading with diplomacy and a spirit of true partnership
Protect and uphold the integrity of a cherished, tradition-rich brand across all digital experiences
Navigate the seasonal rhythms of the engagement, ramping and managing the team effectively through periods of changing intensity
Ensure the work consistently meets the client's high standards for craft, quality, and creative excellence
Anticipate needs, manage expectations, and keep initiatives on track from planning through delivery

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS

Significant client leadership experience within an agency environment, with a track record of leading relationships and multidisciplinary teams
Digital product and services experience is a must, with a strong understanding of how design and implementation partners work together to bring digital experiences to life
Strong team management skills, with the ability to corral, motivate, and align a team, including through seasonal ramp-ups
A diplomatic, steady presence; you lead with substance and partnership rather than force, and you collaborate well alongside other vendors and partners
Familiarity with and appreciation for the game of golf is strongly preferred; the client knows the game deeply and holds a high standard for those who do too
Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills, with the judgment to advise, align, and keep everyone focused on the prize
Proactive, organized, and calm under pressure, with the ability to adapt to a changing landscape
Collaborative, trustworthy, and motivated by protecting and elevating a beloved brand

Location & Commitment

Fully remote; must be available to work Eastern Time hours
Occasional travel for one or two on-site visits may be required
ASAP through December 18, 2026
40 hours/week
Expected weekly compensation: 3,200 to 3,600 USD

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.

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About AKQA

CORE VALUES

Our founding values guide our work and the philosophy of our firm:

Innovation – pioneering ideas combined with the application of technology, to achieve lasting improvements in performance for our clients.

Service – outstanding service to our clients and colleagues, so we retain exceptional people and create trust-based relationships with clients.

Quality – adhere to the highest professional standards and superior quality.

Thought – recommending the best solutions through the most rigorous thinking process.

TEAMWORK

AKQA provides the highest quality ideas and innovation services to clients around the world. Our consistent track-record of results achieved for clients have set our firm apart. Through our focus on our core values, thought-leadership, rigorous delivery, and industry initiatives, AKQA is today one of the world’s most influential companies. Our goal is to become a high-performance environment where the most talented people flourish. With our perfectionist approach, people join AKQA for the opportunity to do the best work of their careers.

We create digital products, services and immersive experiences that are useful, usable, delightful and enjoyed by millions. We employ a rapid ideation and prototyping process that focuses on getting pilots into market quickly, helping clients make a sustained impact, increase their relevance and expand their connection. By embracing a pioneering approach that continues to lead and define the industry, we deliver cohesive blueprints that fulfil audience needs and surpass business goals.

LONG-TERM COMMITMENT

AKQA is committed to helping our team develop into the best possible practitioners and to providing them with an unparalleled foundation for their career. We help develop well-rounded professionals acquire leadership skills more quickly than at other organisations. Our employees benefit from the trusted long-term nature of our client relationships as well as the cultural alignment between the client and our own organisation, creating an optimum environment to deliver the work without any compromises.

ORGANISED TO SUCCEED

The core motivation at AKQA is product excellence. Although we are part of WPP, AKQA operates as an independent firm. Organically grown, our team works as a single firm, without geographic division. This means we can bring the best resources from our network to provide solutions for our clients.

In addition to our own Future Lions initiative, we have formed partnerships with many of the world’s leading universities so we can hire their best graduates. We combine youth and energy with maturity and experience to form a community that has a unique diversity of knowledge and exceptional professional judgement.

DEVELOPMENT

In addition to on-the-job training, AKQA offers a menu of training through the AKQA Academy and WPP Professional Development. This comprehensive curriculum of formal training is designed to equip our team with the substantive creative, engineering, business acumen, communications, management and analytical skills required to have professionally rewarding careers. AKQA Academy and WPP Professional Development courses are taught by leaders in their fields including AKQA’s own senior team and respected external experts.

To maintain the continuous focus on our core values, and provide a clear career path for our team, all of our Managing Directors and Executive Partners are promoted from within AKQA.

All AKQA employees and clients are invited to participate in the AKQA Insight and AKQA Tech.Insight thought leadership programmes. These comprise a series of informative lectures and Q&A sessions with authors, artists, athletes, scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs who are recognised leaders in their respective disciplines.

DIVERSITY

We believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. We provide our employees with the canvas, tools and confidence to help them advance their careers in a way that best suits them.

SUSTAINABILITY

At AKQA we believe everything a company does should be about taking the responsibility to be respectful towards the community and the environment. We consider community and pro-bono work to be an important commitment of our employees. We encourage our team to devote their skills to a broad range of pro-bono and community activities, working with myriad charitable and not-for-profit organisations. AKQA is part of WPP’s Sustainability initiatives. WPP is ranked no. 49 in an annual round-up of the World’s Greenest Companies.