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. 

AKQA’s Experience Technology Architect, with assistance from the Technical Director and  Delivery Director, will serve as the technical point of contact for clients and lead the  project team for technical perspective to achieve the best results. 

As a member of AKQA Tokyo, you will join a dynamic, globally-minded team  surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields. You will create world-class  experiences for both Japanese and overseas markets with Team. 

ROLE REQUIREMENTS 

• Facing Japanese customers and collaborating with global team on activities related  to the technical aspects of the project. 
• Understanding proposed customer experiences and interpreting and document  technical requirements. 
• Define technology requirements and propose solutions based on company best  practice. 
• Platform Evaluation and selection to meet client requirements 
• Research best practices and proactively getting help of local and global colleagues to shape technical solutions. 
• Support the design and implementation of frontend and backend architecture to  drive customer experiences. 
• Research and ensure best practices in accessibility, performance, and security. Evaluate existing client architectures and suggest appropriate improvements to  meet their goals. 
• Recruit and oversee technology development teams.

QUALIFICATIONS & CHARACTERISTICS 

• Bachelorʼs degree in Computer Science, IT, or related field. 
• 5+ years of experience in software development or system Implementation. 3+ years of experience delivering customer-facing services on the vendor side. Understanding in frontend frameworks like ReactJS and backend technologies or  equivalent technologies. 
• Understanding of modern cloud infrastructure such as Vercel or Netlify, and major  cloud providers like GCP, AWS or Azure. 
• Having an interest in advanced technology solutions and being proactive in  acquiring new skills. 
• A person who can be an advocate for global standard framework and development  methodologies. 

Desired Qualifications 

• Ability to independently provide services to clients. 
• Experience in e-commerce and web architecture with headless architecture. Experience participating in global projects. 
• Business level English and native level Japanese. 

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)

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