Full-Time
Principal Engineer
Gen AI and MACH Architecture
AKQA
1,001-5,000 employees
Digital design and brand experience agency
No salary listed
London, UK
Hybrid
Required in-office days are part of the hybrid working arrangement.
 AI & Machine Learning (1) |
|---|
 Software Engineering (1) |
|---|
Get referred to AKQA
See people who can refer or advise you
- At least three years of experience with Generative AI, including shipping at least one AI solution to production in an enterprise context.
- Experience designing AI architecture for experience platforms, including retrieval-augmented generation, GraphRAG, agent orchestration, and proximity or relevance evaluation.
- Hands-on implementation experience with Vercel AI SDK, Vercel AI Cloud, and agentic cloud patterns.
- Experience designing ingestion, cleansing, transformation, embedding, indexing, and retrieval pipelines for AI content and data engineering.
- Experience integrating cloud AI services such as Google Cloud Platform, Vertex AI, Vercel AI Cloud, AWS Bedrock, and Azure OpenAI within MACH and API-led landscapes.
- Experience designing intelligent experiences and content structures optimized for generative engine discovery and large language model retrieval.
- Experience customizing and fine-tuning existing models for production use cases, including data preparation, evaluation, versioning, and deployment under enterprise governance, cost, and reliability constraints.
- Experience with AI cost-value analysis, observability, governance, testing, and evaluation frameworks for production systems.
- Experience applying Generative AI to marketing and experience challenges such as personalization, content generation, and campaign optimization, with measurable production outcomes.
- Advanced Design Systems thinking and experience bridging design intent through UI development and production application builds.
- Experience applying Generative AI to accelerate, validate, and quality-assure the path from design to shippable code and experiences.
- At least eight years of experience designing and delivering MACH-based enterprise platforms.
- Deep hands-on experience across Google Cloud Platform and Vertex AI and Vercel AI Cloud, or equivalent alternatives on AWS and Microsoft Azure.
- Experience with infrastructure design, security, and operational ownership across cloud platforms.
- Experience designing RESTful and GraphQL APIs, contract-first designs, versioning, gateway patterns, and integrations across SaaS, CMS, DXP, and MarTech stacks.
- Experience with distributed systems and event-driven architecture, including messaging, asynchronous workflows, resilience patterns, idempotency, and at-scale system behavior.
- Advanced server-side development and service design, with Python recommended.
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD, including automated build, test, and deployment pipelines.
- Experience with cloud and edge hosting across Google Cloud Platform, Vercel, AWS, Azure, and Netlify or related deployment models.
- Front-end integration literacy with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Next.js, and React.
- Experience integrating CMS, DXP, MarTech, and SaaS platforms in complex enterprise landscapes.
- Experience with automation, quality assurance, security, performance, reliability, and maintainability.
- A senior engineering, platform, or architecture background with Principal, Staff, or equivalent hands-on depth.
- Ability to explain complex technical decisions to non-technical clients, stakeholders, and team members.
- Professional written and verbal communication.
- Lead the technical direction of complex client programs across MACH architectures and production Generative AI.
- Design, build, and ship enterprise-grade systems, spending the majority of the role on hands-on engineering delivery.
- Own architecture decisions, write and review production code, and remain accountable for what ships.
- Lead technical direction across Design to Code workflows, solution design, API contracts, cloud infrastructure, deployment, and ongoing operation.
- Mentor engineers and provide technical guidance to on-shore, off-shore, and hybrid engineering squads.
- Work closely with Technical Managers, cross-discipline teams, global studios, and partners throughout the program lifecycle.
- Support pre-sales scoping and technical pitches when needed.
- Contribute to technical discovery and proactively propose engineering solutions for cross-discipline needs.
- Advocate for improvements to engineering processes, quality, security, and operational excellence.
- Champion continuous improvement and best-in-class software development processes.
- Preference for Google Cloud Platform and Vercel, or suitable equivalents on AWS and Azure, with the ability to draw parallels across platforms.
- Experience with custom model creation, fine-tuning, or adaptation for production delivery.
- Experience with Figma, Cursor, Claude, and Vercel v0.
- Additional programming languages beyond Python.
- Experience with mobile technologies such as SwiftUI, Kotlin, Flutter, or React Native.
- Experience with headless CMS platforms such as Contentful, Sanity, or ContentStack.
- Experience with workflow and delivery tools such as GitHub, Bitbucket, GitLab, Atlassian, and Azure DevOps.
- Experience with CI/CD cloud functions or similar tooling.
AKQA is a digital design and communications agency that delivers digital strategy, experience and product design, e-commerce, and technology implementation for global brands. Its approach combines creativity, technology, and data to build digital products and immersive campaigns. The company works through integrated teams that move from strategy to design to development and activation, using technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality, and virtual reality to create engaging experiences. AKQA differentiates itself by operating as an autonomous subsidiary within WPP while leveraging scale across 50 countries and about 6,000 employees, enabling end-to-end services and a track record of large-brand work (e.g., Microsoft, Nike, Google, Unilever) and industry recognition. Its goal is to help brands transform digitally and achieve measurable business results through compelling, user-centered digital experiences.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Acquired
Total Funding
$540M
Headquarters
San Francisco, California
Founded
2007
Get referred to AKQA
See people who can refer or advise you
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- AKQA won seven Cannes Lions on June 24, 2026 for Volvo and Dove work.
- AKQA New Zealand appointed Viv Baartman in July 2026 to expand government and enterprise.
- B&T, Adweek, and D&AD highlighted AKQA leaders in 2025, strengthening recruiting and credibility.
What critics are saying
- WPP’s 2026 Creative unification centralizes AKQA under Jon Cook, reducing autonomy.
- Since Ajaz Ahmed’s 2024 exit, AKQA has lost nearly a dozen senior leaders.
- Leadership churn threatens client continuity and could trigger defections to VML, Ogilvy, and in-house teams.
What makes AKQA unique
- AKQA fuses creative, technology, and data across digital products and brand experiences.
- WPP still keeps AKQA as a standalone brand inside its creative portfolio.
- AKQA’s awards in 2026 show strength in design, strategy, and social creativity.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Hybrid Work Options
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -6%1 year growth
↓ -6%2 year growth
↓ -6%AKQA New Zealand appoints new executive partner. AKQA NZ executive product director Matt Townsend, new executive partner Viv Baartman and managing director Dave Bentley. AKQA New Zealand has appointed Viv Baartman as its new executive partner. In this role, Baartman will lead the strategic direction and growth of the Wellington studio, strengthen relationships across the government and enterprise sectors and support the evolution of AKQA's national go-to-market transformation offering. She will report to AKQA New Zealand managing director Dave Bentley and work closely with executive product director Matt Townsend and the wider leadership team to shape digital, customer experience and AI-led transformation initiatives. Strong reputation. "Viv brings a rare combination of strategic thinking, operational leadership and deep human understanding," says Bentley. "She has built a strong reputation for helping organisations navigate complexity, align teams and deliver meaningful transformation. As organisations rethink customer experience, digital products and AI adoption, Viv's leadership will be incredibly valuable for both AKQA and our clients." Townsend adds: "Viv has a calm, grounded leadership style and an ability to bring clarity to ambitious transformation programmes. She understands how to connect strategy, delivery and people in a way that creates momentum and lasting impact." Where creativity and technology meet. Baartman joins AKQA with more than two decades of experience leading digital transformation, customer experience and operational strategy initiatives across government, health, finance, tourism and technology sectors. On her appointment, she says: "AKQA sits in that rare space where creativity and technology come together to deliver impact. "It's exactly the kind of work I love being part of - helping organisations navigate change while creating experiences that matter. What drew me here was not just the ambition of the work, but the calibre of the people behind it. I'm super excited to work alongside such a talented, thoughtful and creative team."
Havas London names Seamus Higgins chief creative officer. Mar 11, 2026 Seamus Higgins, who joins from AKQA, boasts 25 years' experience across three continents and is best known for landmark campaign 'The Palau Pledge' Havas London has appointed multi-award-winning creative leader Seamus Higgins as its new chief creative officer. Seamus, who boasts 25 years' experience across three continents and multiple disciplines, returns to Havas for a second spell, having spent an award-laden six years with the group in Australia from 2013-2019 where he created landmark campaign 'The Palau Pledge' and led a creative turn-around to become Agency of the Year. He joins from AKQA, where he was executive creative director of its London studio. He will start at Havas on 26th March and report into Havas London CEO Holly Ripper. Seamus has built his career on a love of creative solutions that don't feel like advertising, and the uncompromising craft of their delivery. It is this approach, as executive creative director of Havas Host in Sydney, where he led world-first immigration initiative 'The Palau Pledge' - which saw visitors to the island nation mandated to act in an ecologically and culturally responsible way to help curb the environmental impact of booming tourist numbers. In addition to being awarded D&AD's Design Black Pencil of the Decade, it picked up two D&AD Black Pencils and three Cannes Lions Grand Prix, becoming the most globally awarded campaign of the year. At Havas Host, Seamus also led one of Australia's largest accounts, Defence Force Recruiting, to the most successful two years in its history, winning a Grand Effie. He oversaw some of the agency's most significant relationships, including Reckitt, Sony and Peugeot, and helped win brands including eBay. Havas Host was subsequently named Agency of the year by the Australian Writers and Art Directors (AWARD) Awards - APAC's benchmark for creative excellence - in 2018. After leaving Havas in 2019, Seamus spent three years as VP chief creative officer, APAC at creative innovation company R/GA, before going to Uncommon Creative Studio, where he won awards for work on accounts including British Airways and B&Q. He re-joined R/GA Australia as chief creative officer in 2023, before returning to London with AKQA in 2025. He has been recognised on Ad Age's Creative All-stars list, judged at multiple shows, including AWARD Awards, Cannes Lions, New York Festivals, D&AD, One Show APAC, was jury president for digital and mobile at Spikes Asia, and has spoken at numerous local and international events, including New York Advertising Week and Cannes Lions. Holly Ripper, CEO at Havas London says, "Seamus is a creative unicorn and an ambitious and generous leader. His diverse background spans big brand thinking, digital, design, social and innovation and his eclectic, unignorable body of work is testament to this. Importantly, this is work that works - as reinforced by the pile of creative and effectiveness awards he's accumulated along the way. He comes highly-rated by peers and colleagues alike." "Ours felt a meeting of minds of what a progressive, modern creative agency should look like - Seamus knows first-hand what Havas at its entrepreneurial best can do, and how to unlock the power and potential of the Village model. I said Havas had the potential to be a little bit dangerous when I started and I am so excited to welcome him into that mission as our new chief creative officer." Seamus Higgins adds, "Holly has a clear and bold vision for the next era of Havas London. I feel privileged and incredibly excited to help bring that to life with the team. The remit is clear and the opportunity is huge. I've long believed in the power of the Havas Village model, and I'm excited to put that to work in London. When you bring the right people together behind a shared ambition, incredible things can happen."
Virgin hires ECD from AKQA to lead in-house creative studio. Executive creative director will report to Virgin's chief experience officer and former AKQA exec, Sam Kelly. * Limited free articles a month * Free email bulletins * Unrestricted access to our most popular content including the School Reports, Power 100 and Best Places to Work * Essential round-ups such as Movers and Shakers, Pitch Update and the Question of the Week * Leading insights from Campaign's award-winning editors
The merger of two WPP creative agencies, AKQA and Grey, is officially complete as of this week after it was first announced in March.