Technical Strategist at Propellerhead · Auckland

The Role:

At Propellerhead, the Technical Strategist role focuses on the delivery of resilient software systems that power everything from complex infrastructure to innovative new platforms. . This role works alongside our Product Strategists to shape the technical specification and platform direction for a portfolio of client products.

We’re looking for someone who combines architectural insight with a strong hands-on engineering background and a genuinely AI-native way of working. You will have spent the formative part of your career as a software developer and still be confident with understanding the structure of software solutions. You'll have knowledge of emerging trends and you are agentic-first where you reach for AI to rapidly prototype new ideas and judge their value in hours, not weeks, and you are at home with directing an AI-assisted delivery pipeline.

You will lead and guide the design of complex systems, and we'll depend on your extensive experience, judgement and insights to ensure that early delivery and continuous improvement is possible. You’ll be applying and reinforcing Engineering standards for programming, and shape the technical solutions our AI-assisted pipeline builds, in a lean and evolutionary manner. Importantly, you will be responsible for ensuring that client platforms align with our technical strategy. You will work closely with the Chief Technologist and Engineering Principal to apply standards, patterns, and tooling in client contexts, and provide informed input into technical strategy through client platform insights and delivery experience.

This is a highly visible, client-facing role. You will represent Propellerhead in front of senior stakeholders, so a professional, confident presence and the ability to communicate and influence with clarity are essential.

Propellerhead operates a hybrid working model (work from our office and from your own home). While you must be based in Auckland for this role, we warmly welcome applications from across New Zealand and internationally who are planning to relocate to Auckland. This particular role requires regular in-person office attendance.

We offer a culture built on trust, continuous learning, and meaningful impact. You'll join a team that values integrity over ego, and clarity over complexity.

If you're looking to contribute your insight and engineering experience to projects that matter - we would like to hear from you.

Skills & Experience Required:

• 8+ years of experience with the development of multi-tier and distributed applications.
• Agentic-first: very comfortable using AI to rapidly prototype, shape solutions, and direct an AI-assisted delivery pipeline across requirements, testing and code generation. This is central to the role.
• A confident, credible communicator and presenter in front of senior client stakeholders.
• Our current technologies include React user interfaces, with services written in C#, so previous experience with both is essential. However we also have Typescript, Java, Go and Rust services, so you will need to show confidence in working with a variety of programming languages.
• Strong communication skills must be demonstrable, with tangible examples of your skills to bridge technical solutions with business needs and present these concepts to a variety of internal and customer stakeholders.
• Hands-on experience with designing solutions on Azure is essential, including active participation in building CI/CD pipelines and instrumenting for operations, is required.
• Experience with streaming and messaging platforms, such as Kafka or NATS, is highly desirable.
• Proven experience in leading the design of complex software applications, preferably for corporate enterprise, where solutions comprise existing services alongside custom development.
• We are particularly looking for technical leaders with experience or demonstrable interest in any of the following: digital identity, verifiable credentials, open banking, AI agent authorization, edge or device-based software deployment.

Responsibilities:

• Authoring, reviewing and communicating solution architecture and specifications in collaboration with the Development teams and our core Engineering team.
• Championing the technical strategy of Propellerhead as our key business differentiator, and aligning design and implementation of the solutions in your portfolio in line with that technical vision.
• Building trusted relationships with key client decision-makers. You will be responsible for ensuring our teams understand technical requirements and for clearly explaining our solution design to client technologists.
• You will be the go-to technical person for our client’s solutions, including facilitating any technical pre-requisites for delivery or addressing improvements from operational feedback.
• Developing strategies to ensure quality measures such as speed-to-value, security, reliability, maintainability, performance and functional fit for purpose.
• Specifically, you will be facilitating the evolution of our code base from C# to Rust and the ecosystem of tools, practices and services that implies, with AI central to how we handle requirements, testing and code generation.

About Propellerhead:

Propellerhead is a leading software services company that designs, delivers, and maintains large-scale, custom-built digital platforms across a range of technologies. We place emphasis on producing technology which is meaningful, has value, and can make a difference in the world. We foster long lasting and trusting relationships with all our clients. Over our 20+ years in the market we have worked with a diverse range of commercial, non-profit, and government organisations.

How We Build Software:

We build software by structuring solutions in a product-centric manner and focusing on continuously delivering measurable outcomes into production. Our work starts from real stakeholder needs and the value they unlock, with an AI-assisted pipeline now generating much of the code.As a result, our digital platforms are a mixture of custom components and external services which produce a powerful and engaging experience when combined.

Benefits:

• Be part of an innovative team, with a culture of learning and collaboration.
• Contribute to interesting, diverse, and commercially minded work for well-respected clients.
• Opportunity for professional growth and development.
• Fortnightly knowledge sharing sessions, with lunch.
• Competitive salary. Employee Share Purchase Scheme offering.
• This role is Auckland based, regular in-office attendance is required. Work within our beautifully designed office and from home (hybrid working model).
• Propellerhead is an equal opportunity workplace which is free from discrimination.

Cover Letter:

**Please note - only applications with a cover letter will be reviewed, please do not use AI to write this.

It's very important to us that you include a cover letter with your application - it's your chance to tell us more about who you are and what you value.

At Propellerhead, we use AI thoughtfully as part of our delivery practices - considered integration helps us stay at the forefront of technology and create innovative, valuable solutions for our clients. In recruitment, however, AI isn’t used to assess skills, experience or suitability for a role. Every application is reviewed by a real person to ensure a fair, engaged and thoughtfully human process. Therefore we kindly ask that you refrain from using it in your application. We're excited to learn about your unique experiences and ideas, and want to work with you, so please apply as your authentic self!

More:

Candidates that progress may be asked to agree to a police background check, credit history check, other assessments and provide evidence of qualifications.

Learn more about our company here.