About the role

The Opportunity
Expansion based new technical leadership role within a growing Auckland technology agency.
You will design and build digital platforms, mobile applications, integrations, websites and custom software for New Zealand customer. As the team has grown, the work has become more complex and the need for stronger technical ownership has increased.  That’s where you come in.
The Technical Lead will sit between the CTO, development team, Project Managers and clients. You will help shape solutions, make architectural decisions, guide developer decision making around the tech and contribute directly to the codebase.

This role has been created to increase velocity for the development team, gaining access to senior technical guidance and reducing the number of day-to-day decisions reaching the CTO which are bottle necking.  You’ll grow under the CTO’s wing and raise your own leadership capability.

The Company
This is a fast-growing New Zealand technology agency with a strong track record across digital product and platform delivery, balancing strong technology with a penchant for design.  Run by two partners who want to progress this space, growth has been strong but not over-extended.  Customers are very happy and so are the team.
Its work spans custom software, web platforms, mobile applications, system integrations and digital experiences at scale.
The culture is high trust, open and autonomous. People are expected to take ownership, solve problems and work without unnecessary process, driven by a senior capability and a learning environment.
The next stage is about creating clearer technical accountability across projects while retaining the pace and autonomy that already exist within the team.

The Role
The Technical Lead will oversee the technical direction of client projects from early discovery through to delivery.
You will meet with clients (not part of Sales) to understand new projects, features and changes, then translate those requirements into practical solutions. This will include preparing Scopes of Work, defining assumptions, estimating effort and setting realistic milestones.

You will work with the CTO and senior developers to make decisions across application architecture, technology selection and implementation approach.
In the age of AI and agentification, technical people want to be hands on, so this role will involve hands-on development. You will contribute production code, review technical quality and help resolve complex problems when developers need support.

You will guide developers through implementation decisions, review code for maintainability, security and performance, and challenge estimates or technical approaches where needed.
You will also work with the delivery team, giving Project Managers clear technical input for planning and client communication, help establish consistent technical standards across projects and support the practical use of AI across products and software delivery.

The technical environment includes React, Next.js, Vercel, React Native, .NET Core and AWS. Experience with PHP or Azure would be useful but is not essential.
The development team will look to you for technical guidance and decision-making. The Project Managers and QA will continue to report to senior leadership but will work closely with you across planning and delivery.

The Fit
The ideal person is a person who thrives in technical leadership.  Previously or currently a senior full-stack engineer or technical leader who still enjoys writing code.

You may currently be a Technical Lead, Lead Software Engineer, Principal Engineer, Senior Full Stack Engineer or hands-on Solution Architect.
You will have strong recent full-stack development experience and a track record of designing complete software solutions. You will be confident making architecture and technology decisions and translating business requirements into clear technical specifications.
You understand how to estimate work, break it into practical milestones and guide projects through implementation. You will also have experience reviewing code, mentoring developers and communicating with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Experience within a custom software business, digital consultancy, technology agency or other client-led environment would be highly relevant.

You will be practical, approachable and comfortable making decisions. You will be able to challenge experienced developers without becoming controlling or overly theoretical.

This role is for someone who wants to combine technical leadership, client problem-solving and hands-on software development.

Please note, only candidates currently based in New Zealand with valid working rights will be considered.