Careers at Ackama

Ackama NZ is a web development / software development services company of 45+ people across Wellington, Auckland and Melbourne. We believe that technology can make the world a better place by improving, even in small, incremental ways, systems that impact many people. We undertake consulting and strategy work with our clients about what they should build, we embrace user experience and design to help guide how to build them, and we have strong delivery teams to bring those ideas to life.

Our CEO grew up with a single mother and over and over again he saw the systems that had been built for people fail in all kinds of difficult situations. Those systems, whether they’re corporate or government, have become more and more entrenched in technology over time. We believe the solution is service providers who care about outcomes, not just deliverables, and who are trusted partners. Breccan founded Ackama to be one of those providers.

We are agile in the way we work, and we embrace a certain level of uncertainty as we do our work, refining ideas as we go. We take an holistic and human centred design approach to all phases of a project. Phases include discovery, research and visual design. Our primary tools are Figma, Miro and the Adobe Creative Suite.

We’re first and foremost a service delivery company. That means that we work on lots of different problems, from greenfields projects to incremental improvements on existing websites. Your day-to-day work may include:

• Focussing on UX methodologies to create UI designs in Figma (wireframes, and prototypes).
• Helping clients adjust or reimagine their design solutions by creating optimised user journeys and product solutions.
• Designing and facilitating workshops to help clients and their users understand their needs and opportunities.
• Presenting design solutions to clients.
• Working with the Business Development team to strategize design approaches and estimating on upcoming projects.

You will be supported on all projects you contribute to. Our Head of Delivery will ensure projects run well and are delivered on time. A retrospective will take place after every project has been completed to ensure we are constantly bettering ourselves as a delivery team.

We encourage growth at Ackama. There are opportunities to contribute to how the company works through various working groups, as well as having dedicated investment time every Friday to hone or learn new skills. These skills may include new and upcoming design methodologies, or you may be interested in upskilling in your communication and leadership skills.

Our spacious Wellington HQ looks out over tūī birds and kōwhai tree greenery in the heart of the CBD on The Terrace. We also offer flexible working arrangements so you can work from home as well as the office.

Whatever your level, you’ll embrace our goal of making the world a better place, and you’ll be in tune with the values on our website. You’ll be someone who enjoys learning new technologies but who is focussed on the outcomes of the projects we take on. You’ll care about our clients, their end users, and your teammates.

We would like to explore adding a UX researcher to the team in future, however, for right now we need more of a generalist than a specialist. We need someone who can do both UX and UI, but it's probably better if they are stronger on the UX side. They need to be able to independently plan and lead design projects, but will get help from others if they need it.

As this is an intermediate-senior role, you will have a minimum of 3-5 years of industry experience. You will have some experience in:

1. Being able to work on your own or in a team, and potentially have been a design lead on a project, managing clients and your design process.
2. Undertaking user research and/or designing and facilitating co-design workshops.
3. Assessing and interpreting research or workshop results to come up with creative solutions for clients.
4. Able to use Figma for UI design with a deep understanding of utilising both UI and design principles.
5. You’ll be someone who wants to help the team around you thrive, and you’ll be focussed on great outcomes for both our clients and their end users.

People of all ages, genders, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply by emailing jobs@ackama.com - please include your portfolio. Any attached documents should be sent as a PDF.

Ackama was set up to make the world a better place by creating better technological solutions while caring about social outcomes. We build web applications and websites for a range of clients, particularly in the Not-For-Profit and Government sectors. We believe technology can make the world a better place by improving, even in small, incremental ways, systems that impact many people. We undertake consulting and strategy work with our clients about what they should build; we utilise UX and design to help guide how to build them, and we have strong delivery teams to bring those ideas to life.

We focus on doing the right thing for our clients at the right time and being their complete digital partner. That means work can range from helping sort out a smaller CMS build and organising a UX review through to managing large bespoke application builds. You’ll need to be comfortable managing multiple projects at the same time and varying your toolbox to match the requirements of any given project.

This is a client-facing role and we are looking for an individual with great interpersonal skills; someone who builds confidence with our clients, works collaboratively with team members, and can operate well working on a number of projects from conception to delivery.

• Be an excellent communicator - both internally with your team and in client-facing meetings. You will help drive conversations to a conclusion and show leadership when communicating with clients and managing expectations.
• Be able to prioritise tasks and make the right calls on when things need to be escalated and how you keep your team focussed on delivery.
• Leverage Agile (we generally use either scrum or Kanban depending on project variables) practices to increase the performance of the delivery teams while increasing customer satisfaction, software quality and staff engagement.
• Collaborate with other Project/Delivery managers to coordinate internal resources and third parties/vendors for the successful execution of projects.
• Work with Technical Leads to ensure that projects are delivered on-time, within scope and within budget.
• Manage the financial aspects in projects including invoicing clients and accurately tracking project expenditure.
• Work closely with senior leadership to manage project risks.
• Have a growth mindset and continually develop your leadership and technical skills.

• Significant experience working in an Agile environment as a digital project manager, producer, strategist or Similar with strong project management skills.
• Proven facilitation and coaching skills.
• An open and effective communication style and strong interpersonal skills.
• Prior experience working for a company that is service rather than product oriented.
• Capacity to think holistically about client business needs and user/audience requirements.
• The ability to manage budgets and timelines along with other project deliverables.
• Excellent organisational skills including attention to detail and time-management.

Ackama is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We pride ourselves on our inclusive and flexible workplace culture.

People of all ages, genders, and backgrounds are encouraged to apply by submitting their cv and cover letter to jobs@ackama.com - any attached documents should be sent as a PDF.

Applicants for this position should have the right to work in New Zealand to apply for this role. No companies or recruiters please.