Tech Lead (MACH Stack)

At AKQA we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design and build adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients.

The Technical Lead role is responsible for the design, development, deployment and maintenance of innovative solutions using the latest tools and technologies. Working closely with Project Management, Creative and UX, whilst also running a Development Team, the Tech Lead has overall responsibility for the day-to-day technical deliverables of the project.

Based from London (Farringdon) in a Hybrid working environment, frequently collaborating with our global studio's and partners, you will enjoy working in a team of highly skilled people, all with strong opinions about various technologies, frameworks and approaches to delivery. You will articulate your ideas to colleagues effectively whilst also taking on board the ideas of others. You will thrive when faced with new challenges, view them as opportunities and constantly look to improve client deliverables. You will work in a progressive environment that fosters a meritocratic culture, surrounded by some of the brightest minds in their fields. 

As a Technical Lead at AKQA, you will be inspired by technology and have a passion for creating innovative solutions.

While there is crossover in this role with other disciplines such as Project Manager, Scrum-Master and Product Owner; primarily we are looking for a Technologist first, with these additional capabilities. Previous Development or Engineering experience is essential.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

• Client facing.
• Delivers high quality technical projects on time and to budget.
• Ability to understand the technical complexities of multi-tiered web solutions and systems integration, their underlying technologies and the latest technical tools.
• Ability to validate or contribute to Technical Architecture.
• Ability to gather requirements and break them down into the technical tasks required to complete a project phase.
• Ability to plan delivery in iterative sprints, inclusive of quality assurance sign-off in a platform-agnostic environment.
• Ability to recognise which Agile methodologies suit the needs of the client and projects, and be able to adapt and formulate hybrid approaches.
• Manage technical risk and plan to mitigate.
• Able to decide the resource profile required for a project and to provide top-down and bottom-up estimates against a scope.
• Line manage and coach Developers and help them to grow and develop their career.
• Ability to Manage one or multiple Agile development team(s) - onshore and/or offshore.
• Strive to learn new skills and stay abreast of technical developments, successfully applying them to work practices.
• Ability to compare and select the most appropriate supplier or product for the required task.
• Ability and techniques to improve processes per project, client workstreams and in the technology department as a whole.

TECHNOLOGY STACK

• Contentful
• Next.js
• REACT
• Vercel
• Algolia
• Marketo
• Telium 
• Brandfolder
• AWS
• Monorepo

TECHNICAL SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

• Cloud hosting providers; Specifically Vercel and AWS
• Microservices and MACH Architectures.
• CMS; Contentful and its product features
• Knowledge of Infrastructure as Code, 
• CI/CD Design with Environment and Delivery management
• Use of Middleware and RESTful or GraphQL APIs
• HTML, (S)CSS, REACT and Node.
• SaaS products integration
• Atlassian tools; JIRA and Confluence
• GitLab or similar git based version control
• Understanding of Automation and Quality assurance practices

QUALITIES AND CHARACTERISTICS 

• Must be from an engineering or development background.
• A continuous-improvement approach to management.
• Proactive self-starter with acute attention to detail and drive for improvement.
• A practically-minded thought leader whose first priority is delivering excellent work. 
• Advocate for improvements to processes, quality, and security.
• Analytical and positive mindset with a personable and professional approach.
• Sharp attention to detail and a passion for new technology.
• Professional written and verbal communication.
• Be able to talk for Technology to non-technical audiences (clients, stakeholders and team members).
• Champion continuous improvement and best-in-class software development processes.
• Contribute to the ideation process and be proactive in proposing technical solutions to needs that other disciplines may not be aware of.

AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.