Engineering Lead / Solution Architect (Dunedin, Nz)

ABOUT MAKEREATU

Makereatu Technology Limited is a Dunedin-based AI company building governance assessment systems for infrastructure projects funded by commercial entities, governments, and multilateral development banks (MDBs).

Makereatu is founder-led by Barry Reid, who authored a framework for quantifying governance failure on multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects. We use Claude across the company — Claude Enterprise for strategy, Claude Code for development — and have done so before it was fashionable. AI-pervasive is not a poster on our wall; it is the operating reality.

Our first venture is infrastructure-related. A pipeline of economically and socially focused ventures will follow — a development horizon of several years.

THE ROLE

We are building a production SaaS platform immediately — full multi-tenant architecture on Microsoft Azure, PostgreSQL with row-level security, TypeScript throughout. The stack decisions are made. We need someone to build to them, challenge them where they are wrong and ship.

This is the hinge role — the single most consequential hire we make this year.

Why we are hiring when other are not: Sharp reductions in IT hires are underway across the tech industry, driven by AI's impact on coding work. The Economist (May 2026) reports full-time employment among computer-science graduates has fallen from nearly 70% to 55% in three years. Most companies are cutting engineering headcount.

We are going the other way — building in-house capacity to develop, deliver, and support a pipeline of ventures.

POSITION PURPOSE

The Engineering Lead builds and evolves Makereatu's SaaS platform end to end. This is not a purely execution role — you function as the senior technical voice, making build decisions that determine how the product ships, scales, and delivers reliability at production grade.

This is an AI-native role. Claude Code is used extensively across every development workstream — every engineer, every sprint, every day. The right candidate does not use AI coding tools occasionally or experimentally. They are fundamentally changed by them. If Claude Code or an equivalent is not already central to how you work, this is not the role for you.

The role demands a rare combination: deep hands-on full-stack engineering, genuine experience building or significantly contributing to a SaaS product, and the architecture judgement to understand how every technical decision affects long-term commercial viability. You set the technical bar, own PR review, and represent engineering in Advisory Board and client conversations.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Architecture and technical design

• Own NestJS module structure, API design, database layer, job processing, and tenant isolation within the agreed architecture
• Produce and maintain architecture decision records; raise formal Change Orders through the DA process when you have a substantive technical case
• Define and enforce code-quality, security (OWASP), and observability standards across all platform modules
• Lead build-versus-buy evaluation for third-party services with clear commercial rationale

2. Full-stack product development

• Build and maintain the Next.js App Router frontend: React + Tailwind, TanStack Query for server state, Zustand for client state
• Design and implement the NestJS backend: REST + OpenAPI (external); tRPC (internal); BullMQ job processing
• Own the data layer: PostgreSQL + PgBouncer transaction-pool mode + Drizzle ORM + Redis fail-open. The tenant isolation invariant is property-tested on every PR you merge
• Implement and maintain GitHub Actions CI/CD targeting Azure Container Apps, with Bicep for infrastructure-as-code
• Build OpenTelemetry instrumentation from day one — structured JSON logging, Sentry, Azure Monitor

3. Multi-tenant architecture and enterprise integration

• Maintain the multi-tenant cell architecture: shared schema + row-level security + per-tenant configuration via Azure App Configuration
• Own the authentication pattern: Auth.js v5 + Entra External ID, server-side confidential-client OAuth, httpOnly cookie sessions — no tokens in the browser
• Support implementation engineers during client onboarding — technical guidance, integration review, blocker resolution
• Define data schema standards and migration tooling for ingesting client project data at scale

4. Security, compliance, and non-functional requirements

• Lead technical implementation of SOC 2 Type I / II — audit logging, access controls, encryption, vulnerability management
• Design for high availability, disaster recovery, and data residency requirements for government and multilateral clients
• Own performance profiling, load testing, and capacity planning including the Year 2 concurrent user step-change in the delivery schedule

5. Advisory module integration

• Own the API contract between the platform and the data science team's analytical scoring engine
• Integrate analytical outputs into the product data layer and user interface
• The scoring pipeline and ML models are owned by the data science team — your role is to consume and surface their outputs correctly through a DA-approved interface spec

6. Technical leadership

• Lead and mentor a team of 7-10 engineers, all of whom use Claude Code as a primary development tool — your job is to set the standard for how that is done well, not to introduce it
• Set Claude Code workflow standards: plan mode, CLAUDE.md patterns, parallel agents, PR review discipline at velocity
• Report directly to the Founder (Design Authority); propose Change Orders when you have a strong technical case

THE STACK

The Architecture Authority is locked as of June 2026. Your Day 1 task is to read it, understand the reasoning, and build to that standard. If you have a strong case to change something, the Change Order process is open. Several decisions carry confidence levels below 80% and remain revisable.

Frontend: Next.js App Router | React + Tailwind | TanStack Query + Zustand | Auth.js v5 Backend: NestJS (TypeScript) | REST + OpenAPI (external) | tRPC (internal) | BullMQ | Drizzle ORM + Drizzle Kit strict mode Data: PostgreSQL (Azure Flexible Server) + PgBouncer (transaction-pool mode) | Redis (fail-open) | Row-Level Security throughout Infrastructure: Azure Container Apps | Azure API Management | Azure Front Door + WAF | Azure Key Vault | Azure App Configuration | Bicep | Azure Australia East (locked production region) Identity: Entra External ID | Auth.js v5 | httpOnly cookie sessions | OAuth 2.0 / OIDC / PKCE — no tokens in the browser CI/CD: GitHub + GitHub Actions | Turborepo + pnpm Observability: OpenTelemetry (Day 1) | Azure Monitor | Sentry | Structured JSON logging Analytics: Microsoft Fabric (Option C, AU East) AI tools: Claude Code (primary development environment — used by every engineer on every sprint) | Claude Enterprise (strategy and advisory) GRC: Drata + Sensiba / AssuranceLab (SOC 2 Type I / II)

One open item: GitHub Enterprise vs GitHub.com — input from you, our security lead, and SOC 2 implementer before final lock. Everything else is decided.

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND QUALIFICATIONS

AI-native (essential, non-negotiable): You use Claude Code or an equivalent AI coding tool as your primary development environment — not occasionally, not as a supplement. You have a demonstrable workflow: plan mode, structured prompting, parallel agents, review discipline. If you cannot show this in practice, you will not progress regardless of other qualifications.

Essential:

• 8+ years of professional software development, with at least 3 years in a senior or lead role
• Demonstrable experience building or co-architecting a commercial SaaS product from early stage to production
• Deep full-stack skills — comfortable owning both Next.js frontend and NestJS backend in production
• PostgreSQL at depth: schema design, row-level security, migration management; PgBouncer transaction-pool mode and its constraints
• Azure in production — Container Apps, API Management, Key Vault, or close equivalents
• GitHub Actions CI/CD — designed a pipeline before, not just used one
• Multi-tenant SaaS architecture: tenant isolation, per-tenant configuration, shared schema + RLS
• Security posture: credentials in Key Vault, audit logs in structured JSON, httpOnly sessions — your default, not something you need to be told
• Ability to communicate technical decisions clearly to a non-technical founder and to enterprise clients
• Comfortable leading a sprint, running a retrospective, and mentoring mid-level engineers

Personal requirements:

• Collaborative by default — raises others' work; gives and receives feedback without defensiveness
• Socially conscious — genuinely engaged with global challenges (governance, infrastructure, inequality) and how technology intersects with them

Highly desirable:

• Auth.js v5 / MSAL Node / Entra External ID production experience
• Drizzle ORM or equivalent type-safe ORM with strict migration management
• Bicep or Terraform at production scale
• Microsoft Fabric or equivalent enterprise analytics platform
• SOC 2 or ISO 27001 technical implementation experience
• Analytics or data-heavy SaaS background — BI dashboards, reporting engines, scoring models
• Background in infrastructure, asset management, financial services, or public sector technology
• Familiarity with multilateral client technical requirements (World Bank, ADB, NZ Treasury)
• Patent or academic publication experience related to technical methodology

Qualifications: Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related — or equivalent demonstrated professional experience. Certifications welcome but not required.

COMPETENCIES

Technical: Systems thinking — sees architecture before code. API-first design — builds for integration. Security-first — threats at design stage. Data modelling — schemas that survive scale. Performance awareness — optimises before crisis.

Personal: Ownership mindset — end-to-end accountability. Clear communication — explains hard things simply. Adaptability — thrives in a fast-moving environment. Curiosity — engaged with the product's commercial purpose, not just the code. Collaboration — raises others as well as delivering individually.

VISA AND LOCATION

Makereatu Technology Limited is an MBIE-accredited employer (EA00099068). Skilled Migrant Category and Accredited Employer Work Visa pathways available for outstanding non-resident candidates.

Dunedin-based. You must be in Dunedin immediately on acceptance of offer — either already based here or able to relocate without delay. Candidates who require a relocation period should not apply. Relocation assistance available for those who can move immediately.

COMPENSATION

• Cash: $150,000–$200,000+ per year for full-time employment, depending on experience. We pay above market and will not lowball. Exceptional candidates considered above $200,000.
• Part-time contracting: contractor rate equivalent considered — indicate your proposed commitment level in your application.
• Further study: strong support for Masters or PhD studies related to our work — tuition support, study time allowance, academic mentoring, and co-authorship on relevant research outputs.
• Performance and compensation review at 6 months post-trial.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply using the Apply button on this listing. In your application please include:

• CV (max 4 pages) highlighting SaaS product and architecture experience
• Covering letter (max 1 page) addressing: (a) a SaaS product you built or materially architected, (b) the biggest architecture challenge you faced and how you resolved it, (c) your Claude Code workflow — specifically how you use it, what your plan mode approach looks like, and one concrete production example of the productivity gain it delivered
• If applying for a part-time contracting arrangement, indicate your proposed commitment level

Links to public work (GitHub, portfolio, published papers, patents) welcome but not required.

Applications treated with strict confidentiality. Makereatu Technology Limited is an equal opportunity employer. We hire on capability, not credential.

Pay: $130,000.00 – $200,000.00 per year

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Dunedin, Otago: Reliably commute or planning to relocate before starting work (Required)

Application Question(s):

• Are you an AI native coder?

Licence/Certification:

• Do you have a valid NZ Driver Licence (Required)

Location:

• Dunedin, Otago (Required)

Work Location: In person