--- title: 'Product Strategist at Propellerhead' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/product-strategist-propellerhead-auckland-75dn7av3ed21' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-08' --- # Product Strategist at Propellerhead - **Company:** Propellerhead - **Location:** Auckland, New Zealand - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-06-19 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-08 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/propellerhead/cd2c1f43-cc48-44a6-be45-3dc064659480 ## Job description The Role: We are currently seeking an experienced, AI-native Product Strategist to join our growing team. Are you tired of working on software that never sees production or adds no tangible value for users? Here at Propellerhead we focus on delivering software into production that adds value for our clients. We use AI throughout to get there faster. Propellerhead operates a hybrid working model (work from our office and from your own home). While you must be Auckland based, we warmly welcome applications from Product Strategists across New Zealand and internationally who are planning to relocate to Auckland (please specify relocation plans in your application). As a Product Strategist at Propellerhead, your primary purpose will be working with clients to find the value, frame the problem worth solving, and define the success measures that prove it. You are agentic-first, and very comfortable using AI to rapidly prototype and test ideas early. This is a client-facing role with focus and importance on maintaining long-term relationships with our customers through continuous and meaningful delivery. You will be adept at defining problems, finding value, and articulating that value for the client. This is a highly visible, client-facing role. You will represent Propellerhead in front of stakeholders, so a professional, confident presence and the ability to communicate and influence with clarity are essential. Key Accountabilities: - Value & Problem Framing: Articulate client value and frame the problem worth solving - what outcome the client is actually buying. - Communication: Clearly communicate the problem, hypotheses and success measures. - Delivery Constraints: Ensure delivery teams work solely on funded backlog items, constraining product delivery as necessary. - Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with internal and client stakeholders to ensure both functional and commercial objectives are met. - Scope Management: Lead discovery and manage scope - including using AI to rapidly prototype and test ideas - to deliver maximum value, while ensuring efficient use of resources. - Success Measures: Define the hypotheses and measurable success criteria that define what good looks like. - Team Coordination: Keep product delivery teams informed of upcoming work and broadly communicate relevant context and problems faced to build a shared understanding of the product direction. - Agentic-first: very comfortable using AI to rapidly prototype, test hypotheses, and accelerate discovery. - Proven experience as a Product Strategist or similar role in a software development environment. This is not a traditional Product Owner role. Transferable skills will be beneficial, although a natural curiosity and willingness to adapt to a new and exciting way of working will be key to succeed in this role. - Strong understanding of Agile methodologies and principles. - Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. - Ability to prioritise and manage multiple tasks effectively. - Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. - Experience working with stakeholders to define problems and the measurable outcomes that matter. - Familiarity with product management tools and software. 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. ## About Propellerhead ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: A New Zealand‑based software services company that builds complex, high‑impact technology solutions for the country’s largest commercial, non‑profit and government organisations. - **Entity Type**: Private (bootstrapped – no external funding rounds identified) - **Headquarters**: Auckland, New Zealand - **Founded**: 2002 - **Founders**: Not publicly disclosed ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: IT Services & IT Consulting (custom software development) - **Target customers**: B2B, enterprise, government, non‑profit – large‑scale organisations that value iterative, value‑driven delivery. - **Mission / purpose**: “Revolutionise software services in New Zealand” by crafting innovative technologies that improve the lives of millions of New Zealanders every day. ## Products & Services Propellerhead is a services company rather than a product company. Its main offering is **custom software development and consulting**, delivered through a portfolio of bespoke solutions. Notable client engagements include: - **Auckland Transport** – multiple applications for public transport journey management (largest client, 10+ year partnership). - **New Zealand Rugby**, **Avid AML**, **New Zealand Post**, **BlinkPay**, **Starship Children’s Hospital**, **SkyBus**, **Ministry of Education**, **Auckland Museum**. - **Linked Open Data Platform** – a platform that links to thousands of other datasets using Linked Open Data, contributing to a global “knowledge commons”. Technologies commonly used: .NET / C#, TypeScript, Azure / AWS, and increasingly **Rust** and **decentralised identity / verifiable credentials**. ## Market Standing - **Valuation / Market Cap**: Not disclosed (privately held, no public funding rounds). - **Key Metric**: ~50+ employees (company website states “small team of 50+ specialists”; a third‑party data source reports 34 employees with 6.2% YoY growth). - **Notable Investors / Partners**: No external investors. Key long‑term clients include Auckland Transport, Ministry of Education, and other major NZ entities. - **Growth Signals**: - Expanding technical stack into Rust and decentralised identity. - Active international recruitment (Paris, Europe, Asia) to attract senior talent willing to relocate to New Zealand. - 10 active job postings (as of late 2025) for Senior Software Engineers and Product Strategists. ## Competitive Advantages - **Developer‑led organisation**: Engineers drive methodology and architecture decisions, not sales or management. - **Anti‑fragile design & verifiable information**: Core principles that ensure robust, trustworthy systems. - **Lean / Agile delivery**: Small, incremental releases with continuous validation against user needs. - **Selective client partnerships**: Only works with clients who align with their delivery philosophy, leading to strong, long‑term relationships. - **Open‑source and open‑data advocates**: Deep commitment to commercialised open‑source and linked open data. ## Strategic Focus - **Technical expansion**: Incorporating Rust and deepening work in decentralised identity and verifiable credentials. - **Global talent acquisition**: Actively recruiting senior software engineers from Europe and Asia, with relocation support to New Zealand. - **Continued client impact**: Strengthening existing partnerships (especially with Auckland Transport) while exploring new government and enterprise engagements. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & autonomy**: A developer‑led, agile environment where engineers are trusted to choose the right tools and methodologies. - **Impactful work**: Projects directly affect millions of New Zealanders (public transport, healthcare, education, etc.). - **Relocation opportunity**: The company actively supports international hires moving to New Zealand, covering visa processes and final‑interview travel. - **Hybrid work model**: Job postings indicate hybrid arrangements (e.g., “Hybrid – Full‑time Auckland” and “Hybrid – Full‑time Tallinn”). - **Competitive compensation**: Reported salary ranges (from third‑party data) include NZD 112,000/yr for Software Developers and NZD 140,000/yr for Senior Software Developers. - **Learning culture**: Emphasis on continuous improvement, open‑source contributions, and exploring new technologies (Rust, decentralised identity). - **Team size**: Small, tight‑knit team (50+ specialists) – high ownership and low bureaucracy. ## Sources 1. [LinkedIn Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/propellerhead) 2. [Lever Careers Page](https://jobs.lever.co/propellerhead) 3. [Working For Propellerhead – About](https://www.workingforpropellerhead.co.nz/about) 4. [Working For Propellerhead – Home](https://www.workingforpropellerhead.co.nz/) 5. 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