Software Engineer, Design System - Fixed Term Mat Contract

Serko Ltd; Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

KiwiSaver matching up to 3.5%

Health & wellbeing benefits

Learning & development budget

Job summary

Serko Ltd is building a next‑generation design system and is seeking a frontend engineer to own components from scoping to adoption. You’ll collaborate with Design and Engineering to deliver accessible, scalable UI foundations that teams can trust and reuse.

We value React, TypeScript and Tailwind CSS expertise, a consumer mindset, and curiosity about AI‑assisted workflows. This full‑time Auckland role offers a competitive salary and a supportive, growth‑driven environment.

Qualifications

• Strong React/TypeScript experience building scalable UI components.
• Experience with design systems and token-based design.
• WCAG AA 2.x compliant with automated tests.
• Ability to ship end-to-end components with clear guidance.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of accessible UI components.
• Collaborate with Design and Engineering to evolve foundations.
• Write test-first code and ensure AI-friendly documentation.
• Lead smaller projects and iterate quickly.

Skills

React

TypeScript

Tailwind CSS

Design Systems

UI Architecture

API Design

WCAG Accessibility

Tools

Figma

Job description

At Serko, we believe something incredible happens when people come face-to-face. That’s why we’re on a mission to engineer a frictionless, next-generation business travel marketplace. We don’t just manage travel; we are leveraging advanced AI and cutting-edge tech to eliminate the complexity of global movement.

When you join Serko, you join a global collective of passionate technologists who show up as their true selves to build world‑class products. With established hubs across New Zealand, Australia, North America, India and China - your code and ideas will impact millions of corporate travelers worldwide.
Reporting to a Senior Engineering Manager or Engineering Manager and working alongside a supportive team, you deliver well‑defined parts of Serko's design system: the components, tokens, patterns and guidance that every product team, and a growing number of agents, build on.

Requirements

Join a self‑organizing design system team that builds the foundations for our product experiences. You will own your roadmap from opportunity to adoption, driven by high agency and a strong consumer mindset.

What we look for alongside technical skill:

• High Agency & Bias to Action: Drive your own work, make fast decisions, and ship small changes often.
• Systems & Consumer Mindset: Build scalable foundations that make it effortless for product teams to do the right thing.
• Curiosity & Clear Communication: Learn fast, reason through complex problems, and articulate your decisions.
• AI‑Empowered: Leverage AI tools daily to accelerate both your workflow and the team's overall velocity.
  

What you'll do
What you will do:

• End-to-End Ownership: Independently deliver accessible, high‑quality components. Own everything you ship from initial scoping and release through to adoption and support.
• Pioneer Agentic Engineering: Work agentically by default. Direct AI tools with clear requirements, write test‑first code, and make our system highly legible to both humans and AI agents.
• Seamless Collaboration: Partner closely with Design and Engineering. Write clear guidance and evolve our foundations without disrupting the teams that rely on them.
• Agile Execution: Break complex problems into small, shippable slices. Lead smaller projects, make fast (and reversible) decisions, and continuously improve how the team builds.
  

What you’ll bring

• Core Stack: Solid production experience with React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.
• Design Systems & UI: Deep understanding of component architecture, API design, and design tokens (Figma to code). You build simple, maintainable solutions with a sharp eye for design details.
• Quality & Accessibility: Proven ability to build to WCAG AA 2.x standards, backed by robust automated testing (unit, interaction, and visual regression).
• Agentic Engineering: Experience with (or strong curiosity about) context engineering, verification loops, and structuring code and documentation to be seamlessly consumed by both humans and AI agents.
• Engineering Excellence: A proactive collaborator who plans effectively, supports peers through code reviews, and balances speed with quality while taking ownership of your own growth.

Benefits

At Serko, we aim to create a place where people can come and do their best work. This means you’ll be operating in an environment with great tools and support to enable you to perform at the highest level of your abilities, producing high‑quality and delivering innovative and efficient results. Our people are fully engaged, continuously improving, and encouraged to make an impact.

Some of the benefits of working at Serko are:

• A competitive base salary
• KiwiSaver covered with employee contributions matches up to 3.5% of salary, and life insurance.
• Health & Wellbeing: Discounted Southern Cross Health Insurance, access to confidential support, guidance and counselling service, wellbeing and voluntary leave, and free flu shots.
• Focus on development: Access to a learning & development platform, committed budget and opportunity for you to own your career pathways.