Researching the experiences of teaching focused academic (TFA) roles reveals challenges and alienation. Investigating their practices can enrich theorisations of their role. We conducted a focused ethnography capturing data from institutional materials, focus groups, and key informant interviews. We present two vignettes demonstrating the multi-faceted practices of TFAs as they navigate supercomplex landscapes. More than learning to be an expert teacher or researching teaching, an identity as an academic developer (AD) emerged. We argue that TFAs are seeking to shape non-TFAs to influence how teaching is valued. This hybrid teacher-academic developer identity has consequential implications for the AD community.