Ackerley began his film career as an extra in the first three installments of the Harry Potter film series. After taking a break from films, Ackerley returned to the industry as a production runner for films such as Gambit (2012) and Rush (2013). From 2012 till 2016, Ackerley also worked as an assistant director for various different television series and films, including Pride, Suite Française, The Two Faces of January (all released in 2014) and Macbeth (2015).

In 2014, he and his future wife Margot Robbie, alongside their respective childhood friends, Sophia Kerr and Josey McNamara, co-founded the production company LuckyChap Entertainment. The company has produced films such as I, Tonya (2017), Promising Young Woman (2020), as well as Barbie (2023).