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Guardian Life · 1 hour ago

Lead Enterprise API & Platform Engineer

New York, NY

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$119K/yr - $195K/yr

15+ years exp

Guardian Life is seeking a Lead Enterprise API & Platform Engineer to lead the design and delivery of enterprise technology platforms with a focus on API-first architecture and AI-native enablement. The role involves collaborating with senior leaders to align technology strategies with business goals and mentoring engineering teams to enhance their capabilities.

DentalFinancial ServicesHardwareInsuranceLife Insurance

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Lead API and Platform Strategy: Serve as the technical advisor for API standards, architecture patterns, orchestration, gateways, mediation, observability platforms, driving cohesive platform design and scalable integration

Modernize for AI Enablement: Design strategies, architecture patterns, and reusable templates to modernize APIs and platforms for AI-native capabilities, including agent-to-agent communication and intelligent system integration

Architect Scalable Platforms: Design and implement secure, cloud-native platforms using microservices, service mesh, and container orchestration, with emphasis on API & Agent Gateway, monitoring, and observability

Drive Lifecycle Governance: Innovate in API lifecycle management, including governance, versioning, deprecation, migration strategies, and platform observability

Collaborate on Enterprise Standards: Partner with enterprise architects and senior leaders to define standards, evaluate technologies, and publish strategic roadmaps that balance short-term execution with long-term vision

Mentor and Scale Engineering Excellence: Guide engineering teams in best practices for API design, platform engineering, and AI integration, fostering a culture of innovation, operational excellence, and continuous learning

Operationalize Tools and Platforms: Lead the identification, evaluation, and adoption of technical platforms and tools that support enterprise architecture, security, and scalable implementation

Influence Strategic Decisions: Partner with product managers and engineering leaders to make key architectural decisions, ensuring technical feasibility, scalability, and alignment with business goals

Track Emerging Trends: Monitor emerging technologies and assess their impact on the enterprise tech stack, contributing to strategic planning and innovation

Ensure Compliance and Best Practices: Enforce adherence to architectural standards, design patterns, data privacy regulations, and best practices across systems and platforms

Lead Technology Selection: Drive or support the evaluation and implementation of enterprise technologies that align with strategic and operational objectives

Qualification

API-first architectureCloud-native platformsMicroservices architectureAPI security expertiseAI-native capabilitiesDomain-Driven DesignContainer orchestrationDevOps practicesMonitoring platformsJavaPython.NET/C#ReactNode.jsTypescriptSQLNoSQL DatabasesApache CamelKafkaTerraformJenkinsGitHub/GitLab CI/CDOpen TelemetryPrometheusGrafanaOpenSearch

Required

Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field

15+ years of experience in software development, architecture, and enterprise software delivery

Deep proficiency in cloud-native, service-oriented, and modernization architectures, including microservices, event-driven systems, and composable architecture (MASA)

Full-stack engineering experience with backend and frontend technologies (e.g., Java, Python, .NET/C#, React, Node.js, Typescript) with experience in CI/CD, scripting, and integrations

Extensive experience building scalable API services using REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and async protocols, with deep expertise in Domain-Driven Design, Microservices Architecture, Enterprise Integration Patterns, and Event-Driven Architecture

Proven experience designing and implementing scalable platforms using service mesh (Istio, AWS Lattice etc.), container orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes), and API Gateway platforms (preferably AWS)

Hands-on experience with integration frameworks and messaging systems such as Apache Camel and managed service Kafka

Proficiency using SQL and NoSQL Databases

Coordinate with DevOps team and have familiarity with DevOps practices and tools: Terraform, Jenkins, GitHub/GitLab CI/CD, and infrastructure-as-code

Deep understanding of secure programming practices, cloud security principles, and compliance frameworks

Experience with monitoring & observability platforms including Open Telemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenSearch

Advanced API security expertise including OAuth 2.1/2.0, JWT, rate limiting, RBAC/ABAC, mTLS, DDoS protection, Zero Trust, and OWASP API Security Top 10

Exceptional ability to mentor engineers, influence technical direction across teams, and thrive in complex, cross-functional environments

Skilled in communicating technical concepts to diverse audiences and driving strategic initiatives through business cases and impact acceleration

Experience participating in and responding to technology audits and risk assessments