Summary

We are seeking a highly accomplished and experienced Senior Technical Architect II to join our new API management platform team. This leadership role requires a seasoned professional with a deep understanding of software architecture, cloud computing, security, and DevOps, and a proven ability to design, implement, and maintain highly complex, large-scale solutions. The ideal candidate will be a proactive leader who can independently drive initiatives, mentor others, and contribute significantly to the overall success of our technology strategy.

This critical role requires a deep understanding of API architectures, API security best practices, cloud technologies, and a proven ability to translate business requirements into robust and scalable technical solutions. The successful candidate will be a key contributor to the overall success of our API strategy and will work closely with engineering, product, and security teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead Architect: Define and champion the overall architecture of the API management platform, ensuring it aligns with business needs, scalability requirements, and future growth. This includes defining the technical roadmap and making key architectural decisions.
• Platform Design and Implementation: Design, develop, and implement core components of the API management platform, including API gateways, developer portals, and associated infrastructure.
• Tenant Use Case Validation: Work with various business units to understand their API needs and validate the platform's ability to support diverse tenant use cases. This includes defining and documenting requirements, and designing solutions to meet those requirements.
• Security Architecture: Design and implement robust security controls for the API management platform, ensuring compliance with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. This includes authentication, authorization, data encryption, and threat modeling.
• Cloud Strategy: Ensure the API management platform aligns with the organization's cloud strategy, leveraging cloud-native services and best practices for cost optimization, scalability, and resilience. This includes experience with cloud providers such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Technology Selection and Evaluation: Evaluate and recommend appropriate technologies and tools for the API management platform, considering factors such as performance, scalability, security, and maintainability.

• Collaboration and Communication: Effectively communicate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences. Collaborate closely with engineering, product, and security teams to ensure alignment and successful project execution.
• Mentorship and Guidance: Mentor and guide junior engineers and architects, fostering a culture of knowledge sharing and continuous improvement.
• Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation for the API management platform, including architecture diagrams, design specifications, and operational procedures.
• Support and troubleshooting: Provide support in troubleshooting the solutions (get your hands dirty) and resolving escalated issues and ensuring system stability.
• Decisive Problem Solver: Proactively addresses complex challenges with immediate and effective action. 
• Strategic and Adaptable Thinker: Analyzes problems comprehensively, incorporating new information and perspectives to develop innovative solutions. 
• Highly Adaptable and Resourceful: Quickly masters new situations, demonstrating skillful responsiveness to evolving demands. 
• Collaborative Team Builder: Promotes a unified team environment by actively challenging divisive thinking and fostering a shared sense of purpose. 
• Growth-Oriented and Ambitious: Actively seeks out challenging assignments and career development opportunities to expand skills and expertise.  

Critical Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years of progressive experience in a technical architect role, with a demonstrated history of successfully delivering complex, large-scale solutions.
• Intermediate certifications in cloud computing (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and networking (e.g., CCNA, CCNP). Advanced certifications preferred.
• Advanced understanding of business acumen and the ability to translate complex business requirements into robust technical solutions.
• Strong understanding of software development principles, methodologies (Agile, Waterfall, DevOps), and concepts.
• Extensive experience designing and documenting software solutions using various architectural diagrams and notations (UML, etc.).
• Proven experience working with a wide variety of software and hardware technologies, including on-premise and cloud-based environments.
• Advanced knowledge of security best practices and compliance regulations (e.g., SOC 2, HIPAA, GDPR, PCI DSS).
• Advanced expertise in DevOpsSec principles and practices, including CI/CD pipelines, infrastructure as code, and automated testing.
• Advanced proficiency in cloud computing architectures, including IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS, and experience with serverless technologies.
• Proven ability to lead and mentor teams, fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing.
• Excellent problem-solving, analytical, communication, and leadership skills.
• Demonstrated ability to manage budgets and allocate resources effectively.
• Proven experience designing and implementing large-scale, high-performance API gateways and developer portals.
• Deep understanding of API security best practices, including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and API key management.
• Strong understanding of microservices architectures and containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience with API design standards (REST, GraphQL). 

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with specific API management tools (e.g., Apigee, IBM API Connect, Kong, MuleSoft).
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices.
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code tools (e.g., Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Experience working in an Agile development environment.