API ENGINEER JOB DESCRIPTION

An API Engineer owns the interfaces other systems trust. In enterprise software contexts, that means designing and maintaining API proxies, enforcing OAuth 2.0 and traffic management policies, and keeping developer portals accurate enough that external teams can self-serve without escalating. Stable. The role sits within platform or product engineering teams that measure reliability and integration throughput as hard operational targets. What makes it demanding is the dual audience: internal architects who need reusable, well-documented patterns, and external consumers who expect consistent uptime and clear specifications.

As the API Engineer, you own the design, implementation, and operational health of API products that external developers and internal platform teams depend on for integration reliability across enterprise environments. You work within a cross-functional platform or SRE team, operating through the full build-deploy-operate cycle with close coordination with product, architecture, and DevOps stakeholders.

Career Impact: Hands-on ownership of API proxy architecture and OpenAPI specification governance positions you as a recognized API practitioner in enterprise software, a designation that carries weight across cloud and platform engineering markets.

Business Impact: When API proxies are misconfigured or undocumented, integration pipelines stall and developer teams lose days to debugging - your work directly determines the throughput and reliability that downstream products depend on.

Growth Opportunity: The SRE and DevSecOps skill set this role demands is increasingly central to senior platform engineering and API architect tracks, expanding your scope toward infrastructure strategy and cross-org technical standards.

Company Value: Several source employers emphasize self-organized, cross-functional team structures with an explicit API-first strategic mandate, meaning your contributions shape platform direction, not just implementation backlogs.

• Design and implement API proxies and integration patterns aligned with OpenAPI specifications and enterprise development standards.
• Enforce traffic management policies, including rate limiting, caching, and authentication schemes across managed API environments.
• Monitor API usage and error rates, investigate production failures through root cause analysis, and implement corrective fixes.
• Validate API quality through unit testing and code coverage requirements before deployment to production environments.
• Maintain developer portal content, documentation, and self-service resources to support both internal and external API consumers.
• Collaborate with product, architecture, and DevOps teams to identify technical dependencies and align API development with platform roadmaps.
• Automate build, test, and deployment processes within CI/CD pipelines to reduce manual effort and improve release consistency.
• Consult project teams on integration scenario design within the API management layer to ensure compliance with platform guidelines.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 3 or more years of API engineering experience, with demonstrated ownership of API design, implementation, and production support.
• Proficiency in REST API design principles, OpenAPI specifications, and API security standards, including OAuth 2.0 and token-based authentication.
• Working knowledge of CI/CD pipeline tooling, version control workflows, and automated testing practices.
• Ability to write and maintain API documentation for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience in Agile development environments with a track record of cross-functional collaboration on platform or product teams.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills applied to production incident investigation and integration troubleshooting.

• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration concepts as they apply to API platform deployment and scaling.
• Experience managing or contributing to a developer portal, including content strategy for API consumer self-service.
• Background in SRE or DevSecOps practices within an enterprise platform context.
• Exposure to cloud-native API gateway services and infrastructure-as-code tooling.

• API uptime percentage, measuring availability of managed endpoints against agreed platform SLAs
• Unit test code coverage rate, tracking adherence to minimum thresholds before production deployment
• Mean time to resolution for production API incidents, reflecting investigation and fix speed
• Developer portal documentation completeness score, measured against the published API catalog
• CI/CD pipeline success rate, indicating stability and reliability of automated build and deploy processes
• Typical tools: API management platforms (commonly Apigee, MuleSoft); CI/CD and version control (commonly Jenkins, GitLab, Git)

• Base Salary Range: $95,000 to $135,000 annually
• Bonus: Annual performance bonus, typically 5 to 15% of base salary
• Equity: RSUs or stock options common at growth-stage and public technology employers
• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision coverage; employer contribution standard
• PTO: 15 to 20 days annually, plus public holidays
• Common Perks: Remote or hybrid flexibility, conference and certification budget, home office stipend

Figures are estimates based on general US market benchmarks and may be outdated. Adjust based on location, company size, and seniority level.

Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. Applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation to participate in the hiring process are encouraged to submit a request. Final offers are contingent on successful completion of a background check. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without employer sponsorship.

Embedded within an agile engineering team, the API Engineer delivers improvements to an existing analytics platform by closing gaps in data availability and automating processes through Google Cloud services. Working closely with fellow developers and open source communities, this role advances platform modularity and team KPI visibility in ways that reduce manual overhead across the organization.

Core Functions

• Develop the existing analytics platform and improve its modularity and the visibility of team KPIs.
• Collaborate with agile teams and fellow developers to close gaps in data availability and intelligence.
• Use open source software and community engagement to solve technical problems in the existing platform.
• Extract and create software modules for software projects.
• Automate processes using Google Cloud services to eliminate repetitive manual tasks.
• Help fellow engineers at the CI/CD level.

Qualifications & Experience

• 3-5 years of experience with APIs, data exchange, and/or analysis using Python, Ruby, R, Rust, or PHP.
• Experience with Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, and BigQuery.
• A data-driven mindset.
• Strong motivation, attention to detail, and perseverance.
• Excellent English communication skills.
• Willingness to work in an agile environment.

Reporting to the data platform leadership, the API Engineer shapes the accessibility and integrity of data sources on the Reference Data Marketplace by conducting technical compliance checks and managing user administration for Data Publishers and Consumers. Partnering with both data supply and demand stakeholders, this role strengthens self-service capability and community engagement in ways that reduce friction across the organization's data-sharing infrastructure.

Primary Duties

• Support Data Publishers in listing data sources and documentation in the RDM.
• Undertake technical compliance checks on new and updated data sources and documentation from Data Publishers, covering both functional and non-functional requirements.
• Support Data Consumers in finding and accessing required data sources and documentation from the RDM.
• Carry out RDM User Administration, including managing admin roles and updating publisher and consumer access and permissions.
• Contribute to the production of support content, such as how-to guides and FAQs, to facilitate better self-service of RDM.
• Provide input and moderation to the RDM community areas to facilitate better Data Publisher and Data Consumer self-service.

Skills & Qualifications

• Good understanding of integration and data transfer technologies, including synchronous REST APIs, asynchronous messaging and pub/sub, and static file transfer via CSV and sFTP.
• Good understanding of API design, RESTful patterns, and standards such as Swagger/OAS and YAML/RAML, as well as messaging services using SOAP, JMS, and Kafka.
• Experience using and configuring an API Management product such as AWS API Gateways, Apigee, or MuleSoft.
• Experience converting web services between SOAP and REST.
• Experience in an advisory or technical consultancy role is desirable.
• Awareness of rail, transport, or related sector data standards is desirable.

Sitting at the intersection of integration engineering and platform operations, the API Engineer leads the design, development, and deployment of APIs on MuleSoft while maintaining dashboards and monitoring usage through MuleSoft and Splunk. Operating across environments from development through production, this role builds documented, well-tested API products that enable reliable connectivity between internal systems and external consumers.

Duties

• Design and develop APIs on an API Management platform such as MuleSoft.
• Maintain APIs, including bug fixes and enhancements.
• Produce documentation to support internal maintenance and external usage of APIs.
• Ensure error handling and unit tests are built into APIs with minimum 90% code coverage.
• Develop dashboards and monitor API usage using MuleSoft and Splunk.
• Report on errors and failures and proactively identify potential fixes and improvements.
• Deploy APIs between environments up to and including production.
• Support administration of the API Management platform.

Experience & Qualifications

• Active MuleSoft Certified Developer certification.
• Demonstrated experience with the Open API v3 specification, both consuming and establishing APIs using a specification.
• Demonstrated experience managing APIs as a product offering and developing MUnit tests for MuleSoft APIs.
• Demonstrated in-depth understanding of MuleSoft's 3-tiered experience-process-system layer API architecture.
• Demonstrated experience connecting MuleSoft with Salesforce.
• Experience supporting API Platform Administration, API Release Management, and API development for other data sources.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and team collaboration skills.
• Ability to travel 20-50% on average based on client and industry needs.

A key member of a highly collaborative DevSecOps team, the API Engineer builds cloud-first, customer-focused applications using Java REST Services with Spring and Spring Boot while applying lean agile methodologies across the full software development lifecycle. Collaborating across project managers, architects, and vendors, this role delivers realistic technical estimates and design recommendations that keep complex integration projects on track.

Functions

• Improve a modern technology stack comprised of fit-for-purpose platforms, tools, and languages.
• Operate in a highly collaborative team emphasizing best practices in automation, DevSecOps, and Site Reliability Engineering.
• Build cloud-first, customer-focused applications applying lean agile methodologies.
• Keep projects on track by communicating with project managers, spotting potential issues, resolving technical problems, and generating realistic estimates.
• Provide recommendations on development options, including design, build/buy, and vendor purchase.

Background & Experience

• Undergraduate degree in a related field or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience, including 1-3 years of API service engineering experience.
• Sophisticated API experience with Java REST Services using Spring and Spring Boot.
• Familiarity with DevOps concepts, tools, and continuous delivery pipelines, including Bamboo, Bitbucket, Jira, and Git.
• Experience or enthusiasm for Cloud Native technologies.
• Ability to implement design patterns, integration patterns, and data modeling principles.
• Eagerness to learn new technologies quickly and demonstrate hands-on understanding.

Reliable API governance and developer onboarding depend on the API Engineer, who designs and implements API solutions using Apigee, including proxies, rate limiting, OAuth 2.0 security, and analytics, while maintaining the Edge Developer Portal for clients and stakeholders. Based within a cross-functional agile environment, this role shapes coding standards and traffic management policies that directly reduce technical risk and improve integration quality across the business.

Accountabilities

• Design and develop API specifications using OpenAPI Specifications, YAML, and JS.
• Implement API solutions using Apigee, including API proxies, rate limiting, security, and analytics.
• Configure traffic management policies such as spike arrest, message mediation, cache management, and security, including OAuth 2.0, Basic Auth, and API Key.
• Publish and document APIs on the Apigee Developer Portal.
• Develop coding standards, methodology, and repeatable processes.
• Onboard API clients using Edge Developer Portal and maintain the developer portal.
• Facilitate development and communication of solutions to technical and business stakeholders.
• Identify technical dependencies and roadblocks proactively and work with cross-functional teams to resolve them.

Professional Experience

• 4+ years of IT/software development experience with at least 1 year of hands-on Apigee experience.
• Proficiency in developing APIs in Apigee Edge.
• Good understanding of XML, JSON, SOAP, and REST web service technologies.
• Knowledge of Apigee policies, including mediation, security, and traffic management, as well as OAuth 2.0, Basic Auth, JWT, SSO, XML/JSON transformations, logging, KVM, and caching.
• Hands-on knowledge of JavaScript, Node.js, and Java.
• Experience using REST tools such as Postman, Fiddler, and JMeter.
• Knowledge of 1-way and 2-way SSL implementation in Apigee and maintenance of trust stores.
• Understanding of CI/CD pipeline implementation for Apigee and automated API testing.
• Skilled problem solver with strong communication skills.
• Experience in fast-paced agile environments.

As the API Engineer, this role leads design, architecture, and implementation of a high-quality enterprise API platform for reliability, security, and performance within a self-organized, cross-functional SRE/DevOps team spanning global operations. The SRE/DevOps team relies on this work to advance an API-first strategic mindset, resolve obstacles across global platform teams, and deliver reusable, efficient APIs that create measurable value for developers, architects, and the wider business.

Job Functions

• Work in a self-organized, cross-functional SRE/DevOps team as an API SRE engineer.
• Collaborate closely with global platform teams, driving API development, API portal implementations, and managed support.
• Design, architect, and implement a high-quality platform for reliability, security, performance, and value.
• Contribute to the platform vision and roadmap to deliver the highest value to developers, architects, and the business.
• Work through the entire lifecycle from idea through implementation, delivery, and operations.
• Collaborate with global teams to resolve obstacles and help design and build efficient, reusable APIs.
• Contribute to the company's strategic shift toward an API-first mindset.

Requirements

• Strong development background with a DevOps and SRE mindset.
• Knowledge of HTTP, HTTPS, REST, and API technologies.
• Experience with the full lifecycle of enterprise platforms and the ability to build modern, high-quality services in an enterprise environment.
• Proficiency in JavaScript with Node.js, Python, and Shell/Bash scripting.
• Experience with Git via BitBucket, Jira, Confluence, Jenkins/CloudBees, Terraform, and Ansible.
• Experience with AWS services, including API Gateway, Lambda, Kubernetes, ECS, and EKS, as well as Google Apigee, Kong API Management, and NGINX/OpenResty.
• Knowledge of Linux, ELK stack, and Ping Intelligence for APIs.
• Knowledge of IT specifics in regulated pharma, security, and privacy areas is a plus.
• Strong problem-solving and communication skills.

The API Engineer owns the design, implementation, and continuous enhancement of API proxies and the BASF Developer Portal, ensuring runnable and stable integration solutions across the full API Management area. Working alongside the Product Team and consulting on integration scenarios, this role shapes technical quality assurance practices that directly improve product reliability and developer experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Stay up to date on API advancements and make recommendations regarding improvements to processes and procedures.
• Perform root cause analysis and provide solutions for production and development issues.
• Monitor messages to ensure solutions are performed as expected.
• Document test plans and complete unit testing of developed objects.
• Participate in collaboration on break/fixes, enhancements, and projects.
• Support the Product Team for API Management in providing innovative solutions to enhance product quality across the entire API Management area.
• Design and implement API-Proxies technically while ensuring compliance with all relevant development guidelines, and support testing and error correction activities.
• Drive the further design and development of the BASF Developer Portal.
• Ensure runnable, supportable, and stable solutions from a technical and operational point of view.
• Consult projects on the setup of integration scenarios in the area of API Management.
• Enhance API guidelines and documentation, and implement technical quality assurance in API development.

Required Qualifications

• Degree in Computer Science, Informatics, Business Informatics, or a comparable field, or IT Application Development Specialist training with extensive professional experience.
• Minimum 3 years of related working experience.
• Experience with Agile working methods or agile implementation approaches.
• Strong digital mindset with knowledge of APIs, Open API Specifications, API design and development, Apigee Edge, or SAP API-Proxy development.
• Proficiency in JavaScript, Python, PHP, and frameworks such as Bootstrap, Hugo, and Core UI.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD pipelines, orchestration tools, GIT repositories, test tools, code quality tools, and deployment tools, including Jenkins, GitLab, JMeter, JSLint, and Maven.
• Knowledge of Developer Portals, OAuth, Drupal, Docker, and Kubernetes.
• Experience in Azure DevOps and in development projects covering conception, realization, testing, documentation, and support is a plus.
• Strong documentation skills for creating Developer Portal content.
• Excellent English communication skills.
• A creative, motivated, innovation-focused working style.