VP of API Development & Strategy

VP of API Development & Strategy

Full Time

Hybrid - Jersey City, NJ

Salary Range: $200-225K Bonus & LTI

*Must be US citizen or Green Card holder. No visa sponsorship or C2C*

Our client is looking for a hands-on API expert to lead their enterprise API team. This role will be responsible for driving technical strategy for API Development, while contributing hands-on with engineering efforts as well as leading a team.

Responsibilities:

• Lead the API Strategy & Vision: Define and drive the overall strategy for the development and management of APIs across the organization. You will be responsible for establishing the technical vision and roadmap to ensure our APIs are scalable, secure, and able to meet the evolving needs of the business.
• API Platform Leadership: Oversee the design, development, and scaling of a cutting-edge API platform that supports the company’s core products and services. Lead the creation of an API management ecosystem that ensures reliability, security, and performance while enabling developers to easily integrate and innovate.
• Drive Technical Innovation & Execution: Be the key decision-maker on technical direction and architectural decisions. Promote the adoption of industry best practices and cutting-edge technologies, such as microservices, GraphQL, gRPC, and containerization, to keep our API ecosystem at the forefront of innovation.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead and mentor a talented team of API engineers, architects, and technical leaders. Provide direction, foster collaboration, and empower your team to succeed by creating an environment focused on continuous improvement, technical excellence, and high standards.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with executive leadership, product management, and engineering teams to ensure the API strategy is aligned with business goals and product roadmaps. Advocate for technical priorities and provide strategic input on the integration of APIs into various product offerings.
• API Governance & Security: Champion the creation and enforcement of API governance policies, ensuring that APIs are designed, built, and managed with a focus on security, scalability, and compliance. Lead efforts to implement robust security protocols (OAuth2, rate limiting, etc.) and data privacy standards.
• Transformative Leadership: Inspire and drive the API transformation across the organization. Lead by example in promoting a culture of innovation, agility, and technical excellence. Encourage the adoption of modern development practices, such as DevOps, continuous integration, and automated testing, to increase speed and efficiency.

Requirements:

• Bachelors Degree in Computer Science or related field
• Extensive Experience in API Development, leading large-scale API development initiatives, driving API strategy, and leading technical teams in the design, architecture, and deployment of complex API platforms.
• Ability to define and execute a long-term vision for API platforms while remaining deeply involved in hands-on technical engineering and day-to-day development challenges.
• Strong knowledge of modern API design and architecture, including REST, GraphQL, gRPC, and Async API
• Strong technical expertise in technologies including Python, Java, NodeJS, React, Terraform, CloudFormation & Ansible
• Experience with API Management tools (e.g. Kong, Apigee, Mulesoft)
• Strong knowledge of API security protocols (OAuth2, JWT) and governance frameworks.
• Strong leadership skills with experience managing and mentoring teams
• Excellent communication skills

*Must be US citizen or Green Card holder. No visa sponsorship or C2C*