Job Description:
We seek a Senior Solution Architect to lead the strategy, design, governance, and implementation of our enterprise API and cloud-native architecture. You will play a critical role in shaping API platform engineering, enforcing API governance, driving secure design practices, and implementing DevOps pipelines that support scalable and modern microservices-based applications.

Key Responsibilities:
Core Responsibilities

1. API Architecture & Design

Define end-to-end API architecture aligned with enterprise IT strategy and business objectives.
Design robust, reusable, secure RESTful, GraphQL, and asynchronous APIs.
Create and manage API design guidelines and architecture blueprints (e.g., OpenAPI specs).
Lead API lifecycle processes: from requirement gathering and modeling to deployment and retirement.
Conduct API design reviews and code walkthroughs to ensure compliance with standards.
KPI Examples:
% of APIs aligned with enterprise design standards (target: 95%)
Time-to-first API from design to production (target: < 2 weeks)
Reusability ratio of API components/modules


2. API Platform Engineering

Architect and scale enterprise-grade API management platforms (e.g., Apigee, Kong, AWS API Gateway).
Define reference architecture and implement platform capabilities like developer portals, analytics, caching, throttling, and monetization.
Automate provisioning and deployment of APIs via CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC).
Ensure platform observability, logging, and end-to-end API monitoring.
KPI Examples:
Platform uptime and SLA compliance (target: 99.9%+)
Number of APIs onboarded to the platform per month (target: 15–20)
MTTR (Mean Time to Recovery) for platform incidents (target: < 30 minutes)


3. API Governance & Standards

Establish API governance policies covering naming conventions, versioning, error handling, data contracts, and documentation.
Implement approval workflows for internal/external APIs through API catalogs or marketplaces.
Define KPI dashboards to track API consumption, reusability, performance, and policy violations.
KPI Examples:
Compliance rate to governance standards (target: >90%)
API documentation completeness index (target: 100% documented APIs)
Time to onboard new teams to API standards (target: < 2 weeks)


4. API Security Architecture

Implement industry-standard API security practices: OAuth2.0, JWT, mTLS, API keys, IP whitelisting.
Collaborate with InfoSec to integrate threat protection, WAFs, and zero-trust mechanisms.
Drive API threat modeling, secure coding practices, and vulnerability assessments.
KPI Examples:
Number of APIs with active security posture scans (target: 100%)
Number of critical security incidents per quarter (target: 0)
Time to patch vulnerabilities (target: < 48 hours for critical)


5. Cloud & DevOps Integration

Integrate APIs and services within modern cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure).
Drive cloud-native patterns like microservices, containers, and serverless APIs.
Define CI/CD pipelines for API development with automated testing and quality gates.
Enforce configuration-as-code, automated deployment, rollback strategies, and drift detection.
KPI Examples:
CI/CD pipeline success rate (target: >98%)
Deployment frequency (target: weekly or faster)
Mean lead time from commit to deploy (target: < 1 day)


6. Technical Leadership & Stakeholder Engagement

Act as a technical advisor to business and product teams on API and integration strategies.
Lead technical workshops and architecture review boards.
Mentor architects, developers, and engineers on API-first development and cloud adoption.
Align solutions with business strategy, technology roadmap, and industry trends.
KPI Examples:
Stakeholder satisfaction score (target: >8.5/10)
of technical workshops or trainings conducted per quarter (target: 4)
% of initiatives delivered on time and within budget (target: >90%)

Required Skills & Experience:

Technical Skills
API Management: Hands-on experience with platforms like Apigee, Mulesoft, Kong, AWS/GCP/Azure API Gateway.
API Protocols: REST, GraphQL, WebSockets, gRPC, SOAP.
Design Standards: OpenAPI, Swagger, RAML, JSON Schema.
Security Protocols: OAuth2.0, SAML, JWT, mTLS, HMAC.
Cloud Platforms: AWS, GCP, Azure – including services like Lambda, API Gateway, ECS, Cloud Functions, etc.
DevOps Tools: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, ArgoCD, Terraform, Helm, Docker, Kubernetes.
Monitoring Tools: Datadog, Prometheus, ELK Stack, Splunk, New Relic.
IaC & Automation: Terraform, CloudFormation, Ansible.

Soft Skills
Exceptional problem-solving and decision-making abilities.
Strong communication and presentation skills for technical and executive audiences.
Proven leadership and mentoring capabilities.
Agile and DevSecOps mindset.


Qualifications:
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
10+ years in IT/Software Engineering roles, with at least 5 years in Solution Architecture roles.

Professional certifications preferred:

AWS/GCP/Azure Certified Architect
TOGAF / SAFe / ArchiMate
Apigee or Mulesoft Certification
Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)

Requirements

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