Senior API Solutions Architect

Job Summary

540 is seeking a Senior API Solutions Architect to support a mission-critical technology modernization effort for the Department of War. The role involves leading the architecture and governance of secure, scalable APIs that enable internal platform components and external mission systems to exchange data while aligning with DoW policies, reference architectures, and enterprise integration standards.

Location

Arlington, VA

Qualifications

• Citizenship & Clearance Requirement: U.S. Citizen with an active DoW Secret (or higher) clearance
• Education Requirement: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field preferred; equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience will be considered

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture and evolution of APIs, integration patterns, and technical standards supporting WDPTranslate mission and technical requirements into scalable API architectures and implementation strategies
• Establish enterprise API governance across design, review, versioning, publishing, monitoring, and retirement
• Define standards and reusable patterns for RESTful APIs, OpenAPI specifications, JSON schemas, and data exchange
• Guide the configuration and operation of API gateways, policies, developer portals, and lifecycle processes using Apigee and Gravitee
• Define security patterns for authentication, authorization, encryption, rate limiting, threat protection, and auditing
• Lead architecture reviews and ensure API designs align with DoW standards, security requirements, and mission objectives
• Establish API monitoring and operational standards covering performance, availability, reliability, adoption, and capacity
• Guide integration across cloud-native, microservices, event-driven, and service-oriented architectures
• Resolve complex API, gateway, interoperability, and cross-system architecture challenges
• Communicate architecture decisions, risks, and tradeoffs while mentoring engineers on API design and governance

Required Skills & Experience

• 9+ years of relevant API architecture, integration, or software engineering experience
• Experience leading the design and implementation of enterprise API architectures for large-scale distributed systems
• Advanced knowledge of RESTful API design, API lifecycle management, interface governance, and integration patterns
• Hands-on experience with Apigee, Gravitee, or comparable enterprise API management platforms
• Experience defining API gateway architecture and configuring policies, routing, rate limits, security controls, monitoring, and developer portals
• Experience developing API specifications using OpenAPI, Swagger, JSON Schema, or similar frameworks
• Experience establishing API governance, standards, and reusable patterns across multiple engineering teams
• Experience implementing versioning, backward compatibility, and change-management strategies
• Experience implementing OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JWT, PKI, or similar authentication and authorization technologies
• Strong understanding of API security, zero trust principles, and secure software development practices
• Experience integrating APIs across cloud-native, microservices, event-driven, or service-oriented architectures
• Experience with cloud platforms, containerized applications, CI/CD, and automated testing
• Experience leading architecture reviews, mentoring engineers, and influencing technical direction
• Strong communication and documentation skills, including the ability to explain architecture decisions to technical and nontechnical audiences