API Architetct - Java, Python, Azure and Webflux

API Architect Azure Data Hub

Role: API Architect Hands-on
Experience: 10+ years in API, integration, or backend engineering
Location: Cary, NC Hybrid/Onsite
Relocation: Non-local candidates willing to relocate may be considered

Important

This is a hands-on architecture and development role. Candidates should have strong API Architecture experience and be capable of hands-on coding.

The title does not have to be "Architect." Senior API Engineers, Lead Engineers, or Technical Leads with strong API architecture and design experience can also be considered.

About the Role

We are building an enterprise Data Hub on Azure that ingests, curates, and serves data across a wide range of inbound and outbound interfaces.

We are looking for a hands-on API Architect to own the API layer end to end. The role will work closely with architects, engineers, and system owners to define interface contracts, architecture standards, and delivery patterns.

This is a design-and-build role, not a diagrams-only position. The ideal candidate will spend approximately 60% on architecture/design and 40% on hands-on engineering.

Key Responsibilities API Architecture & Design

• Own the end-to-end API architecture, including service boundaries, contracts, data models, error handling, and versioning.

• Design reusable API patterns for inbound/outbound interfaces, data exchange, file transfers, and synchronous/asynchronous workflows.

• Define OpenAPI standards, naming conventions, payload structures, backward compatibility, and contract-first development.

• Design reliable large-file transfer solutions using streaming, chunking, resumable transfers, signed URLs, and checksums.

• Make architecture decisions around synchronous APIs, asynchronous messaging, and bulk file interfaces.

• Design for scalability, resilience, backpressure, retries, idempotency, rate limiting, timeouts, and graceful degradation.

Hands-on Engineering

• Design and develop reactive Java services using Spring Boot, Spring WebFlux, and Project Reactor.

• Apply non-blocking I/O, reactive streams, backpressure, and streaming for large payloads.

• Build reference services and reusable patterns for other engineering teams.

• Use Python for automation, testing, contract validation, load testing, and operational tooling.

• Participate in code reviews, pair programming, troubleshooting, and production support.

Azure & Integration

• Design and deploy APIs using Azure App Service, AKS, or Azure Container Apps.

• Implement Azure API Management for gateway policies, throttling, subscriptions, and API management.

• Integrate APIs with ADLS Gen2 and enterprise data pipelines.

• Design asynchronous integrations using Azure Event Hubs, Azure Service Bus, or Kafka.

• Work with event-driven and CDC-based integration patterns.

Security & Governance

• Design API security using OAuth2, OIDC, JWT, Entra ID, and managed identities.

• Implement mutual TLS where required for partner integrations.

• Use Azure Key Vault for secure secret management.

• Implement private endpoints, network isolation, IP restrictions, and gateway security policies.

• Define standards for PII protection, masking, tokenization, and encryption.

• Implement contract testing, validation, reconciliation, and audit logging.

DevOps & Operations

• Build CI/CD pipelines using Azure DevOps.

• Implement automated unit, contract, and integration testing.

• Use Terraform for Infrastructure as Code.

• Implement monitoring, logging, distributed tracing, metrics, and alerting using Azure Monitor and Application Insights.

• Support automated deployments, environment promotion, and rollback.

Technical Leadership

• Partner with architects, engineers, and system owners to resolve technical and design challenges.

• Lead API design reviews and mentor engineering teams.

• Review architecture decisions, identify technical risks, and support delivery planning.

• Prepare and present architecture designs, sequence diagrams, interface specifications, and ADRs.

Required Skills

• 10+ years of experience in API, integration, or backend engineering.

• 3+ years of experience owning API architecture and design at enterprise scale.

• Strong hands-on experience with Java, Spring Boot, Spring WebFlux, and Project Reactor.

• Strong understanding of reactive programming, backpressure, non-blocking I/O, and streaming.

• Deep knowledge of REST, OpenAPI, contract-first development, API versioning, pagination, error handling, and idempotency.

• Experience with large-file transfer patterns such as SFTP, signed URLs, multipart and resumable uploads/downloads.

• Ability to create target-state architecture designs, sequence diagrams, and interface specifications.

• Strong hands-on Azure experience.

• Experience with Azure API Management, App Service, AKS, or Container Apps.

• Experience with Entra ID, managed identities, RBAC, Key Vault, and private endpoints.

• Experience with Event Hubs, Service Bus, or Kafka.

• Working knowledge of Python.

• Strong SQL and data-modeling skills.

• Experience with Azure DevOps, CI/CD, Git, Terraform, and automated testing.

• Strong communication and technical documentation skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Azure Databricks, Azure Data Factory, and ADLS Gen2.

• Knowledge of medallion/lakehouse architecture.

• Azure certifications such as AZ-204 or AZ-305.

• Insurance or financial services experience.

• Experience with GDPR, SOC 2, or similar compliance requirements.

• Experience with Workday or ERP integrations.

• Experience with GraphQL, gRPC, or event-streaming APIs.

• API gateway migration or API estate consolidation experience.

• Data mesh, data products, and data-contract experience.

• Experience working in a client-embedded or consulting environment.