Staff API Engineer

Equinix; Toronto; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Equinix is seeking an engineer to design and build systems for a robust API ecosystem. You will implement tooling for API specs, SDKs, and docs, collaborating with senior engineers on architecture and mentoring juniors.

You will translate stakeholder feedback into concrete tooling requirements, define success metrics, and contribute to architectural reviews. Proficiency in Go or Python and experience with CI/CD, Kubernetes, and API standards are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Working knowledge of CI/CD and Git-based workflows in Linux environments; familiarity with Kubernetes concepts is a plus.
• Experience with infrastructure as code and automation-first practices; familiarity with Terraform Providers/Modules is a plus.
• Proficiency in Go and/or Python for building maintainable tooling, automation, and services.
• Familiarity with gateway/edge and routing patterns (e.g., Apigee, ALB, Kubernetes Ingress, Envoy) and how they influence API usability and onboarding.
• Working knowledge of API specifications and auth concepts (e.g., OpenAPI, OAuth2/OIDC); MCP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design and build systems and tooling for a robust API ecosystem.
• Implement and operate tooling for API specs, SDKs, and docs generation workflows.
• Collaborate with senior engineers on architecture and mentor junior teammates.
• Translate feedback into actionable requirements for tooling and automation.
• Define acceptance criteria and success metrics for ecosystem improvements.
• Contribute to architectural reviews and platform integration discussions.
• Develop and maintain Go and Python services for ecosystem tooling and CI helpers.
• Ensure tooling aligns with gateway/edge and identity requirements (e.g., OAuth/OIDC).

Skills

API design

Go

Python

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Education

Bachelor’s in CS/CE or equivalent

Tools

OpenAPI

OAuth2/OIDC

Docusaurus

Backstage

Terraform

Confluence

Job description

• Works with product teams, analysts, and other engineers to design and build systems and application software that enable a robust, usable API ecosystem
• Implements and operates API ecosystem tooling—API specifications (eg, OpenAPI, OAuth2/OIDC, MCP), SDK and documentation generation workflows, and docs/developer platform engineering (eg, Docusaurus, Backstage, Confluence) including plugins, upgrades, light theming, and CI/CD
• Partners closely with a Senior Staff engineer on architecture and standards, and mentors junior team members through code reviews and shared ownership
• Translates developer and internal stakeholder feedback into actionable requirements for API ecosystem tooling and automation
• Performs basic change-impact analysis from specification and platform changes to downstream artifacts (SDKs, IaC integrations, docs generation, examples) and raises risks early
• Contributes to defining acceptance criteria and success metrics for ecosystem improvements (validation coverage, reliability, reduced manual steps)
• Contributes to architectural reviews by proposing implementation approaches, tradeoffs, and operational considerations
• Implements architecture patterns and standards defined by senior technical leadership for API lifecycle governance, generation pipelines, and platform integration
• Collaborates with gateway/edge and identity stakeholders to ensure implementations align with routing and security constraints (e.g., Apigee, ALB, Kubernetes Ingress, Envoy)
• Designs and delivers features/modules for API ecosystem tooling and platform extensions with attention to maintainability and reuse
• Creates or extends plugin and integration patterns for docs and developer platforms (e.g., Docusaurus, Backstage, Confluence) including themes, UI extensions, and build hooks
• Produces clear design notes and implementation docs to enable cross-repo contributions and reduce knowledge silos
• Understands and analyzes API specifications (e.g., OpenAPI, OAuth2/OIDC, MCP) and applies them in tooling and workflows
• Builds and maintains automation and services that generate SDKs and documentation from API specifications
• Builds and maintains IaC ecosystem components (e.g., Terraform Providers and Modules) and supporting tooling to ensure reliable integrations
• Develops and maintains ecosystem tooling in Go and Python (validators, generators, CI helpers, release utilities)
• Integrates gateway/edge and identity requirements into reference implementations (e.g., auth flows, policy hooks, onboarding paths)
• Uses AI agents/skills to reduce toil in day-to-day engineering work (e.g., PR validation summaries, impact notes, suggested remediations) with review and verification steps
• Implements automated tests and quality gates for ecosystem outputs (SDKs, IaC providers/modules, docs outputs) using contract tests, golden tests, and spec compliance checks
• Adds breaking-change detection and compatibility checks to CI pipelines and helps triage failures with clear remediation guidance
• Defines deployment and release guidelines for ecosystem tooling and docs/developer platforms (build/test/release, preview environments, artifact publishing)
• Defines and executes environment planning and cross-functional dependencies for services and pipelines; contributes to Kubernetes-based operations where applicable
• Documents software configuration management practices and educates cross-functional stakeholders on the processes and tools, including CI/CD and release workflows
• Applies infrastructure-as-code practices to improve repeatability and reduce manual operational effort
• Maintains inventory of key ecosystem services, pipelines, and operational dependencies; keeps runbooks and support docs current
• Helps prepare application support documentation and improves operational readiness (dashboards, alerts, basic runbooks)
• Troubleshoots application and pipeline issues using knowledgebase documents; escalates complex incidents appropriately and contributes to post-incident fixes
• Provides technical guidance to internal teams adopting API standards, SDK/IaC workflows, and docs/developer platform extensions
• Partners with product, platform, and security/identity stakeholders to ensure solutions are usable, secure, and maintainable
• Provides level of effort (LOE) for features and initiatives; identifies dependencies and integration risks
• Works with technical project managers and product management teams to define schedules for multi-repo changes and coordinated releases
• Provides progress updates tied to outcomes (pipeline health, validation coverage, time-to-release), and supports release management execution
• Investigates, analyzes, and evaluates new technologies relevant to API governance, specification tooling, and automation
• Experiments with MCP-based tools and AI-assisted workflows to improve developer experience and engineering efficiency, ensuring outputs remain verifiable and governed

• Bachelor’s in Computer Science or Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Working knowledge of CI/CD and Git-based workflows in Linux environments; familiarity with Kubernetes concepts is a plus
• Experience with infrastructure as code and automation-first practices; familiarity with Terraform Providers/Modules is a plus
• Proficiency in Go and/or Python for building maintainable tooling, automation, and services
• Familiarity with gateway/edge and routing patterns (e.g., Apigee, ALB, Kubernetes Ingress, Envoy) and how they influence API usability and onboarding
• Working knowledge of API specifications and auth concepts (e.g., OpenAPI, OAuth2/OIDC); familiarity with MCP is a plus
• Experience building and operating production services and/or developer tooling with ownership of reliability and maintainability
• Demonstrated use of AI agents/skills in engineering workflows with an emphasis on verification and safe operation
• Experience with SDK generation and/or ecosystem stewardship (release/versioning strategies, compatibility testing)
• Experience integrating with identity/authorization backends (e.g., OAuth/OIDC integrations, token services, RBAC/ABAC patterns)
• Experience with docs and developer platforms (e.g., Docusaurus, Backstage, Confluence) including plugins, theming, and platform upgrades