Manager, API Practice Engineering

World Economic Forum; Genf; On-site; CHF 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

World Economic Forum is building world-leading digital collaboration platforms and data tools. We are seeking a Practice Engineer to lead the API platform craft across product streams, setting standards and staying hands-on in real engineering work.

The successful candidate will own API design standards (REST/GraphQL/Event-Driven), OpenAPI documentation, versioning, and the API gateway; collaborate with IT, security teams, and fellow Practice Engineers to ensure stability and architectural

Qualifications

• University-level education in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field.
• Demonstrated API design and governance expertise across REST, GraphQL, gRPC or event-driven architectures.
• Experience setting technical standards and driving adoption across multiple teams.
• Strong knowledge of OpenAPI/schema-first design and versioning/deprecation practices.
• Proficiency in at least one major API/web development language/framework (Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, Go).

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain platform craft standards and ensure architectural coherence across product teams.
• Own API design standards, OpenAPI docs, versioning, deprecation, API gateway, and service catalog.
• Surface cross-cutting technical debt and drive its resolution.
• Run platform rituals: office hours, demos, RFC reviews; coach engineers.
• Participate in hiring as the technical-bar interviewer with Engineering Managers.
• Own deployment processes and CI/CD tooling; document infrastructure specs and ensure security.

Skills

API design & governance

Architectural leadership

Technical standards

CI/CD tooling

English communication

Education

CS/Engineering degree

Tools

OpenAPI

API gateways

Job description

The World Economic Forum, committed to improving the state of the world, is the international organization for public-private cooperation.

The Forum engages the foremost political, business and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.

Why we are recruiting

The Forum is building world-leading digital collaboration platforms, knowledge and data tools, and digital event experiences for our constituents. As part of the evolution of our engineering operating model, durable product teams own delivery while horizontal practices safeguard the craft. We are looking for a Practice Engineer to lead the API platform practice across product streams: setting the standards and staying hands-on in real engineering work.

In this model, the principle earns its authority through artefacts — standards and paved paths. You will be the steward of architectural coherence and engineering excellence for your platform across all product teams.

Reporting Lines & Interactions

Part of the Forum IT Team, the Practice Engineer reports to the Head of Engineering. You will work across product teams in partnership with Engineering Managers — coaching engineers through weekly office hours, code reviews and RFC reviews — and sit on hiring loops as the technical-bar interviewer. You will also collaborate with the IT Systems & IT Security teams on infrastructure stability and security, and with fellow Practice Engineers in the architecture council.

The successful candidate will be assessed on

• Author and maintain platform craft standards — a set of specific, actionable guidelines — and maintain architectural coherence across product teams. Write paved paths and skills that enable engineers and agents to build compliant applications by default.
• Own API design standards (REST/GraphQL/Event-Driven), the OpenAPI documentation process, versioning and deprecation policy, the API gateway setup and the service catalog.
• Surface and drive resolution of cross-cutting technical debt across product streams.
• Run platform rituals: weekly office hours, technical demos, and RFC reviews; coach engineers across teams through the craft line.
• Serve as the technical-bar interviewer on hiring loops, partnering with Engineering Managers who lead hiring.
• Own the deployment processes and CI/CD tooling that support product teams, document infrastructure specifications, and collaborate with the IT & ITS teams to ensure stability and security.

Requirements

• University-level education in computer science, engineering, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of relevant industry experience with deep expertise in API management and a track record of shipping and operating products at scale.
• Demonstrated experience setting technical standards, leading architecture decisions, and driving their adoption across multiple teams through influence rather than authority.
• Deep command of API design and governance — REST plus at least one of GraphQL, gRPC, or event-driven; OpenAPI/schema-first design; and clear versioning, deprecation, and governance practices applied across teams.
• Strong command of at least one major API/web development language and framework — such as Node.js, Python, Ruby on Rails, or Go — with the breadth to read, review, and contribute across related product engineering domains.
• Familiar with modern infrastructure, CI/CD tooling and deployment processes, with a working knowledge of security and stability practices.
• Practical experience with agent-assisted (AI-assisted) development and building paved paths, templates or tooling that other engineers (and agents) build on.
• Experience interviewing and holding the technical bar in engineering hiring.
• Fluency in English, with excellent written, digital, and verbal communication skills, and the ability to thrive in a complex, international organization.

Why join us?

Join an independent and impartial organization with over 55 years of connecting leaders to make sense of global challenges and move the world forward together.