API Architect

SafelyYou; United States; Remote; USD 190,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus plan

Stock options

Premium medical/dental/vision coverage

401(k) program

Education stipend

Wellbeing stipend

Home-office stipend

Paid time off (non-accrual)

Job summary

SafelyYou is seeking a senior backend architect to own the architecture and hands-on development of APIs and data platforms. You will connect internal data systems with external customers and applications, shaping API patterns, governance, and real-time data capabilities.

You will mentor engineers, work across teams, and contribute to critical services while driving improvements to CI/CD pipelines, documentation, and deployment practices in a fully remote environment based in the United States

Qualifications

• Seven or more years in software, backend, or platform engineering.
• Deep experience designing, building, operating, and scaling REST APIs, web services, and distributed backend systems.
• Strong Python skills and experience with API gateway or management platforms, including authentication, routing, policy enforcement, observability, and deployment.
• Experience with streaming data technologies such as Kafka, Kinesis, or Spark Streaming, and with tradeoffs among streaming, batch, and synchronous processing.
• Familiarity with AWS and practical DevOps, including containers and deployment tools such as Kubernetes or Helm.
• Strong technical writing, CI/CD experience, and a quality-focused approach to delivering maintainable systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate scalable APIs, microservices, and backend infrastructure using Python and AWS.
• Own the lifecycle and ongoing improvement of an external data API, as well as internal APIs used by application teams.
• Establish practices for data registries, schema governance, versioning, documentation, and compatibility.
• Design streaming pipelines and guide the shift from batch processing to real-time architectures where appropriate.
• Write and maintain architecture decision records, API specifications, and system documentation; improve CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows.
• Collaborate on technical strategy and product launches, mentor colleagues, participate in on-call rotations, and implement the systems you design.

Skills

Backend architecture

Python programming

API design

DevOps

Technical writing

CI/CD

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes/Helm

API Gateway

Kafka/Kinesis/Spark Streaming

Terraform

Job description

Role overview

Own the architecture and hands-on development of backend services and APIs that connect internal data systems with external customers and applications. You’ll shape API and data platform patterns, improve governance and real-time data capabilities, and work across teams while mentoring engineers and supporting critical services.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate scalable APIs, microservices, and backend infrastructure using Python and AWS.
• Own the lifecycle and ongoing improvement of an external data API, as well as internal APIs used by application teams.
• Establish practices for data registries, schema governance, versioning, documentation, and compatibility.
• Design streaming pipelines and guide the shift from batch processing to real-time architectures where appropriate.
• Write and maintain architecture decision records, API specifications, and system documentation; improve CI/CD pipelines and developer workflows.
• Collaborate on technical strategy and product launches, mentor colleagues, participate in on-call rotations, and implement the systems you design.

Requirements

• Seven or more years in software, backend, or platform engineering, ideally in a startup environment.
• Deep experience designing, building, operating, and scaling REST APIs, web services, and distributed backend systems.
• Strong Python skills and experience with API gateway or management platforms, including authentication, routing, policy enforcement, observability, and deployment.
• Experience with streaming data technologies such as Kafka, Kinesis, or Spark Streaming, and with the tradeoffs among streaming, batch, and synchronous processing.
• Familiarity with AWS and practical DevOps, including containers and deployment tools such as Kubernetes or Helm.
• Strong technical writing, CI/CD experience, and a quality-focused approach to delivering maintainable systems.

Nice to have

• Experience with AI-assisted development workflows, infrastructure as code such as Terraform, and data architectures spanning pipelines, warehouses, event systems, and APIs.
• Familiarity with EHRs, HL7, FHIR, HIPAA, and distributed, asynchronous teams.

Benefits and work setup

• Fully remote; candidates must be based in the United States or Canada.
• Base salary range: $190,000–$210,000 USD or $180,000–$200,000 CAD, depending on experience, plus bonus plan, stock options, and benefits.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage with employee premiums fully paid, a 401(k) program, and monthly education, wellbeing, and home-office stipends.
• Non-accrual paid time off, family and parental leave, company retreats, and growth opportunities.