Head of Enterprise API Platform

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America; New York (NY); On-site; USD 178,690 - 293,560; Full time

Job summary

The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America is seeking an experienced leader to drive our enterprise API strategy. The role focuses on enabling secure, scalable, and reusable API services essential for powering our customer and product capabilities. The ideal candidate will have significant experience in API design and integration engineering, with a strong emphasis on security and team leadership.

As part of our commitment to modernizing our API landscape, you will partner with architecture and cybersecurity teams to design robust solutions that enhance developer experiences while ensuring high performance and reliability.

This position offers a competitive salary range of $178,690.00 - $293,560.00 with opportunities for career advancement.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software engineering or API development.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams.
• Strong understanding of security and integration patterns.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable API platforms.
• Establish API standards across security and performance.
• Drive adoption and reuse of APIs within teams.

Skills

API design

Microservices

Integration engineering

Software engineering

Leadership

Security (authentication, authorization)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Cloud architectures (AWS, Azure)

Job description

Role Summary

Guardian is transforming how we deliver digital and data-driven experiences. This role leads the strategy and execution of our enterprise API ecosystem—enabling secure, scalable, and reusable services that power customer, product, and AI capabilities across the organization. You will modernize our API landscape, establish engineering standards, and lead teams delivering high-quality integration solutions across the enterprise.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable, reliable API platforms across the enterprise.
• Establish and enforce API standards across security, performance, and lifecycle management.
• Modernize legacy integrations into reusable, well-governed APIs.
• Drive adoption and reuse of APIs across product and engineering teams.
• Partner with architecture, cybersecurity, and platform teams to align on integration patterns.
• Improve developer experience through tooling, automation, and self-service capabilities.
• Build and lead high-performing engineering teams across platform and delivery.
• Reduce duplication and improve efficiency across enterprise integrations.
• Influence technology direction through strong cross-functional partnerships.

Qualifications

• Experience leading API, platform, or integration engineering in large‑scale environments.
• Strong expertise in API design, microservices, and modern integration patterns.
• Proven ability to establish standards and drive adoption across teams.
• Experience modernizing legacy systems into scalable services.
• Strong understanding of security (authentication, authorization, zero‑trust).
• Experience leading and developing engineering teams.
• Ability to influence senior stakeholders and drive enterprise outcomes.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in software engineering, API development, or platform engineering.
• 5+ years of experience leading engineering teams and delivering at enterprise scale.
• Proven experience designing and implementing API strategies and integration architectures.
• Experience operating in complex, cross‑functional environments with multiple stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and drive enterprise‑wide initiatives.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with cloud‑native architectures (e.g., AWS, Azure).
• Familiarity with event‑driven architectures and distributed systems.
• Exposure to data and AI integration patterns.
• Experience implementing developer platforms or API marketplaces.
• Background in financial services or regulated industries.

Success Measures

• High platform reliability, performance, and developer experience.
• Increased API adoption and reuse across teams.
• Reduction in redundant integrations and services.
• Strong compliance with security and engineering standards.
• Improved delivery speed and predictability.
• Reduction in API‑related incidents.

Salary Range

$178,690.00 - $293,560.00

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.