Principal Engineer — Graph & API

RiseMe; Detroit (MI); On-site; USD 170,000 - 366,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket, a Detroit-based company, seeks a Principal Engineer for Servicing Digital to define and govern the API and graph architecture, including schema design, federation, and versioning, as Rocket modernizes its System of Record.

You will mentor engineers, set standards across GraphQL, REST, and event-driven patterns, and partner with product teams and executives to shape engineering strategy during a pivotal migration.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science or a related field.
• 12+ years in professional software engineering and architecture roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading API or graph platform strategy at enterprise scale.
• Advanced expertise in GraphQL, schema federation, API design and governance.
• Experience designing abstraction layers that insulate consumer experiences from backend system changes, including migrations and re-platforming efforts.
• Deep fluency in TypeScript and AWS-native service patterns relevant to API and graph infrastructure.
• Track record of establishing API standards and governance that scale across multiple teams and domains.
• Excellent communicator, equally effective in engineering design reviews and executive-level architecture discussions.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the API and graph architecture strategy for Servicing Digital, including schema design, federation patterns, and versioning governance.
• Architect and steward the abstraction layer that decouples client-facing experiences from underlying systems during and after the System of Record migration.
• Establish API design standards, schema governance practices, and developer contracts that scale across multiple product teams.
• Guide technology adoption across GraphQL, schema federation, REST, and event-driven integration patterns.
• Build and maintain API platform tooling, documentation standards, and developer experience infrastructure that accelerates team velocity.
• Integrate and advocate for AI-assisted tooling throughout the API development lifecycle.
• Mentor engineers and technical leads, elevating graph and API craft across the vertical.
• Represent Servicing Digital's API strategy in architecture reviews, executive discussions, and cross-vertical technical forums.

Skills

GraphQL

Schema federation

API design

REST

Event-driven integration

TypeScript

AWS-native

Communication

Education

Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science

Tools

GraphQL tooling

Job description

As a Principal Engineer within Servicing Digital, you'll help define and deliver Rocket's next generation of client-facing servicing experiences for millions of homeowners. Servicing Digital owns the end-to-end digital journey for clients after close — powering 's Rocket Mortgage Servicing platform and every interaction a client has with their loan, their account, and their servicer. We are entering a pivotal chapter — a full-scale System of Record modernization that will reshape the technical foundation beneath our client experiences and redefine how servicing works through AI-driven workflows and decisioning. The engineers who join us now will not inherit a finished system. They will build the one that replaces it. The Graph & API domain sits at the center of that transformation. You'll architect and govern the abstraction layer that keeps our client-facing products stable and decoupled as the systems beneath them change. Your work will determine how fast the vertical can move, how safely teams can ship, and how confidently Rocket can execute one of its most consequential technology investments.Principal Engineers provide cross-organizational technical leadership, operating across multiple divisions and domains to drive enterprise-wide technology standards, build advanced platforms, and accelerate internal transformation. As key thought leaders, Principal Engineers define and influence technical strategy, shape engineering culture, and represent engineering in executive-level discussions. They introduce and scale innovative solutions — including AI and automation throughout the software development lifecycle — that materially impact the company and industry. In the Graph & API role, this mandate is sharpened by urgency: a full-scale System of Record migration makes stable, well-governed API abstractions a business-critical dependency. You will own the technical strategy for how Servicing Digital's graph and API layer is designed, governed, and evolved — ensuring that client experiences remain fast, coherent, and decoupled from the migration happening beneath them.

About the role

• Define and own the API and graph architecture strategy for Servicing Digital, including schema design, federation patterns, and versioning governance.

• Architect and steward the abstraction layer that decouples client-facing experiences from underlying systems during and after the System of Record migration.

• Establish API design standards, schema governance practices, and developer contracts that scale across multiple product teams.

• Guide technology adoption across GraphQL, schema federation, REST, and event-driven integration patterns.

• Build and maintain API platform tooling, documentation standards, and developer experience infrastructure that accelerates team velocity.

• Integrate and advocate for AI-assisted tooling throughout the API development lifecycle.

• Mentor engineers and technical leads, elevating graph and API craft across the vertical.

• Represent Servicing Digital's API strategy in architecture reviews, executive discussions, and cross-vertical technical forums.

Aboutyou

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's or higher in Computer Science or a related field.

• 12+ years in professional software engineering and architecture roles.

• Demonstrated experience leading API or graph platform strategy at enterprise scale.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced expertise in GraphQL, schema federation, API design and governance, REST, and event-driven integration patterns.

• Demonstrated experience designing abstraction layers that insulate consumer experiences from backend system changes, including migrations and re-platforming efforts.

• Deep fluency in TypeScript and AWS-native service patterns relevant to API and graph infrastructure.

• Track record of establishing API standards and governance that scale across multiple teams and domains.

• Excellent communicator, equally effective in engineering design reviews and executive-level architecture discussions.

What you’ll get

Our team members fuel our strategy, innovation and growth, so we ensure the health and well-being of not just you, but your family, too! We go above and beyond to give you the support you need on an individual level and offer all sorts of ways to help you live your best life. We are proud to offer eligible team members perks and health benefits that will help you have peace of mind. Simply put: We’ve got your back. Check out our full list of Benefits and Perks.

On-Call ExpectationsThis role may include participation in an on-call rotation to support production systems and ensure service reliability. On-call responsibilities may include coverage during nights and weekends. If applicable, frequency and scheduling will be determined by team needs and communicated accordingly.

About us

Rocket is a Detroit-based company made up of businesses that provide simple, fast and trusted digital solutions for complex transactions. The name comes from our flagship business, now known as Rocket Mortgage®, which was founded in 1985. Today, we’re a publicly traded company involved in many different industries, including mortgages, fintech, real estate and more. We’re insistently different in how we look at the world and are committed to an inclusive workplace where every voice is heard.

The compensation information below is provided in compliance with all applicable job posting disclosure requirements. The compensation for this position is $169,500.00-$366,000.00. The position may also be eligible for an annual bonus, incentives, and other employment-related benefits including, but not limited to, medical, dental, and vision benefits, 401K retirement plan, and paid-time off. More information regarding these benefits and others can be found here. The information regarding compensation and other benefits included in this paragraph is the company’s current, good faith estimate at the time of posting. [Compensation and benefits are subject to modification from time to time as the Company, in its sole and exclusive discretion, deems appropriate.] The Company may determine during its future reviews of the proposed compensation and benefits provided for this position, that the compensation and benefits for such position should be reduced. In no event will the Company reduce the compensation for the position to a level below the applicable jurisdictional minimum wage rate for the position. Los Angeles County and San Francisco Candidates only: qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment per the Fair Chance Ordinance and the Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring.