Senior API Platform Engineer | Digital Transformation | API Platform & Agentic Ecosystem

YPO; United States; Hybrid; USD 119,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work flexibility

Performance-based bonus opportunities

Total rewards package

Job summary

YPO, a global leadership community, is seeking a Senior API Platform Engineer to advance our API-first platform powering member ecosystem and governance. You will own API design, backend systems, and the move to a serverless, scalable architecture on AWS, collaborating across product, data, IT and security teams.

You will tackle complex data models, caching, data consistency, security and observability challenges while delivering production-grade APIs using REST/GraphQL, AWS API Gateway, Lambda

Qualifications

• 6–8+ years of backend/API engineering experience, with deep hands-on experience designing and building API layers for complex, production-scale systems.
• Strong REST and/or GraphQL API design experience, including contracts, versioning and lifecycle management.
• Experience designing APIs over complex or highly connected data models, including graph-based or relationship-driven data.
• Strong understanding of non-functional requirements at the API layer, including scalability, reliability, resilience, latency, security and observability.
• Experience solving caching, data consistency, concurrency and performance challenges in distributed systems.
• Ability to evaluate architectural tradeoffs and translate business and product requirements into maintainable technical solutions.
• Experience with AWS API Gateway and serverless architecture, including Lambda and Step Functions.
• Experience with event-driven systems such as Kafka, EventBridge and CDC patterns.
• Infrastructure as Code experience using Terraform and/or AWS CDK.
• Experience with OAuth2 and identity platforms such as Auth0 or Okta.
• Understanding of Domain-Driven Design and clear service/API boundaries.
• Experience building privacy- and consent-aware systems, including GDPR/CCPA considerations.
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly.
• Active use of AI development tools such as Copilot or Cursor.

Responsibilities

• Design and build production-scale REST and GraphQL APIs using AWS.
• Create stable API contracts that remain decoupled from underlying data and backend schemas.
• Design APIs over complex, highly connected data models, including graph-based or relationship-driven data.
• Solve architectural challenges involving caching, data consistency, concurrency, latency and performance.
• Define clear API and service boundaries using Domain-Driven Design principles and ensure backward compatibility.
• Build for scalability, reliability, resilience, security and observability; implement versioning and breaking-change strategies.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, observability and uptime requirements; manage infrastructure via IaC (Terraform / AWS CDK).
• Collaborate with Security and Data teams on identity, authorization, privacy and consent requirements.

Skills

Backend/API engineering

REST/GraphQL API design

Data modeling (complex/connected data)

Non-functional API requirements

Caching, data consistency, concurrency

Translate business requirements to技术方案

AWS API Gateway & serverless

Event-driven systems

Terraform / AWS CDK (IaC)

OAuth2 / IdP (Auth0 Okta)

Domain-Driven Design

GDPR/CCPA/privacy knowledge

Cross-functional communication

AI development tools (Copilot/Cursor)

Tools

AWS API Gateway

AWS Lambda

AWS Step Functions

Terraform

AWS CDK

Kafka

EventBridge

CDC

Auth0 / Okta

Job description

Digital Transformation | API Platform & Agentic Ecosystem

YPO is a global leadership community of 35,000+ chief executives across 142 countries, built on peer learning, shared experiences and trusted relationships.

Our digital transformation is building a platform where members can discover relevant peers and experiences, understand why they see what they see, control their data and trust every interaction.

At the center of that transformation is a modern data and intelligence platform - with APIs serving as the connective tissue across YPO’s digital ecosystem.

We’re looking for a Senior API Platform Engineer with deep backend and API engineering experience to help build the platform powering YPO’s member ecosystem, chapter operations and emerging Agentic AI capabilities.

This is more than an API implementation role.

You’ll work through complex questions around API architecture, highly connected data, scalability, caching, consistency, performance, security and governance - and turn those decisions into production-quality solutions.

You’ll own technical implementation end-to-end, make thoughtful architectural tradeoffs and partner across Product, Data, IT and Security to build systems that are scalable, secure, observable and maintainable.

API Architecture & Engineering

• Design and build production-scale REST and GraphQL APIs using AWS API Gateway
• Create stable API contracts that remain decoupled from underlying data and backend schemas
• Design APIs over complex, highly connected and relationship-driven data
• Solve architectural challenges involving caching, data consistency, concurrency, latency and performance
• Define clear API and service boundaries using Domain-Driven Design principles
• Design for scalability, reliability, resilience, security and observability
• Implement versioning, backward compatibility and breaking-change strategies
• Build within a serverless-first architecture using AWS Lambda and Step Functions

Event-Driven & Distributed Systems

• Apply event-driven patterns using technologies such as Kafka, EventBridge and CDC
• Design idempotent and resilient distributed workflows
• Address data consistency, failure recovery and system behavior across interconnected services
• Implement performance controls including caching, pagination and rate limiting

Agentic Ecosystem Engineering

• Build governed API boundaries for AI agents using technologies including OpenAI, RAG and Gemini
• Ensure agents interact through approved APIs rather than unrestricted raw data access
• Support structured retrieval, provenance and deterministic fallback patterns
• Build security, governance and observability into agent interactions

API Lifecycle & Governance

• Own the API lifecycle from design and development through testing, documentation, versioning and deprecation
• Maintain backward compatibility and clear breaking-change policies
• Support CI/CD pipelines, observability and uptime requirements
• Manage infrastructure through Infrastructure as Code using Terraform and/or AWS CDK
• Partner with Security and Data teams on identity, authorization, privacy and consent requirements

Member & Relationship APIs

Identity, peer discovery, member relationships and graph-based data

Chapter APIs

Chapter operations, events and access

Agentic APIs

Governed API access and structured retrieval for AI agents

• 6–8+ years of backend/API engineering experience, with deep hands-on experience designing and building API layers for complex, production-scale systems
• Strong REST and/or GraphQL API design experience, including contracts, versioning and lifecycle management
• Experience designing APIs over complex or highly connected data models, including graph-based or relationship-driven data
• Strong understanding of non-functional requirements at the API layer, including scalability, reliability, resilience, latency, security and observability
• Experience solving caching, data consistency, concurrency and performance challenges in distributed systems
• Ability to evaluate architectural tradeoffs and translate business and product requirements into maintainable technical solutions
• Experience with AWS API Gateway and serverless architecture, including Lambda and Step Functions
• Experience with event-driven systems such as Kafka, EventBridge and CDC patterns
• Infrastructure as Code experience using Terraform and/or AWS CDK
• Experience with OAuth2 and identity platforms such as Auth0 or Okta
• Understanding of Domain-Driven Design and clear service/API boundaries
• Experience building privacy- and consent-aware systems, including GDPR/CCPA considerations
• Strong cross-functional communication skills and the ability to explain complex technical decisions clearly
• Active use of AI development tools such as Copilot or Cursor

Travel: 10–15% domestic and international

Schedule: Flexible hours to support global teams

Compensation at YPO is one part of a broader Total Rewards philosophy built to attract, motivate and retain talented people in every country and function where we operate. We aim to be fair, consistent and thoughtful stewards of our resources, grounding pay decisions in market data, role scope and internal equity rather than negotiation alone.

Compensation ranges are based on the associate’s primary work location.

For United States applicants: USD $119,200–$155,000 annually

We believe pay is only part of how YPO invests in its people. Associates are also eligible for performance-based bonus opportunities, remote work flexibility and a comprehensive rewards package built around their wellbeing and growth. Your Talent Acquisition Business Partner will share details specific to your location as part of the interview process.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

YPO is an Equal Opportunity Employer. YPO takes pride in supporting a diverse workforce and demonstrates this through its policies and practices. YPO does not discriminate in recruiting, hiring, training, promotion or other employment practices for reasons of race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, sexual orientation, marital or veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.