Senior API Security & Governance Lead

Jobtailor; Illinois; On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is recruiting for a senior API Security leader in the United States. The role focuses on directing enterprise API security standards, governance practices, and risk assessments to strengthen the organization’s security posture across API-enabled platforms.

You will guide secure API design, authentication, and threat protection, while collaborating with security, risk, and architecture teams to implement secure-by-design initiatives and regulatory controls.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Information Security, Application Security, API Security, or a related field.
• Deep expertise in API Security principles, frameworks, and best practices.
• Experience developing, implementing, and enforcing security standards, governance models, controls, and policies.
• Strong understanding of secure API design, authentication, authorization, and risk management.
• Experience performing threat modeling, security reviews, architecture assessments, and risk evaluations.
• Proven ability to assess and improve an organization's API security posture.
• Experience partnering with security, risk, architecture, business, and engineering stakeholders across large enterprise environments.
• Certifications such as CISSP, CSSLP, GWAPT, or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development, maintenance, and evolution of enterprise API security standards, controls, and governance practices.
• Assess and improve the bank's overall API security posture through security reviews, risk assessments, and control evaluations.
• Provide guidance on secure API architecture, authentication, authorization, encryption, threat protection, monitoring, and lifecycle management.
• Partner with Information Security, Technology Risk, Enterprise Architecture, and engineering teams to identify and mitigate API security risks.
• Conduct architecture reviews, threat modeling exercises, and security assessments for API-enabled applications and platforms.
• Define and promote API security best practices, reusable security patterns, and governance frameworks across the enterprise.
• Influence technology teams to adopt secure-by-design API development and implementation practices.
• Support regulatory, compliance, audit, and risk management activities related to API and Application Security.
• Serve as a trusted advisor and subject matter expert for API Security and Application Security initiatives.
• Stay current on emerging API threats, vulnerabilities, technologies, and industry best practices.
• Collaborate with platform teams supporting Apigee, GraphQL, AI APIs, AWS API Gateway, and other API technologies.
• Drive alignment between business objectives, security requirements, and enterprise technology standards.

Skills

API Security

Security Architecture

Threat Modeling

Regulatory Compliance

OAuth 2.0 / OIDC

Threat Protection

APIs & Microservices

Influencing Decision-Making

Tools

Apigee

AWS API Gateway

GraphQL

Kong

MuleSoft

Job description

Jobtailor is recruiting for a senior API Security leader in the United States. The role focuses on directing enterprise API security standards, governance practices, and risk assessments to strengthen the organization’s security posture across API-enabled platforms.

You will guide secure API design, authentication, and threat protection, while collaborating with security, risk, and architecture teams to implement secure-by-design initiatives and regulatory controls.