VP , Software Engineering Manager

LPL Financial; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 168,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

LPL Financial is seeking an experienced and visionary VP, Software Engineering Manager - Kong Platform, & OneELK to lead the strategic direction, engineering execution, and operational excellence of the firm's API management ecosystem. This leader will own the enterprise Kong platform and drive large-scale API modernization and migration initiatives across the organization.

The ideal candidate will provide leadership for platform engineering teams responsible for API gateway services, developer

Qualifications

• 10+ years of technology leadership experience, including leading large engineering or platform organizations.
• 5+ years of experience managing API Management or Integration Platforms at enterprise scale.
• 3+ years experience with Kong Gateway, Kong Enterprise, API Gateway technologies, or similar platforms such as Apigee, AWS API Gateway, Azure API Management.
• 5+ years experience leading large‑scale modernization and migration programs.

Responsibilities

• Own the enterprise Kong API Gateway platform strategy, roadmap, adoption, and operational excellence.
• Lead engineering teams responsible for Kong Gateway, API management, developer portals, service mesh, API security, and supporting platform services.
• Establish platform SLOs, performance metrics, and operational governance.
• Lead enterprise-wide migration efforts from legacy middleware and API gateway technologies to Kong.
• Drive standardization of API design, development, governance, and lifecycle management practices.
• Establish reusable frameworks, tools, and automation capabilities to accelerate API onboarding and migration activities.
• Build and lead high-performing teams of engineering managers, software engineers, platform engineers, and architects.
• Drive adoption of DevSecOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, and Site Reliability Engineering principles.
• Promote engineering best practices, automation, continuous improvement, and operational maturity.
• Champion developer productivity and platform self-service capabilities.
• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to define API management standards, integration patterns, and modernization roadmaps.
• Influence strategic technology decisions related to cloud adoption, microservices, service mesh, event-driven architecture, and distributed systems.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend investments that enable long‑term business capabilities.
• Ensure API platform alignment with cybersecurity, governance, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Security teams to implement authentication, authorization, encryption, threat protection, and API security best practices.
• Drive compliance with internal controls, audit requirements, and financial services regulations.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior technology and business leaders.
• Provide executive‑level reporting on platform health, migration progress, risks, and operational metrics.
• Collaborate across multiple technology organizations to prioritize platform investments and modernization initiatives.

Skills

Technology leadership

Kong Gateway

API Management

Cloud-native architecture

DevSecOps / CI/CD

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Kong Gateway

Kong Enterprise

Apigee

AWS API Gateway

Job description

Lead with Purpose, Unlock Your Team’s Passion

At LPL, people leaders hold the key to the employee experience — shaping culture, driving performance, and guiding individuals to new heights. Because when that happens, we all win – clients, LPL, and most importantly our, employees.

Job Overview

LPL Financial is seeking an experienced and visionary VP, Software Engineering Manager - Kong Platform, & OneELK to lead the strategic direction, engineering execution, and operational excellence of the firm's API Management ecosystem. This leader will own the enterprise Kong platform and drive large-scale API modernization and migration initiatives across the organization.

The ideal candidate will provide leadership for platform engineering teams responsible for API gateway services, developer enablement, API governance, security, observability, reliability, and cloud-native modernization. This role will partner closely with Architecture, Product, Infrastructure, Security, and Application Development organizations to accelerate adoption of modern API standards and platforms while ensuring scalability, security, and operational stability.

This leader will be responsible for defining and executing the enterprise API strategy, enabling digital transformation initiatives, improving developer experience, and ensuring seamless migration from legacy integration solutions to Kong-based platforms.

Responsibilities

Platform Leadership

• Own the enterprise Kong API Gateway platform strategy, roadmap, adoption, and operational excellence.
• Lead engineering teams responsible for Kong Gateway, API management, developer portals, service mesh, API security, and supporting platform services.
• Ensure platform scalability, reliability, resiliency, and compliance with enterprise standards.
• Establish platform SLOs, performance metrics, and operational governance.

API Modernization & Migration

• Lead enterprise-wide migration efforts from legacy middleware and API gateway technologies to Kong.
• Develop modernization strategies for APIs, services, and integrations supporting business-critical platforms.
• Drive standardization of API design, development, governance, and lifecycle management practices.
• Establish reusable frameworks, tools, and automation capabilities to accelerate API onboarding and migration activities.

Engineering Excellence

• Build and lead high-performing teams of engineering managers, software engineers, platform engineers, and architects.
• Drive adoption of DevSecOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, and Site Reliability Engineering principles.
• Promote engineering best practices, automation, continuous improvement, and operational maturity.
• Champion developer productivity and platform self-service capabilities.

Architecture & Technology Strategy

• Partner with Enterprise Architecture to define API management standards, integration patterns, and modernization roadmaps.
• Influence strategic technology decisions related to cloud adoption, microservices, service mesh, event-driven architecture, and distributed systems.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and recommend investments that enable long‑term business capabilities.

Security, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure API platform alignment with cybersecurity, governance, and regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with Security teams to implement authentication, authorization, encryption, threat protection, and API security best practices.
• Drive compliance with internal controls, audit requirements, and financial services regulations.

Stakeholder Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor to senior technology and business leaders.
• Provide executive‑level reporting on platform health, migration progress, risks, and operational metrics.
• Collaborate across multiple technology organizations to prioritize platform investments and modernization initiatives.

What are we looking for?

We’re looking for strong collaborators who deliver exceptional client experiences and thrive in fast‑paced, team‑oriented environments. Our ideal candidates pursue greatness, act with integrity, and are driven to help our clients succeed. We value those who embrace creativity, continuous improvement, and contribute to a culture where we win together and create and share joy in our work.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or related field.
• 10+ years of technology leadership experience, including leading large engineering or platform organizations.
• 5+ years of experience managing API Management or Integration Platforms at enterprise scale.
• 3+ years experience with Kong Gateway, Kong Enterprise, API Gateway technologies, or similar platforms such as Apigee, AWS API Gateway, Azure API Management.
• 5+ years experience leading large‑scale modernization and migration programs.

Preferences

• Deep Expertise in AI Technologies, EKS, Kafka and ELK
• Strong knowledge of cloud‑native architectures and modern software engineering practices.
• Experience managing managers and leading geographically distributed teams.
• Versatile with Agile methodology
• Demonstrated success influencing senior executives and driving enterprise transformation initiatives.

Pay Range

$167,993.00 - $279,954.00

Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play – such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more.

Company Overview

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor‑mediated marketplace(6) , LPL supports over 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.

For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

Join the LPL team and help us make a difference by turning life’s aspirations into financial realities.

EOE.

Information on Interviews

LPL will only communicate with a job applicant directly from an @lplfinancial.com email address and will never conduct an interview online or in a chatroom forum. During an interview, LPL will not request any form of payment from the applicant, or information regarding an applicant’s bank or credit card. Should you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact LPL’s Human Resources Solutions Center at [phone].