API Standards & Compliance Lead

Job#: 3040282

Job Description:
API Standards & Compliance Lead

Location: Columbus, Ohio / Dallas, TX / Minneapolis, MN

Hybrid: 4 days onsite, 1 Remote

Large Banking Client

Duration: 6+ months w/intent to hire

Position Summary

As the API Standards & Compliance Lead, you will define, implement, and enforce enterprise-wide API governance frameworks that ensure consistency, security, and scalability across all APIs. This strategic role focuses on establishing API design standards, lifecycle governance, and compliance policies aligned with industry best practices and regulatory requirements. You will partner closely with Enterprise Architecture, Security, Platform Engineering, and Developer Experience teams to advance an API-first strategy and enable seamless integration across the enterprise.

You will shape our API strategy by balancing innovation with risk management-creating clear standards, operating models, and guardrails for API design, onboarding, publishing, versioning, and retirement. This role emphasizes policy, architecture, enablement, and oversight rather than hands-on software development.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and maintain enterprise-wide API design and governance policies aligned with architecture principles and industry standards (OpenAPI, REST, GraphQL).
• Establish naming conventions, versioning guidelines, backward compatibility expectations, deprecation/retirement policies, and documentation standards.
• Run the API Governance Board (reviews, approvals, waivers) and maintain the governance operating model.
• Author and maintain reference architecture, standards playbooks, and reusable policy templates.
• Design and oversee API onboarding workflows via the Developer Portal, ensuring proper documentation, cataloging, and discoverability.
• Define governance processes integrated with Apigee X for publishing, runtime policies, and analytics.
• Implement governance for security patterns (OAuth2, JWT, JWKS, mTLS) using Apigee X and Ping Identity.
• Align APIs to regulatory requirements (e.g., Open Banking, PSD2, HIPAA, GDPR) and enterprise security standards.
• Partner with Risk, Compliance, and Security Engineering to define control objectives, evidence, and auditability.
• Collaborate with the API Gateway and DevEx teams to optimize portal usability, API discoverability, and policy adoption.
• Define and track governance KPIs (e.g., % APIs compliant, time-to-approve, policy adoption rates, security defect trends).
• Partner with platform teams to integrate policy-as-code checks (linting, contract validation, auth enforcement) into CI/CD.

Required Qualifications

Experience: 10+ years in IT, including strong API development/governance experience, with 5+ years in API governance or platform leadership roles at an enterprise scale.

Technical Skills: Deep familiarity with OpenAPI/Swagger, REST fundamentals, GraphQL design considerations, and API lifecycle management. Hands-on experience with security standards (OAuth2, JWT, JWKS, mTLS) and regulatory frameworks (Open Banking/PSD2, HIPAA, GDPR). Experience with Apigee X on Google Cloud Platform (or similar API management platforms) from a governance/architecture perspective.

Professional Skills: Demonstrated ability to write clear policies, standards, and procedures; facilitate governance forums; drive alignment across stakeholders. Strong communication, stakeholder management, and change management skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Google Cloud Platform certifications (e.g., Professional Cloud Architect); Apigee certifications.
• Experience with Ping Identity integration and enterprise IAM.
• Familiarity with Google Cloud Platform services (Cloud Armor, IAM, VPC networking) and platform security controls.
• Background in DevSecOps, CI/CD automation, and policy-as-code for API compliance.
• Experience improving API portals, catalogs, and developer experience, including analytics-driven enhancements.

Role Clarity

• This is a governance, standards, and architecture leadership role-focused on policy, enablement, oversight, and measurable outcomes.
• This is not a day-to-day software engineering or Apigee proxy development role.
• Limited hands-on configuration may be required to validate governance controls or demonstrate patterns.

Everforth Apex is a world-class IT services company that serves thousands of clients across the globe. When you join Everforth Apex, you become part of a team that values innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning. We offer quality career resources, training, certifications, development opportunities, and a comprehensive benefits package. Our commitment to excellence is reflected in many awards, including ClearlyRateds Best of Staffing in Talent Satisfaction in the United States and Great Place to Work in the United Kingdom and Mexico.

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Everforth Apex Benefits Overview: Everforth Apex offers a range of supplemental benefits, including medical, dental, vision, life, disability, and other insurance plans that offer an optional layer of financial protection. We offer an ESPP (employee stock purchase program) and a 401K program which allows you to contribute typically within 30 days of starting, with a company match after 12 months of tenure. Everforth Apex also offers a HSA (Health Savings Account on the HDHP plan), a SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with up to 8 free counseling sessions, a corporate discount savings program and other discounts. In terms of professional development, Everforth Apex hosts an on-demand training program, provides access to certification prep and a library of technical and leadership courses/books/seminars once you have 6+ months of tenure, and certification discounts and other perks to associations that include CompTIA and IIBA. Everforth Apex has a dedicated customer service team for our Consultants that can address questions around benefits and other resources, as well as a certified Career Coach. You can access a full list of our benefits, programs, support teams and resources within our 'Welcome Packet' as well, which an Everforth Apex team member can provide.

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