API Tech Lead

Accountabilities

• Provide technical leadership and architectural governance: Review solution architectures, API designs, integrations, and technical proposals to ensure solutions are scalable, maintainable, secure, and aligned with established engineering principles.

• Shape technical direction: Partner with the Technical Director to guide engineering decisions, evaluate technology options, challenge assumptions constructively, and influence architectural choices across strategic initiatives.

• Apply travel industry expertise: Provide technical and domain guidance across airline distribution, New Distribution Capability (NDC), Global Distribution Systems (GDS), booking, servicing, and travel retailing workflows.

• Assess technical risks and dependencies: Identify architectural constraints, integration challenges, scalability concerns, and potential delivery risks. Recommend practical solutions that support long-term platform reliability and performance.

• Promote engineering excellence: Mentor engineers, share technical best practices, support knowledge development, and encourage consistent standards in software design, implementation, testing, and delivery.

• Ensure cloud and operational alignment: Guide engineering teams in applying cloud architecture, security, resilience, availability, and operational standards across APIs and distributed services.

• Support platform modernization: Contribute to technology transformation initiatives by evaluating existing architectures, identifying improvement opportunities, and supporting the evolution of platforms and services.

• Collaborate across technical and business teams: Work closely with product managers, architects, engineering teams, and other stakeholders to align technical solutions with product requirements and business priorities.

• Strengthen system scalability and reliability: Ensure API platforms and integrations can support evolving travel industry demands while maintaining performance, security, and service continuity.

• Influence without direct authority: Build strong working relationships, communicate technical recommendations clearly, and help teams make informed decisions while remaining connected to day-to-day engineering delivery.

Requirements

• Technical leadership experience: Demonstrated experience leading technical reviews, evaluating solution architectures, and guiding engineering teams through complex design and implementation decisions.

• Travel industry expertise: Strong knowledge of travel technology and industry domains, particularly airline distribution, NDC, GDS, booking, fulfillment, and servicing processes.

• Software engineering background: Solid experience with Java, API development, distributed systems, and modern software architecture principles.

• Cloud and containerization expertise: Practical experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, and cloud-native technologies used to build and operate scalable services.

• API architecture and integration skills: Ability to evaluate API contracts, system integrations, architectural patterns, and service dependencies while ensuring interoperability, maintainability, and performance.

• Security and reliability knowledge: Strong understanding of software security, scalability, resilience, availability, and software quality principles, with the ability to apply these considerations to architectural decisions.

• Modernization experience: Familiarity with platform transformation, architecture evolution, and improving existing systems to meet changing technical and business requirements.

• Mentoring and collaboration: Proven ability to coach engineers, promote technical excellence, facilitate constructive discussions, and encourage knowledge sharing across teams.

• Communication and stakeholder management: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts, present recommendations, challenge assumptions diplomatically, and collaborate effectively with senior technical leaders and cross-functional stakeholders.

• Strategic and analytical thinking: Strong problem-solving skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to identify risks, assess trade-offs, and recommend solutions that balance immediate delivery needs with long-term platform goals.

• Adaptability and curiosity: A proactive mindset, intellectual curiosity, and the confidence to question established approaches while remaining focused on practical outcomes and successful engineering delivery.

• Collaborative leadership style: Ability to influence technical direction without relying on formal authority, partner closely with the Technical Director, and support engineering teams in delivering high-quality solutions.

Benefits

• Competitive annual salary: $140,000.

• Performance-based bonuses: Eligibility to participate in a bonus program, with payouts subject to individual and company performance.

• Comprehensive healthcare coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance.

• Insurance protection: Employer-paid disability and basic life insurance, with additional voluntary life insurance options.

• Retirement savings: Competitive 401(k) matching contributions.

• Additional voluntary benefits: A range of optional benefits designed to accommodate individual needs.

• Paid time off: A generous paid time off policy to support work-life balance and personal well-being.

• Flexible working arrangements: Remote work opportunities within the United States.

• Paid parental leave: Sixteen weeks of paid leave for the birthing parent and eight weeks for the non-birthing parent.

• Health and wellness support: Programs and benefits that prioritize employee well-being.

• Community engagement: An annual volunteer day off to support community involvement and charitable initiatives.

• Inclusive workplace culture: An environment that values diversity, encourages fresh perspectives, and supports professional growth and innovation.

• Career development opportunities: The opportunity to influence strategic technology initiatives, collaborate with experienced engineering professionals, and contribute to the evolution of global travel technology.