Senior API Architect

SAS•Cary HQ, NC

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Senior API Architect- Hybrid or Remote in North Carolina We’re a leader in data and AI. Through our software and services, we inspire customers around the world to transform data into intelligence - and questions into answers. If you're looking for a dynamic, fulfilling career with flexibility and a world-class employee experience, you'll find it here. We're recognized around the world for our inclusive, meaningful culture and innovative technologies by organizations like Fast Company, Forbes, Newsweek and more. About the job The APIs & Developer Experience organization is looking for a Senior API Architect to define and steward portfolio‑wide API architecture, strategy and standards for SAS Viya. You will set the standards, patterns, and lifecycle practices (design, versioning, compatibility, and deprecation) that ensure Viya APIs are consistent, secure, discoverable, agent‑ready, and easy to adopt by internal teams, partners, and customers. You’ll collaborate closely with product engineering, security, documentation/DX, and the API publishing pipeline to turn architectural guidance into repeatable, automated, and measurable outcomes. If you are passionate about building coherent API ecosystems at scale and you enjoy the blend of hands‑on design work, governance frameworks, and enablement this role is for you.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in a quantitative or engineering field (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, or related).
8+ years of experience designing and building web APIs at scale (RESTful or REST‑like), including 3+ years in architecture, engineering, or standards/governance roles.
Deep hands‑on expertise with OpenAPI 3.x (schemas, examples, reusable components, extensions), API design review, and contract‑first development.
Practical experience with authentication/authorization for APIs (OAuth 2.0/OIDC, scopes, tokens, mTLS), and applying least‑privilege patterns.
Strong understanding of API lifecycle management: compatibility policies, semantic versioning approaches, deprecation plans, and consumer communication.
Proficiency with Git‑based workflows and modern CI/CD; ability to prescribe automated checks for spec quality and breaking changes.
Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence across product teams, document clear patterns, and drive adoption.
Equivalent combination of related education, training and experience may be considered in place of the above qualifications.

Nice To Haves

Architectural Leadership: Defines clear standards; balances product needs with long‑term ecosystem health.
Systems Thinking: Anticipates downstream effects (docs, SDKs, agents, security, portal UX) and designs for portfolio consistency.
Influence & Enablement: Builds coalitions across engineering, security, DX, and product; turns standards into repeatable practice through tools and guidance.
Execution with Rigor: Holds a high bar for contract quality, testing, and lifecycle discipline; uses metrics to improve.
Experience with SAS Viya services and deployment patterns (Kubernetes/cloud‑native).
Familiarity with OpenAPI linting (e.g., Spectral), contract/compatibility testing, API gateways, and publishing/promotion workflows.
Experience with SDK design and documentation practices (docs‑as‑code, examples, Quickstarts).
Exposure to agent/LLM‑aware API design (structured responses, schema clarity, predictable error contracts).
Proficiency with one or more of: Python, Go, Java, TypeScript (for examples, tooling, or prototyping).

Responsibilities

Define and maintain SAS Viya API architecture standards (naming, resources, HTTP semantics, error models, pagination, filtering, rate limits).
Evolve OpenAPI 3.x authoring guidelines, examples, and reusable components; champion spec completeness and accuracy as the contract of record for engineering, docs, SDKs, and agents.
Lead API lifecycle governance: design reviews, versioning strategy (including backward compatibility policies), deprecation playbooks, and consumer communication patterns.
Provide architectural reviews and hands-on guidance for new/modernized Viya APIs; mediate tradeoffs among performance, usability, and long-term maintainability.
Enable agent readiness by promoting machine readable contracts and consistent schemas, plus guidance for tool use and structured responses.
Mentor engineers and technical writers; deliver internal training, design clinics, and FAQs/playbooks so teams can self-serve the standards.
Represent the API architecture function in roadmap and dependency planning, ensuring cross product consistency and minimizing breaking changes.
Be encouraged to participate in open-source projects on behalf of SAS.
Ensure all applicable security policies and processes are followed to support the organization's secure software development goals.
Embrace curiosity, passion, authenticity, and accountability. These are our values and influence everything we do.

Benefits

Comprehensive medical, prescription, dental and vision plans.
Medical plan options include: PPO with low annual deductible and copays.
HDHP combined with a health savings account with a contribution from SAS (no access to on-site health care center).
Onsite Health Care Center (HQ) that’s free to employees and family members enrolled in the PPO plan. There's a pharmacy too! Not local to HQ? The pharmacy will ship prescriptions for no additional charge!
An industry-leading 401k plan.
Tuition Assistance Program and programs and resources to support your development
Generous time away including vacation time, a variety of paid holidays, and our much-loved U.S. Winter Wellness Break between December 25 and January 1.
Volunteer Time Off, parental leave and unlimited paid sick days.
Generous childcare benefits for all full-time employees.

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