George: API Platform Engineer (George)

ENVIRONMENT: A leading Insurance Company is moving to an API-first architecture as part of a broader modernisation effort. They are implementing Azure API Management, establishing OpenAI standards, and building the developer portal that will make their APIs discoverable and usable. The API Platform Engineer is about creating the API layer that enables the strangler fig migration and future integrations. RESPONSIBILITIES: Define API design standards aligned with OpenAI 3.1 that actually get followed Architect and manage Azure API Management (APIM) for all external and internal APIs Create a versioning strategy that lets us evolve APIs without breaking existing consumers Build API templates and code generators that make it easy to create consistent APIs Implement API security: OAuth 2.0, JWT validation, rate limiting, IP restrictions Set up contract testing so they catch breaking changes before they reach production Build and maintain the API documentation portal. If it’s not documented, it doesn’t exist Review every new API before it goes live. You’re the quality gate Create mock services so frontend teams can develop against APIs that don’t exist yet Define integration patterns for Group system connectivity REQUIREMENTS: What You Bring You’ve built and maintained API platforms at scale. You know what separates a good API from a bad one 5 years in API development or API platform roles Deep understanding of REST principles and pragmatic application of them Azure API Management experience (or similar gateway experience) You can write an OpenAPI spec from scratch and explain why every decision matters Strong security background: OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, JWT, API threat modelling C# and ASP.NET Core Web API proficiency Experience with API testing tools: Postman, Bruno, Newman, contract testing frameworks Education Degree or Diploma in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field. Relevant certificates in cloud platforms, API management, or platform engineering (Azure preferred) will be advantageous. Equivalent practical experience building and maintaining production APIs and distributed systems will also be considered. Nice to Have GraphQL or gRPC experience Event-driven API patterns (webhooks, AsyncAPI) Experience with Backstage or similar developer portals Insurance integration experience (ACORD standards awareness) You’ve evangelised API standards to resistant teams before