Lead Architect - API

About the Position

Xebia is a global AI-first, digital transformation, and engineering partner. With over 25 years of experience and a team of 5,000 professionals across 16 countries, we help organizations design and build scalable products, platforms, and data-driven solutions. We specialize in Artificial Intelligence, Data and Cloud, Intelligent Automation, and Digital Products, combining deep technical expertise with a strong focus on engineering excellence and a people-first culture.

We are seeking a Lead Architect - API to lead the design, development, and governance of enterprise API architecture strategy in Paris, France.

Responsibilities

• Leading the design, development, and governance of the enterprise API architecture strategy.
• Designing scalable, secure, and high-performance APIs that enable integration across systems, applications, and third-party services.
• Defining and implementing API lifecycle management practices, including design, development, deployment, versioning, and retirement.
• Building robust API services and supporting microservices-based architectures from conception to production.
• Designing domain-driven data models and API contracts to ensure logical consistency and efficient data access across systems.
• Defining and enforcing API security standards, including authentication, authorization, encryption, and access control.
• Developing integration strategies that ensure seamless connectivity between internal platforms and external partners.
• Monitoring API performance, reliability, and scalability, implementing optimization strategies to ensure high availability and low latency.
• Establishing and maintaining API documentation standards and developer experience guidelines.
• Leading and mentoring API engineers, fostering best practices, innovation, and technical excellence across teams.

Requirements

• Proven experience as a Lead or Enterprise API Architect in large-scale, complex environments.
• Strong hands-on experience designing and delivering enterprise-grade API architectures.
• Deep expertise in REST APIs and service-to-service communication patterns.
• Solid experience with microservices architectures and API gateway patterns.
• Strong knowledge of API lifecycle management, versioning strategies, and backward compatibility principles.
• Hands-on experience with API security standards, including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, TLS, and encryption practices.
• Experience designing integration architectures across multiple systems and third-party providers.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, event-driven architecture, and event-based APIs (e.g. Kafka).
• Experience ensuring high availability, performance optimization, and low-latency API systems.
• Solid knowledge of API documentation standards such as OpenAPI/Swagger.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work across technical and business teams.
• Fluent English and French language skills (written and spoken).

Nice to Have

• Experience with API management platforms such as Apigee, Kong, or Azure API Management.
• Knowledge of developer portals and API onboarding experiences.
• Experience designing asynchronous and event-driven APIs using streaming technologies.
• Strong observability experience, including distributed tracing, monitoring, and SLA management.
• Experience working within enterprise architecture governance or design authority models.
• Cloud-native experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP API services and Kubernetes environments.
• Experience with rate limiting, throttling, and traffic management strategies.
• Familiarity with GraphQL, gRPC, or other high-performance API protocols.
• Exposure to API monetization strategies and public API ecosystems.
• Knowledge of zero-trust security models and advanced API threat protection.
• Experience with multi-region API deployments and legacy system modernization via API layers.
• Understanding of schema evolution and contract-first API design approaches.
• Awareness of emerging API trends and best practices.

Recruitment Process

1. CV review
2. HR call
3. Interview
4. Client Interview
5. Decision

Apply for this job

Hybrid work from Paris is required.