At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and implement cutting-edge API strategies while mentoring a talented team.
- Company: Join a forward-thinking tech company focused on innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive pay, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team that values creativity and technical excellence.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by simplifying complex integrations and leading the future of API development.
- Qualifications: 10+ years in software engineering with a focus on APIs and integrations.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 Β£ per year.
We're looking for a pragmatic, hands-on Principal API & Integration Engineer who gets things done. You'll spend significant time writing code while helping elevate the technical skills of the broader team. This role is ideal for someone who thrives on designing and implementing centralized API platforms, has extensive experience with third-party integrations and Transportation Management Systems (TMS), leverages AI-assisted development tools to accelerate delivery, and excels at simplifying and automating complex integration processes. You'll balance individual contribution with strategic technical leadership, creating unified API strategies that serve multiple web and mobile applications while helping engineers grow their craft through practical guidance and code review.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Build and Ship
- Design and implement enterprise-wide API strategy serving all internal and external applications
- Build scalable, reusable API platforms and integration frameworks that reduce duplication across systems
- Develop robust integrations with third-party systems and Transportation Management Systems (TMS)
- Create automated integration pipelines that simplify onboarding of new partners and systems
- Leverage AI-powered development tools to accelerate API and integration development
- Modernize legacy integration patterns and migrate to modern API architectures
- Build API gateways, service meshes, and integration middleware that scale globally
- Design self-service integration tools and SDKs that empower development teams
- Lead Through Example
- Define long-term API strategy and integration architecture across the organization
- Champion and integrate new API technologies and integration practices that solve real problems
- Mentor engineers on API design patterns, integration best practices, and microservices architecture
- Share best practices for AI-assisted development and cutting-edge integration tooling
- Establish API standards, governance, and documentation practices
- Guide architectural decisions that impact API consumers across web, mobile, and partner systems
- Foster a culture of API-first thinking and integration automation
- Technical Execution & Strategy
- Partner with product, backend, mobile, and partner teams on API design and integration requirements
- Create comprehensive API documentation, developer portals, and integration guides
- Implement API versioning, lifecycle management, and deprecation strategies
- Design authentication and authorization frameworks
- Build monitoring, observability, and analytics for API performance and usage
- Establish rate limiting, throttling, quota management, and SLA enforcement
- Lead technical deep dives into integration failures, performance bottlenecks, and scalability issues
- Proactively identify opportunities to simplify and automate integration workflows
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Experience
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience with focus on APIs and integrations
- 2+ years in a technical leadership position
- Extensive experience with third-party system integrations and API partnerships
- Strong background with Transportation Management Systems (TMS) integrations
- Proven track record of designing and implementing enterprise API platforms
- History of simplifying complex integration processes through automation
- Experience with AI-assisted development tools and workflows
- Track record of mentoring and growing technical talent
- API Architecture & Design
- Expert-level proficiency in RESTful API design and implementation
- Strong experience with GraphQL, gRPC, or other modern API paradigms
- Deep understanding of API gateway patterns and service mesh architectures
- Knowledge of API versioning strategies and backward compatibility
- Experience with OpenAPI/Swagger specifications and API documentation tools
- Understanding of API security patterns
- Experience designing APIs for high-volume, multi-tenant environments
- Integration Expertise
- Extensive experience integrating with third-party APIs and systems
- Deep knowledge of Transportation Management Systems (TMS) and logistics platforms
- Strong background in legacy system connectivity
- Experience with common integration patterns
- Experience with message queuing and event streaming
- Understanding of data transformation, mapping, and synchronization strategies
- Automation & Tooling
- Building self-service integration frameworks and SDKs
- Creating automated testing for APIs and integrations
- Developing integration monitoring and alerting systems
- Implementing CI/CD pipelines for API deployments
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code for integration resources
- Core Technical Skills
- Expert-level proficiency in backend development
- Strong experience with microservices architecture patterns
- Hands-on experience with cloud platforms
- Proficiency with containerization and orchestration
- Experience with API management platforms
- Strong background in both relational and NoSQL databases
- Knowledge of caching strategies for API performance
- TMS & Industry Knowledge
- Experience with major TMS platforms
- Understanding of transportation and logistics workflows
- Knowledge of industry standards
- Familiarity with telematics and fleet management integrations
- Understanding of real-time location tracking and geo-fencing
- DevOps & Quality
- API lifecycle management and governance
- Monitoring and observability
- Distributed tracing and API performance monitoring
- Experience with agile development practices
- Strong problem-solving and debugging skills across distributed systems
- Leadership & Communication
- Strong communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Ability to translate business requirements into API specifications
- Track record of making architectural decisions and defending technical choices
- Experience creating developer documentation and API playbooks
- Ability to influence and drive API-first practices across teams
- Collaborative mindset with genuine interest in enabling others
- Soft Skills
- Bias toward action and shipping working solutions
- Passion for developer experience and API usability
- Ability to manage multiple integration projects simultaneously
- Comfortable challenging the status quo constructively
- Strong focus on simplification and automation
- Customer-centric mindset when designing APIs
NICE TO HAVE
- Experience with serverless architectures
- Knowledge of API monetization and partner management
- Familiarity with API security testing and penetration testing
- Experience with real-time communication protocols
- Background in API product management or developer relations
- Understanding of compliance frameworks
- Experience with API analytics and business intelligence
- Knowledge of blockchain or IoT integration patterns
- Familiarity with ELD integrations
- Experience with mobile backend for frontend patterns
- Understanding of geospatial APIs and mapping services
EDUCATION
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience
WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE
- You're consistently shipping API improvements and new integration capabilities
- Multiple applications are successfully consuming your APIs
- Integration time for new third-party systems and TMS platforms has dramatically decreased
- Complex integration processes have been simplified and automated
- The team has adopted API-first practices that improve development velocity
- Legacy integration patterns are being systematically modernized
- API documentation and developer experience are best-in-class
- Engineers you mentor are leveling up their integration skills
- API performance, reliability, and adoption metrics are continuously improving
- Partner and internal developer satisfaction with integration tooling is high
- You're known as the person who makes integrations easy and makes things happen
Principal Software Engineer in Devon employer: Solera
At Solera, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a dynamic and innovative work culture that empowers our team members to thrive. As a Business Development Director in the Commercial Fleet sector, you will have access to unparalleled growth opportunities, a collaborative environment, and the chance to influence the future of our cutting-edge products. Located in a vibrant international setting, we are committed to fostering talent and providing the resources necessary for your success while driving meaningful change in the industry.