API Engineer / Technical Lead

Senior API Engineer / Technical Lead (Core Backend and Search Architecture) Duration: 12+ months Location: Des Moines Hybrid – Open to relocation candidates Interview Process: 1 Round   Position Overview This role is responsible for leading the design and development of the core API layer, data model, and search architecture. The individual will set technical direction, establish engineering standards, and mentor team members while delivering a scalable, secure, and high-performance platform.   Required Technical Expertise Strong backend development experience using TypeScript with Node.js or Python with FastAPI, following an OpenAPI-first approach Proven background in API architecture, resource modeling, and query and filtering design Experience building ingestion and indexing pipelines, including event-driven workflows such as webhook ingestion, parsing, normalization, embedding, and indexing Hands-on experience with semantic or vector search technologies, including embeddings, k-nearest neighbor retrieval, and reranking strategies Familiarity with vector data platforms such as pgvector, Redis, Pinecone, or OpenSearch (this requirement can be adjusted if semantic search is scoped out) Schema governance and validation using JSON or YAML, including manifest and contract design Security implementation using OAuth2 or OIDC with a least-privilege access model Demonstrated ability to lead code reviews, mentor engineers, and drive engineering quality and best practices Apply Here: [Upgrade to PRO to see link]