Senior API Engineer (Python / AWS)

The Senior API Engineer (Python / AWS) is a critical member of the Data Modernization & Integration organization. This role is responsible for designing, building, securing, and operating high-quality, cloud-native REST APIs that power LPL's core business platforms and integrations.

This engineer will focus primarily on Python-based API development on AWS, leveraging services such as API Gateway, Lambda, and related AWS components, with all infrastructure managed through Terraform. The role plays an important part in modernizing legacy integrations and defining engineering standards for reliable, secure, and scalable API services., API Engineering & Application Development

• Design, develop, and maintain Python-based REST APIs that support business-critical workflows.
• Build APIs using AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway, following API-first and REST best practices.
• Implement clean, testable, and well-documented Python code suitable for enterprise production environments.
• Optimize API performance, reliability, scalability, and error handling.
• Ensure proper API versioning, contract stability, and backward compatibility.

Security & Access Management

• Implement secure authentication and authorization mechanisms such as OAuth2, JWT, and IAM-based access.
• Enforce API security controls including request validation, throttling, rate limiting, and auditing.
• Partner with security teams to ensure APIs meet enterprise security and compliance standards.

Automation & Infrastructure Engineering

• Provision and manage AWS infrastructure using Terraform.
• Create and maintain reusable Terraform modules for:

• API Gateway
• Lambda
• IAM roles and policies
• CloudWatch logging and monitoring

• Ensure environment consistency across DEV, QA, UAT, and PROD.

CI/CD & Operational Excellence

• Design and maintain CI/CD pipelines for build, test, and deployment of Python APIs.
• Support automated testing, packaging, versioning, and release management.
• Implement observability through logging, metrics, alerts, and tracing.
• Participate in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and production support activities.

Cross-Team Collaboration

• Collaborate closely with application teams, platform engineering, cloud, and security teams.
• Align API design and implementation with enterprise architectural standards.
• Actively contribute to code reviews, design discussions, and technical documentation.
• Promote best practices and a culture of engineering excellence.

Strategic Influence

• Influence API engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across the organization.
• Contribute to architectural reviews and modernization efforts.
• Help drive consistent, scalable, and maintainable cloud-native API solutions.

The ideal candidate combines deep hands-on Python API engineering expertise with strong cloud architecture skills, a passion for automation, and the ability to collaborate across platform, data, security, and application teams., We are looking for strong collaborators who deliver reliable, secure, and high-quality API solutions in fast-paced, team-oriented environments. Ideal candidates pursue technical excellence, act with integrity, and are motivated to build scalable platforms that enable business growth. We value continuous improvement, curiosity, and individuals who take ownership and pride in their work.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience in software engineering, API engineering, or cloud application development.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience with:

• Python for backend and API development

• REST API design and implementation

• AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway

• Terraform for Infrastructure as Code

• Experience building and operating APIs in large-scale, production environments
• Experience with CI/CD, Git-based workflows, and automated testing.
• Ability to troubleshoot production issues and support on-call rotations when required.

Core Competencies

• API Design Mindset - builds clean, consistent, and consumer-friendly APIs.
• Builder Mindset - emphasizes automation, reuse, and simplicity.
• Systems Thinking - understands how APIs integrate with distributed systems.
• Collaboration - works effectively across engineering, security, and platform teams.
• Ownership & Accountability - takes responsibility for design, delivery, and reliability.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred).

Preferences

• Strong understanding of authentication, authorization, and secure API design.
• Experience with OAuth providers and identity platforms.
• Familiarity with AWS SAM or Serverless Framework (tooling experience).
• Exposure to event-driven architectures (EventBridge, SNS/SQS).
• Experience operating APIs in regulated or enterprise environments (financial services preferred).
• Knowledge of observability tools such as CloudWatch, Dynatrace, Datadog, OpenTelemetry.
• Experience designing reusable API frameworks or shared libraries.

$106,100.00 - $176,900.00

Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play - such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that LPL has to offer!

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace(6) , LPL supports over 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com. At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services, and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.