Sr. Systems Engineer – API Management

Position Overview :

NIRA, Inc., a rapidly expanding women-owned small business, is seeking a Senior Systems Engineer to join our team supporting the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

You will work closely with government project managers to transition the National Airspace's (NAS) information dissemination infrastructure to a new foundation that leverages technologies like cloud computing, zero trust architecture (ZTA), and API management.

In particular, you will facilitate the migration of existing services to the new infrastructure and address related technical, governance, and security issues, all while ensuring that critical information about the national airspace continues to be available to all airspace users.

You will take pride in your work the next time you check flight status on your cell phone!

Key responsibilities include :

• Establish guidelines, standards, and best practices for API design, development, documentation, and usage to ensure consistency and interoperability across APIs.
• Develop processes for managing the lifecycle of APIs from planning and design through development, testing, deployment, versioning, and retirement to ensure they remain relevant and effective over time.
• Define security measures and compliance requirements to protect sensitive data, prevent unauthorized access, and ensure adherence to regulatory standards.
• Define access policies and mechanisms for controlling access to APIs, managing authentication and authorization to safeguard resources and ensure fair usage.
• Provide comprehensive documentation, developer guides, and communication channels to support developers in effectively using and integrating with APIs.
• Establish governance bodies and processes to define policies, review API designs, make decisions, and oversee API-related initiatives.
• Participate in discussions on the evolution of FAA information delivery infrastructure.
• Regularly review and evaluate API governance practices to identify areas for improvement, incorporate feedback from API consumers, adapt to changing technology trends, and address emerging security threats or regulatory changes.
• Participate in the strategic planning, design, and deployment of the information backbone for the NAS. Collaborate with FAA critical projects to ensure secure and efficient delivery of aeronautical, weather, flight and other information through both cloud-based and on-premises network infrastructures.

Key position requirements :

• BS / MS degree in Computer Science, System Engineering or a related subject.
• 16+ years of experience as a System Engineer, System Analyst, Software Engineer or similar role, preferably with API lifecycle management, governance, and standardization across the enterprise.
• 5+ years of experiences with cloud computing environments such as Amazon Web Services (AWS)
• Profound knowledge of service metadata standards like OpenAPI, and familiarity with leading commercial API management platforms.
• Understanding of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) and related governance issues.
• Knowledge enterprise application integration architecture, for example, Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of effectively articulating complex technical concepts and collaborating across diverse teams.

Desired Experiences :

• Proven experience in supporting major federal acquisition programs, particularly with the FAA.
• Experience managing inter-agency collaborations and understanding federal procurement processes.
• Expertise in Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), IT governance, and API management tools.

This position is a hybrid role that requires a flexible schedule, with the expectation of working one to two days per week on-site in our Washington, DC office.

NIRA, INC. is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, national origin, disability, Protected Veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.