API Developer – Healthcare Platform Integration

About the position Seeking an experienced API Developer to support a federal healthcare modernization program. In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that enable secure communication between healthcare systems, internal applications, and third-party services. The ideal candidate will have experience with API gateway technologies, modern cloud environments, Kubernetes, and API governance practices, while ensuring compliance with federal security standards and healthcare data protections. You will collaborate closely with software engineers, architects, DevOps teams, and federal stakeholders to deliver reliable and scalable integration solutions supporting the VA's digital health ecosystem.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain RESTful APIs and GraphQL services enabling integration between systems.
• Define and document API specifications, endpoints, data models, and protocols using OpenAPI (OAS) standards.
• Build and implement APIs using modern languages and frameworks such as Java, Python, Ruby, or .NET.
• Ensure seamless integration with internal platforms, external applications, and third-party services.
• Configure and manage Kong Gateway (open-source) in production environments.
• Develop or extend Kong plugins and policy configurations to support routing, authentication, and security controls.
• Implement authentication, authorization, encryption, and API gateway policies including JWT validation and key rotation.
• Integrate APIs with enterprise identity systems and authentication frameworks.
• Develop unit, integration, and end-to-end tests for APIs to ensure reliability and scalability.
• Monitor and optimize API performance, scalability, and availability.
• Maintain API versioning strategies and backward compatibility.
• Implement API governance processes, including linting, validation pipelines, and semantic versioning.
• Support CI/CD pipelines, GitOps workflows, and automated deployment practices.
• Deploy and manage API services in Kubernetes environments.
• Work collaboratively with front-end developers, back-end engineers, QA teams, and system architects.
• Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and enhancements based on system feedback and operational needs.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience administering Kong Gateway (open-source) in real environments.
• Experience developing or extending Kong plugins or advanced policy configuration patterns.
• Strong background in API design and architecture with OpenAPI (OAS) standards.
• Experience managing API gateway concerns, including authentication, routing, rate limiting, transformations, and logging.
• Kubernetes experience including deployment, operations, and troubleshooting.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, including GitOps, CI/CD pipelines, and automated deployments.
• Experience implementing JWT authentication, claims validation, and key management/rotation.
• Experience integrating APIs with enterprise identity platforms (e.g., Active Directory ecosystems).
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related technical field with 5+ years of professional development experience.
• U.S. Citizenship required with ability and willingness to obtain a Public Trust clearance.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with Java, SpringBoot, SpringBatch, Ruby, Python, or .NET frameworks.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as AWS, including RDS, DynamoDB, MongoDB, or DocumentDB.
• Familiarity with GitHub, GitHub Actions, Git Releases, Jaeger, and OpenTracing.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm.
• Familiarity with VA Lighthouse APIs and federal healthcare integration frameworks.
• Knowledge of SSO, SOA architecture, PowerShell scripting, and Red Hat Linux environments.
• Understanding of healthcare data security requirements, including PII and PHI protection.
• Experience supporting incident response or production troubleshooting in enterprise environments.

Benefits

• Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance coverage
• Short-term and long-term disability insurance
• 401(k) retirement plan with company match and immediate vesting
• Military leave benefits
• Training and professional development opportunities
• Tuition reimbursement
• Employee wellness initiatives
• Commuter benefits
• Additional voluntary benefits

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