We’re always looking for diverse, talented, service-oriented people to join our exceptional team.
Lead API Software Developer (Lead Software Developer)The pay range for this position is listed below. Our pay ranges are built to allow for candidates with various levels of skill and experience to be considered, as well as for room for growth and tenure achieved in a role over time. Typical new hire salary offers fall within the minimum to midpoint of a pay range for many candidates. Any offer extended to a candidate will be based upon their unique set of knowledge, skills, education, and experience as well as internal equity.
Pay Range:
$129,880.00 - $214,303.00Scheduled Weekly Hours:
40Provides technical leadership for the architecture, design, development, governance, security, implementation, and support of enterprise APIs and integrations. Leads complex API initiatives across the full SDLC, establishes reusable standards and API-first practices, and guides developers, project teams, and business partners in delivering secure, scalable, reliable solutions. Evaluates technologies and integration approaches, resolves complex technical issues, and drives quality, observability, documentation, and continuous improvement across the API portfolio.
- Leads complex API and software development initiatives across the full SDLC, contributing directly to architecture, design, implementation, testing, deployment, troubleshooting, and production support to ensure successful delivery.
- Serves as the technical lead across multiple projects, providing hands-on development, technical direction, code and design reviews, work delegation, coaching, and mentoring to developers in collaboration with the Manager.
- Designs, develops, and continuously improves secure, scalable enterprise APIs, application integrations, and reusable patterns that support internal platforms, external partners, and third-party systems.
- Champions API-first and contract-first practices by defining clear, consumer-focused RESTful API contracts using standards such as OpenAPI/Swagger and separating API definitions from backend implementation.
- Provides technical leadership and recommendations for API architecture, governance practices, standards, and the adoption of a centralized, audit-ready API catalog and reusable API library.
- Establishes and enforces API lifecycle controls covering design, testing, approval, deployment, versioning, documentation, deprecation, and retirement to maintain quality and consistency.
- Designs defense-in-depth API security using enterprise IAM, OpenID Connect, JWT, mutual TLS, gateway controls, PII encryption, audit logging, threat modeling, and automated security testing in the delivery pipeline.
- Develops and supports API enablement capabilities—including developer portals, documentation, SDKs, and sandbox environments—to accelerate adoption and manage APIs as products across free, partner, and enterprise access tiers.
- Implements API observability through structured logging, distributed tracing, usage and performance metrics, service-level objectives, and proactive alerting to improve reliability and incident response.
- Partners with business units, security, risk, compliance, architecture, and vendors to translate requirements into technical solutions, design integrations and automations, and evaluate build-versus-buy and hybrid gateway strategies.
- Plans and coordinates project delivery by prioritizing requests, developing estimates, assigning work, managing schedules and dependencies, and applying Agile/Scrum practices to meet commitments.
- Evaluates existing applications, integrations, development processes, and emerging technologies to identify performance, automation, standardization, and modernization opportunities across the IT organization.
- Defines and reports project status, API governance metrics, and KPIs—including standards compliance, approval cycle time, catalog adoption, reliability, usage, and security defect trends—to management and stakeholders.
- Serves as senior technical resource and project lead, developing estimates, budgets, resources, managing project schedules, deliverables and status reporting to meet approved scope and timelines.
- Performs other duties as assigned
- Complies with regulatory compliance and assigned training requirements including but not limited to BSA regulations corresponding to their specific job duties. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary and other employment related actions.
- High School Diploma or GED required
- Bachelor's Degree in a related field or equivalent years of experience required
- 7-10 years of prior relevant experience required
- Expert knowledge of C# , .NET Core, and modern software development practices
- Strong understanding of RESTful API design, integration patterns, versioning, and governance
- Experience designing scalable, secure, and maintainable applications, services, and microservices
- Proficiency with SQL Server, T-SQL, database design, and performance optimization
- Experience with modern web technologies including JavaScript, TypeScript, and HTML5
- Experience supporting mobile application platforms utilizing Swift, Java and Kotlin
- Experience with cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices
- Knowledge of authentication, authorization, API security, and secure coding practices
- Proficiency with Azure DevOps, source control, automated testing, and deployment tools
- Experience working in Agile and Scrum environments
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to establish and enforce development standards, engineering best practices, and API governance
- Ability to lead technical design efforts, mentor developers, and conduct code reviews
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to manage priorities and deliver results across multiple initiatives
- Knowledge of financial services, digital banking, and credit union operations, or the ability to quickly acquire such knowledge
SchoolsFirst Federal Credit Union is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. SchoolsFirst FCU is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination against qualified individuals based on their status as protected veterans or individuals with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against all individuals based on their race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, political affiliation, or genetic information.
This organization participates in E-Verify.
Skills Required
- High school diploma or GED
- Bachelor's degree in a related field or equivalent years of experience
- 7-10 years of prior relevant experience
- Expert knowledge of C#, .NET Core, and modern software development practices
- Strong understanding of RESTful API design, integration patterns, versioning, and governance
- Experience designing scalable, secure, and maintainable applications, services, and microservices
- Proficiency with SQL Server, T-SQL, database design, and performance optimization
- Experience with JavaScript, TypeScript, and HTML5
- Experience supporting mobile application platforms using Swift, Java, and Kotlin
- Experience with cloud platforms, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices
- Knowledge of authentication, authorization, API security, and secure coding practices
- Proficiency with Azure DevOps, source control, automated testing, and deployment tools
- Experience working in Agile and Scrum environments
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills
- Ability to establish and enforce development standards, engineering best practices, and API governance
- Ability to lead technical design efforts, mentor developers, and conduct code reviews
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to manage priorities and deliver results across multiple initiatives
- Knowledge of financial services, digital banking, and credit union operations, or ability to acquire such knowledge
SchoolsFirst FCU Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about SchoolsFirst FCU and has not been reviewed or approved by SchoolsFirst FCU.
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Healthcare Strength — Employer-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and families is prominently featured and stands out as a core element of total rewards. Additional protections like life and disability insurance reinforce confidence in the benefits package.
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Retirement Support — A strong employer 401(k) match with clear vesting, combined with financial wellness resources, signals meaningful long-term support. Retirement offerings are positioned as a key differentiator within total compensation.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO from the start, paid holidays, and options like PTO cash-out plus special leave days broaden time-off flexibility. Time-away benefits are emphasized as an important component of overall value.
SchoolsFirst FCU Insights
What We Do
Since our founding in 1934, we have been singularly focused on one thing: providing World-Class Personal Service and financial security to California school employees and their families. This isn't just something we say — everything we do, every decision we make, is with an unwavering commitment to serving the best interests of Members. Although we offer products and services similar to other financial institutions, our structure and culture are vastly different. Banks are for profit, while credit unions are Member-owned financial cooperatives, meaning our excess earnings are returned to our Members in the form of lower rates on loans, higher rates on savings, low-to-no fees, and many complimentary services. We take to heart the "people helping people" philosophy, the principle on which credit unions were founded. We pledge ourselves to this idea through our steadfast dedication to Member service and actively supporting the communities we serve through events, donations, scholarships, and financial literacy programs. Today, we're the largest credit union serving school employees, and the largest in California with more than 1.5 million Members and more than $36 billion in assets. Our financial stability can be attributed to one thing: continually providing our Members with World-Class Personal Service to help them better their financial lives.
