What are the responsibilities and job description for the API Tech Lead position at MKS2 Technologies?
MKS2 Technologies, LLC, an award-winning high growth small business, creates innovative and customer-centric technology solutions in the areas of Cyber Security, Instructional Design and Training, Software Engineering and IT Support Services to improve the security and well-being of our clients. Our commitment to excellence and our "Mission First" orientation has resulted in steady growth and an expanding client base across government agencies. We have employees nationwide and for the past three consecutive years were named one of the fastest growing Veteran-owned companies in the nation. Please take a moment to browse through our website and learn more about what it means to serve with MKS2.
API Tech Lead – Ruby
**MUST BE ABLE TO OBTAIN PUBLIC TRUST CLEARANCE**
About the Program
The Program is an initiative to modernize and streamline access to VA data and services through secure, reliable, scalable application programming interfaces (APIs), improving how veterans, partners, and internal teams access critical information.
Role Overview
The ideal candidate is a strong Ruby engineer and technical leader who can balance hands-on development with team leadership. They are responsible for leading the technical team of 3–4 developers through design, development, and maintenance of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) that enable communication between different software systems.
Roles and Responsibilities
- Lead the design and development of APIs, including specifications, endpoints, data models, and protocols such as REST and GraphQL
- Provide technical leadership to a team of 3–4 developers, guiding design decisions and engineering best practices
- Remain hands-on in the codebase, contributing production-grade code for core services
- Conduct code reviews to ensure code quality, maintainability, and security
- Partner closely with the Engineering Crew Lead and API Architect to review solution design and deliver robust, scalable solutions
- Ensure seamless integration of APIs with internal systems, external applications, and third-party services
- Promote the effective use of AI-enabled tools in the API development lifecycle to improve productivity and code quality
- Create and maintain clear, comprehensive API documentation for consumers, including usage guidance and best practices
- Implement and uphold security best practices, including authentication, authorization, and encryption
- Interface with external engineering teams to ensure alignment on technical standards, governance requirements, compliance obligations, and ongoing cATO maintenance
- Monitor and optimize API performance, reliability, and scalability
- Manage API versioning and support backward compatibility as services evolve
- Provide ongoing support, troubleshoot production issues, and implement enhancements based on stakeholder feedback
- Participate in Tier 1 and Tier 2 on-call operations
Key Skills
- 6 years of strong Ruby on Rails experience
- Experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL
- Experience with the RSpec testing framework
- Strong experience designing, building, and maintaining APIs
- Ability to lead engineering teams while remaining hands-on with development
Desirable Skills
- Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and Helm
- Familiarity with application security principles and secure development practices
- Familiarity with Git version control
- Familiarity with OAuth
- Experience with async job processing (e.g., Sidekiq)
- Experience with Spring Boot / Java
Salary: $130,000-$140,000 PTO, Holiday, Immediate 401k match, Full Benefits and more!
Diversity creates a healthier atmosphere: MKS2 Technologies is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.
Salary : $130,000 - $140,000