engineering
Posted YesterdayPrincipal API Architect, Product Engineering – Agent‑Ready APIs & Data
at Workday
Usa Pleasanton, United StatesRemote
Responsibilities
- Define and evolve the API architecture, standards, and review processes that guide how Product Engineering teams design and deliver APIs.
- Establish and maintain API standards: OpenAPI contract guidelines, review and approval process.
- Identify gaps or duplication.
- Drive convergence on shared patterns and building blocks.
- Define reference architectures and patterns for: Agent‑ready APIs and orchestration patterns used by the Agent Factory.
- Lead critical cross‑team API design reviews and act as the tie‑breaker on contentious or high‑impact design decisions.
- Evaluate build/borrow/buy options for tools that help Product Engineering design, test, and operate APIs (including contract testing, catalogs, MCP/Data Cloud connectors, and developer tooling).
- Mentor senior engineers and managers on API architecture, distributed systems, and integration best practices; build communities of practice across Product Engineering.
Requirements
- We’re obsessed with making hard work pay off, for our people, our customers, and the world around us. As a Fortune 500 company and a leading AI platform for managing people, money, and agents, we’re shaping the future of work so teams can reach their potential and focus on what matters most.
- Many of these experiences are now powered by agents and AI, which depend on a strong API foundation.
- About the Role We are seeking a Principal‑level API Architect in Product Engineering to lead our API strategy for agentic and integration‑heavy scenarios.
- What you’ll do Define the API architecture and governance model for Product Engineering, spanning REST, GraphQL, SOAP, and emerging integration models used by Workday agents and products.
- Data‑centric APIs, including how Product Engineering safely exposes data via Data Cloud / SQL projections.
- Work closely with platform partners (Gateways, Trident, Web Service Frameworks, Core Services, Data Cloud, AI/Agent Factory) to ensure Product Engineering’s needs are represented and that platform capabilities are consistently applied.
- experience using TypeScript or Python to build web services and APIs (REST, SOAP, GraphQL, JSON, XML, WSDL, Swagger/OpenAPI) Understanding of the MCP protocol specification and architecture Proven track record of setting and driving technical standards that scale across multiple teams.
- Experience leveraging AI‑assisted code generation and review tools (e.g., Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot) to improve development speed and quality.
- experience with edge and gateway patterns (routing, auth, throttling, rate limiting, transformation, multi‑tenant concerns).
- Demonstrated leadership in API governance: standards definition, contract review, documentation, and lifecycle management.
- Experience designing or evolving observability for APIs (metrics, tracing, logging) and using that data to define and monitor SLOs.
- Familiarity with agentic AI use cases and patterns for integrating LLMs/agents with enterprise APIs
- Experience with data platforms and analytical stores (such as Data Cloud or equivalent) and designing APIs that expose data safely and efficiently.
- Ability to collaborate and influence across Product Engineering, platform teams, and business stakeholders.
Experience
- Qualifications 12+ years of
- experience building large‑scale, mission‑critical backend systems and APIs. 5+ years in a senior architecture or staff‑plus role with responsibility for cross‑team or organization‑wide API/platform architecture. Deep hands‑on
Benefits
- In return, we’ll give you the trust to take risks, the tools to grow, the skills to develop and the support of a company invested in you for the long haul.
- You will own the API architecture vision for Product Engineering, set standards (OpenAPI, patterns, error models, observability), and partner with engineering leaders to make them real. In this role,
- Communicate the API vision and status to senior stakeholders and help influence product and resourcing decisions. About You Basic
- Workday Pay Transparency Statement The annualized base salary ranges for the primary location and any additional locations are listed below.
- Workday pay ranges vary based on work location.
- As a part of the total compensation package, this role may be eligible for the Workday Bonus Plan or a role-specific commission/bonus, as well as annual refresh stock grants.
- Each candidate’s compensation offer will be based on multiple factors including, but not limited to, geography, experience, skills, job duties, and business need, among other things.
- Primary Location: USA.CA.Pleasanton Primary Location Base Pay Range: $206,400 USD - $309,600 USD Additional US Location(s) Base Pay Range: $173,300 USD - $309,600 USD Our Approach to Flexible Work With Flex Work, we’re combining the best of both worlds: in-person time and remote.
Additional details
- Not just in the products we build, but in how we show up for each other.
- Our culture is rooted in integrity, empathy, and shared enthusiasm.
- We’re in this together, tackling big challenges with bold ideas and genuine care.
- We look for curious minds and courageous collaborators who bring sun-drenched optimism and drive.
- Whether you're building smarter solutions, supporting customers, or creating a space where everyone belongs, you’ll do meaningful work with Workmates who’ve got your back.
- So, if you want to inspire a brighter work day for everyone, including yourself, you’ve found a match in Workday, and we hope to be a match for you too.
- About the Team Product Engineering builds the end to end product experiences that Workday customers use.
- This role sits in Product Engineering but operates across product pillars.
- You will work closely with Product Engineering teams as well as partner organizations.
- You will shape the API foundation, architecture and operating model that makes it easy for Product Engineering to build agent ready, high quality APIs.