API Middleware Engineer - Linthicum, MD

API Middleware Engineer - Linthicum, MD About us Creative Information Technology Inc (CITI) is an esteemed IT enterprise renowned for its exceptional customer service and innovation. We serve both government and commercial sectors, offering a range of solutions such as Healthcare IT, Human Services, Identity Credentialing, Cloud Computing, and Big Data Analytics. With clients in the US and abroad, we hold key contract vehicles including GSA IT Schedule 70, NIH CIO-SP3, GSA Alliant, and DHS-Eagle II. Join us in driving growth and seizing new business opportunities. Role and Responsibilities Design, develop, and implement API and middleware solutions using platforms such as MuleSoft, Apigee, IBM API Connect, WSO2, or similar. Architect and build scalable, secure, and high-performance API gateways and microservices. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate APIs with enterprise systems, databases, and third-party platforms. Develop and maintain RESTful and SOAP APIs, ensuring compliance with security and governance standards. Implement API versioning, authentication, authorization, and throttling policies. Perform middleware configuration, deployment, monitoring, and troubleshooting in on-premises and cloud environments. Automate API deployment and integration pipelines using CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Azure DevOps, etc.). Conduct performance tuning, load testing, and optimization of integration flows. Maintain comprehensive documentation for API specifications, integration flows, and operational procedures. Mentor junior engineers and contribute to best practices for middleware and API management. Minimum Qualification Bachelors or masters degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field. 10+ years of overall experience in software engineering, including 6+ years in API or middleware development. Strong hands-on experience with API management and integration platforms (MuleSoft, Apigee, WSO2, IBM API Connect, or TIBCO). Expertise in REST, SOAP, JSON, XML, and message-oriented middleware (JMS, Kafka, RabbitMQ). Proficiency in Java, Spring Boot, or Node.js for API and middleware development. Experience with cloud-based integrations on AWS, Azure, or GCP. Solid understanding of API security, including OAuth 2.0, JWT, and SSL/TLS. Experience implementing CI/CD pipelines, Docker/Kubernetes, and infrastructure as code (IaC). Strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills. Proven ability to work in Agile/Scrum environments and lead technical initiatives. Preferred Qualifications Experience with microservices architecture and event-driven integrations. Familiarity with DevOps practices and API monitoring tools (Datadog, Splunk, ELK Stack, Prometheus). Certifications such as MuleSoft Certified Developer, Apigee Certification, or AWS/Azure Integration Expert. Experience integrating with ERP, CRM, or legacy enterprise systems.