API Platform Lead - Edinburgh

FDM is a global business and technology consultancy seeking a API Platform Lead to work for our client within the Financial Services sector. This is initially a 6-12 month contract with the potential to extend and will be a hybrid role that will be based in Edinburgh.

Our client is seeking a Platform Engineering Lead to own the strategy, engineering, governance, and operation of critical enterprise platforms, with a particular focus on API and integration capabilities.

This role will lead the evolution of a global API platform, enabling secure, scalable, and reusable services across multiple product and engineering teams. The successful candidate will combine deep technical expertise with strong engineering leadership experience and a proven track record of delivering enterprise-wide platform transformation initiatives.

Responsibilities:

Platform Ownership

• Own the strategic direction, roadmap, and operational performance of the enterprise API platform.
• Lead the design, build, operation, and continuous improvement of scalable, resilient, cloud-native platforms.
• Ensure platform capabilities are reusable and consumable across global engineering teams.
• Drive platform adoption, developer experience, engineering standards, and governance across the organisation.
• Establish platform reliability, security, scalability, and disaster recovery standards.

API Platform Leadership

• Lead the enterprise API platform strategy and operating model.
• Own API lifecycle management including design, development, governance, security, versioning, monitoring, and decommissioning.
• Define and implement API standards, design patterns, and best practices across multiple engineering teams.
• Build and maintain API management capabilities including developer portals, API gateways, security controls, and consumption frameworks.
• Enable federated API development across engineering teams while maintaining enterprise governance standards.

Engineering Leadership

• Lead globally distributed software engineering teams and engineering managers.
• Build high-performing engineering teams through coaching, mentoring, and leadership.
• Drive modern engineering practices including DevOps, CI/CD, Infrastructure as Code, automated testing, and Agile delivery methods.
• Manage relationships with third-party suppliers, technology partners, and offshore delivery providers.
• Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, continuous improvement, and engineering excellence.

Stakeholder Management

• Partner with senior technology and business stakeholders to align platform strategy with organisational priorities.
• Influence architecture, technology strategy, and digital transformation initiatives.
• Communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Manage competing priorities while delivering measurable business outcomes.

About You

• Significant experience leading Enterprise Platform Engineering, Platform Operations, or API Engineering functions.
• Proven experience owning and managing a large-scale enterprise API platform.
• Hands-on experience with Azure API Management (Azure APIM), including platform design, governance, lifecycle management, security, developer enablement, and platform operations.
• Strong Azure cloud experience and delivery of cloud-native platforms.
• Experience establishing API strategies, standards, governance models, and reusable platform capabilities across large engineering organisations.
• Demonstrable experience delivering digital transformation and platform modernisation programmes.
• Strong understanding of:
• API Architecture
• Microservices Architecture
• Integration Platforms
• Middleware Technologies
• Cloud Technologies
• Platform Engineering
• Identity & Access Management
• Experience leading globally distributed engineering teams.
• Strong stakeholder engagement and executive communication skills.