# API Design

Skill · Software Development and Engineering Practices

Canonical page: https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/api-design

API design is the practice of planning how an application programming interface's endpoints, data formats, and conventions will work before and while it is built, so it is intuitive, consistent, and easy for other developers to use. It covers decisions like resource naming, versioning, authentication, error handling, and choosing an architectural style such as REST, GraphQL, or gRPC. Backend engineers and API architects practice it to ensure APIs remain scalable, secure, and maintainable over time.

## API Design in the job market

- Open roles: 111
- Employers hiring: 63
- Median stated pay: $221,000 (middle half $195,000 – $267,000), from 90 of 111 open roles — the 81% that publish a range, annualized to USD. Only some employers state pay, and the ones that do skew to California and New York, where the law requires it.
- Last checked: September 12, 2026

## Asked for alongside API Design

Measured from the 111 open roles that name API Design, not from a curated list.

- [Python](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/python) — 43 roles (38.7%)
- [TypeScript](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/typescript) — 25 roles (22.5%)
- [Amazon Web Services (AWS)](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/amazon-web-services-aws) — 23 roles (20.7%)
- [CI/CD](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/ci-cd) — 23 roles (20.7%)
- [Java](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/java) — 21 roles (18.9%)
- [Microservices](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/microservices) — 20 roles (18.0%)
- [Kubernetes](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/kubernetes) — 19 roles (17.1%)
- [React](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/react) — 18 roles (16.2%)

## Seniority of these roles

- Entry: 1 (1%)
- Mid: 8 (8%)
- Senior: 65 (64%)
- Lead / Staff / Principal: 22 (22%)
- Management: 4 (4%)
- Executive: 2 (2%)

From 102 roles whose posting states a level.

## Where API Design roles are

- [New York, NY](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/new-york-ny) — 23
- [San Francisco, CA](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/san-francisco-ca) — 13
- [Chicago, IL](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/chicago-il) — 4
- [Seattle, WA](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/seattle-wa) — 4
- [Boston, NY](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/boston-ny) — 3
- [Washington, DC](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/in/washington-dc) — 3

Among the 70 of 111 open roles we could place on a map.

## Roles that use API Design

- [Software Engineer](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/software-engineer) — 63
- [Product Manager](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/product-manager) — 9
- [Engineering Manager](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/engineering-manager) — 7
- [Solutions Architect](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/solutions-architect) — 6
- [Enterprise Architect](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/enterprise-architect) — 2
- [Product Designer](https://career.thegoodapps.co/occupations/product-designer) — 2

## Employers hiring for API Design

- [Menlo Ventures Portfolio](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/menlo-ventures-portfolio) — 9 open roles
- [Deepgram](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/deepgram) — 7 open roles
- [Expedia Group](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/expedia-group) — 5 open roles
- [Mastercard](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/mastercard) — 4 open roles
- [Temporal](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/temporal) — 4 open roles
- [Visa Inc.](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/visa-inc) — 4 open roles

Related skills: [GraphQL](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/graphql), [JSON](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/json), [REST APIs](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/rest-apis), [REST API](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/rest-api), [RESTful API](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/restful-api), [Web API](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/web-api), [Systems Design](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/systems-design), [gRPC](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/grpc), [Systems Architecture](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/systems-architecture), [OpenAPI/Swagger](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/openapi-swagger), [Open API Specification](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/open-api-specification), [System Design and Implementation](https://career.thegoodapps.co/skills/system-design-and-implementation)

## Open roles requiring API Design (111)

- [Product Manager,  Managed North](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/cohere/fe2e2971-e2c0-43fd-9ab1-187571776a5d/application) at [Cohere](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/cohere) — Full-time, New York, NY · Remote, $160,000 – $285,000 (listed on Cohere's own careers site)
- [Senior AI Engineer - Java](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/fe6fcd91-5651-4e4b-bbfa-f34c25b85516/senior-ai-engineer-java-at-cna-financial) at [CNA Financial](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/cna-financial) — Chicago, IL, $72,000 – $141,000
- [AI Process Automation Analyst](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/de8537bb-a96d-45f8-9939-1f2d47ba6bc2/ai-process-automation-analyst-at-beckman-coulter) at [Beckman Coulter](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/beckman-coulter) — Full-time, Chaska, MN, $100,000 – $110,000
- [Senior AI/ML Solutions Architect](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/8d880b64-7c12-47ef-9d83-8f7c96227f46/senior-ai-ml-solutions-architect-at-cambia-health-solutions) at [Cambia Health Solutions](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/cambia-health-solutions) — Full-time, $153,000 – $192,000
- [Principal Solutions Architect, GenAI](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/d97ef59b-7186-4320-b27b-ad3e28df2ba8/principal-solutions-architect-genai-at-american-international-group) at [American International Group](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/american-international-group) — Atlanta, GA
- [Vice President, Gateway Services Products](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/f8152d9f-5f63-4257-9f88-6523060a24a2/vice-president-gateway-services-products-at-visa-inc) at [Visa Inc.](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/visa-inc) — Full-time, US - Foster City, CA, $261,900 – $458,000
- [AI Engineer - Global Strategy Consultant](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/8e0fb0f1-ac45-4678-b589-ec108bcd73ae/ai-engineer-global-strategy-consultant-at-accenture) at [Accenture](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/accenture)
- [Director, Digital AdTech Engineering](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/fa5ce9d3-b6d0-4fad-a518-a735541170ff/director-digital-adtech-engineering-at-warner-bros-discovery) at [Warner Bros. Discovery](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/warner-bros-discovery) — Silver Spring, MD, $177,170 – $329,030
- [Principal Software Engineer-TS](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/74a6e08f-addc-47d2-a8c0-8442743578a4/principal-software-engineer-ts-at-mastercard) at [Mastercard](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/mastercard)
- [Senior Software Engineer – Kubernetes AI Foundations, Open Source](https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs/0fe4af5f-bf91-4666-9ddb-0fb4f747b034/senior-software-engineer-kubernetes-ai-foundations-open-source-at-nvidia) at [NVIDIA](https://career.thegoodapps.co/organizations/nvidia)

All 111 open roles: https://career.thegoodapps.co/jobs?skills=1af636e3-4ef7-467e-bdce-852adf20e8ed