Senior Lead, Open API & Open Banking

Role overview

Key responsibilities

• Align API initiatives with enterprise architecture, data strategy, and reusable adoption goals; establish KPIs for API performance, adoption, and business impact.
• Lead development and lifecycle management of Open APIs in compliance with Open Banking standards, including PSD2 and UAE Central Bank guidelines.
• Collaborate with product, compliance, and architecture teams to define API strategies that support business capabilities and customer journeys.
• Champion API-first design; ensure APIs are reusable, secure, developer-friendly, discoverable, version-controlled, and aligned with enterprise architecture.
• Enable third-party integrations and fintech partnerships; maintain API documentation, sandbox environments, and developer portals.
• Provide technical leadership to API engineering teams and promote innovation and continuous improvement.
• Maintain delivery roadmaps, capacity plans, and resource forecasts; ensure compliance with IT governance, security, and regulatory frameworks.
• Work with enterprise architecture, security, and infrastructure teams to ensure platform scalability and resilience.
• Promote DevSecOps, CI/CD, and test automation across the API lifecycle.

Requirements and qualifications

• 12+ years of overall experience and 8+ years of banking experience.
• Deep understanding of Open Banking frameworks, API security including OAuth2 and OpenID Connect, and regulatory compliance.
• Strong experience with API management platforms such as Apigee, Kong, or WSO2.
• Expertise in RESTful API design, JSON, and Swagger/OpenAPI specifications.
• Familiarity with domain-driven design and microservices architecture.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage complex stakeholder environments.
• Strong communication, leadership, and mentoring skills.
• Proficiency in API analytics, usage tracking, and performance optimization.
• Experience with API management, Kong, cloud-native services, and Kubernetes.