Backend API Engineer - .NET / SQL Server / Web API / Azure

We are seeking a strong Backend Engineer to design, build, and maintain enterprise-grade APIs, middleware services, and data-driven backend systems. This role will focus on developing scalable API products, enabling API consumers, enforcing API governance standards, and supporting secure API onboarding and consumption patterns.

The ideal candidate has strong hands-on experience with REST APIs, API management, API product design, Swagger/OpenAPI documentation, security controls, and modern integration patterns, including hands-on experience building and maintaining MCP servers. Strong experience with SQL Server, .NET, ASP.NET Web API, and Microsoft Azure is required.

In this role, you will

• Design, develop, and maintain RESTful and event-driven APIs that meet enterprise standards for scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability.
• Create and manage API products and API gateways, including:
• Defining API product structure and access models.
• Setting rate limits, quotas, and volume plans.
• Configuring API security policies.
• Publishing REST methods through Swagger/OpenAPI documentation.
• Develop and maintain RESTful APIs that meet enterprise standards for scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability.
• Configure API proxies, policies, routing, authentication, authorization, and traffic management controls.
• Partner with application teams, provider teams, and consumer teams to support API onboarding and API consumption.
• Support API lifecycle activities, including design, development, testing, publishing, versioning, promotion, and retirement.
• Create, review, and maintain Swagger/OpenAPI specifications for APIs.
• Ensure APIs are properly secured using modern authentication and authorization patterns such as OAuth 2.0, JWT, API keys, scopes, or similar mechanisms.
• Assist API consumers with onboarding, app registration, credentials, subscription requests, and troubleshooting API access issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API standards, governance practices, and reusable API patterns.
• Monitor API performance, traffic, errors, and consumption trends.
• Troubleshoot API integration issues across lower and production environments.
• Support documentation and knowledge sharing related to API products, onboarding processes, and consumption best practices.

Work model:

We strive to provide flexibility wherever possible. Based on this role’s business requirements, this is a remote position open to qualified applicants in Canada. Regardless of your working arrangement, we are here to support a healthy work-life balance through our various wellbeing programs.

Note:

The working arrangements for this role are accurate as of the date of posting. This may change based on the project you’re engaged in, as well as business and client requirements. Rest assured; we will always be clear about role expectations.

Primary Required Skills

SQL Server, .NET, ASP.NET Web API, Microsoft Azure, REST APIs, API Management, Swagger/OpenAPI, and API Security

What you need to have to be considered:

• Extensive hands-on experience building and deploying production-grade RESTful APIs.
• Strong hands-on experience with C#, .NET Framework, .NET Core, ASP.NET MVC, and ASP.NET Web API.
• Strong SQL Server experience, including relational data modeling, complex queries, stored procedures, performance tuning, and troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with Microsoft Azure, including cloud-hosted APIs, Azure App Services, Azure Functions, Azure SQL, Azure Key Vault, and monitoring capabilities.
• Proficiency in Golang or Python.
• Experience designing and creating API products within an API management platform.
• Experience configuring rate limits, quotas, security policies, API products, developer or consumer applications, and API credentials.
• Experience publishing REST API methods using Swagger/OpenAPI specifications.
• Strong understanding of RESTful API design principles, methods, response codes, headers, payloads, and versioning strategies.
• Familiarity with API onboarding processes, including registering applications, subscribing to API products, consuming APIs, and managing credentials.
• Understanding of API security concepts, including OAuth 2.0, client credentials flow, bearer tokens, JWT validation, scopes, and access control.
• Ability to troubleshoot API connectivity, authorization, routing, payload, database, and policy‑execution issues.
• Experience with data serialization languages and formats, including JSON, YAML, and XML.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to work with technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience working in Linux environments.
• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and API deployment automation.

These will help you stand out

• Experience with enterprise API catalogs, developer portals, or API marketplaces.
• Experience with API subscription and approval workflows.
• Experience with identity providers such as Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD), ForgeRock, Okta, Ping, or similar platforms.
• Experience supporting internal, external, private, or partner-facing APIs.
• Ability to minimize dependency on third-party libraries.
• Experience with cloud platforms such as Azure, Google Cloud Platform, or AWS.
• Familiarity with logging, monitoring, and observability tools.
• Experience working in Agile delivery environments.
• Knowledge of API governance, reusable API design standards, and enterprise integration patterns.
• Experience with a lower-level language such as C, C++, or Rust, particularly for performance-sensitive or systems-level work.
• Experience with Apigee Hybrid.
• Experience querying relational databases.
• Experience building, maintaining, and optimizing MCP servers.

We're excited to meet people who share our mission and can make an impact in a variety of ways. Don't hesitate to apply, even if you only meet the minimum requirements listed. Think about your transferable experiences and unique skills that make you stand out as someone who can bring new and exciting things to this role.

Total compensation:

We regularly assess market data to ensure we offer a competitive compensation package for our associates. The base salary for this position ranges between CAD 90,000 - 117,500 per year. Where the successful candidate may fall within the range depends on relevant education, work and/or management experience and other business-related and job-necessary qualifications. This position is also eligible for Cognizant’s discretionary annual performance-based bonus, as well as benefits that support your physical, mental and financial wellbeing.