Principal Engineer, API Platform

Xero

. Define and drive the long-term technical vision for Xero’s Platform API .

Posted 9/29/2026full-timeVancouver • CanadaLead💰 CA$227,600 - CA$284,600 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

Use this summary to align your resume positioning with the role.

Demonstrates expertise in backend engineering and API design, with a strong focus on developer experience and technical leadership. Proven ability to drive technical strategy and mentor engineering teams in multi-tenant SaaS environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Backend EngineeringAPI DesignTechnical LeadershipEvent-Driven ArchitectureCross-Team Collaboration

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

C#GoJavaAPI Lifecycle PracticesSDK DesignEvent-Driven SystemsTechnical StrategyDesign ReviewsRFCsAI Safety

Soft Skills

MentoringCommunity BuildingStakeholder Alignment

Tools & Technologies

Supergraph ModelCI/CDWebhooksMessage QueuesPub/Sub Patterns

Industry Keywords

Multi-Tenant SaaSDistributed SystemsDeveloper ExperienceAI/MLAgentic Architectures

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsJavaGo

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define and drive the long-term technical vision for Xero’s Platform API
Shape how Xero exposes its accounting capabilities to external partners and internal product teams
Design and steward APIs that support AI- and agent-driven automation across accounting workflows
Provide technical leadership across the Product Platform team and Xero’s broader engineering community
Partner with product management, AI/ML teams, developer relations, and engineering squads
Help deliver core accounting domains using the Supergraph model
Help establish a developer platform connecting domain models to APIs, CI/CD, and production runtimes
Replace or front legacy back-channel endpoints with coherent, strongly typed interfaces and stable contracts
Lead technical strategy, design reviews, and RFCs across teams
Mentor engineers and build communities of practice around platform and API thinking

Requirements

What you’ll need

Deep background in backend or platform engineering at scale, ideally in multi-tenant SaaS or distributed systems environments
Strong proficiency in a modern language such as C#, Go, or Java
Proven experience designing and evolving external-facing APIs and SDKs
Experience with API lifecycle practices including versioning, deprecation, and backward compatibility
Genuine interest in developer experience
Familiarity with event-driven architecture, including webhooks, message queues, pub/sub patterns, and idempotent consumers
Ability to design for failure and recovery in event-driven systems
Track record of leading complex, cross-team technical initiatives
Experience shaping technical strategy, facilitating design reviews and RFCs, and aligning multiple stakeholders
Exposure to LLM- or ML-powered products, agentic architectures, or AI safety and governance concerns
Understanding of how API and event design decisions affect model quality, safety, and reliability
Experience mentoring and growing engineering capability in others

Benefits

Comp & perks

Annual bonus eligibility for permanent employees
Equity (RSU) programs for permanent employees
Performance-based cash or equity (RSUs) incentives depending on role level and company performance
World-class health, wellness, and retirement programs
Wellbeing days
Generous leave
Dedicated professional development budgets
Hybrid working model balancing remote work with purposeful in-person collaboration