Developer

Job Title : Software Developer – API & Web Application Focus Location : St Louis, MO - 63164 Duration : 12 months (with possible extension) Pay Range : $60 / hr - $64 / hr Role Overview : We are seeking a skilled and motivated Software Developer with a strong background in API development, web application delivery, and secure, scalable backend services. The ideal candidate has at least 6 years of professional experience, with a deep focus on Python development using the FastAPI framework, and is well versed with CI / CD leveraging ADO and / or GitHub. You will play a key role in designing, building, and deploying robust APIs and web applications, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to ensure security, performance, and maintainability. Proficient in Agentic and GENAI concepts Required Qualifications : Languages & Frameworks : Strong proficiency in Python and backend development with FastAPI (or similar frameworks like Flask), development experience with Node.js API Skills : Demonstrated ability to design and deliver high-performance, secure RESTful APIs. DevOps and IaC Implementation : Implement DevOps practices and Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) for API development and deployment. Automate build and release pipelines (CI / CD) using tools such as GitHub Actions, manage infrastructure with Terraform / CloudFormation, and ensure smooth deployment of API services across environments. Security : Knowledge of application security practices, including Azure Entra authentication / authorization, strong knowledge of API security standards and protocols (OAuth 2.0, JWT, SSL / TLS, etc.), and experience implementing governance around API access, authorization, and data protection. DevOps Familiarity : Comfortable with containerization concepts (Docker) and basic infrastructure scripting (Terraform, Bash, or similar) is a plus. Preferred Qualifications : Experience with front-end / backend integration workflows Familiarity with Node.js for building lightweight services or frontend-backend orchestration Exposure to AKS (Azure Kubernetes Service) and microservice deployment strategies Exposure to cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or GCP) Familiarity with API documentation tools (Swagger / OpenAPI) Familiarity with MuleSoft Anypoint Platform is a plus– designing APIs, building integrations / flows, and managing the full API lifecycle (development, testing, deployment, and management) Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field Generative AI (GenAI) — core concepts Foundation models (FMs) : Large pre-trained models (LLMs, multimodal) that generalize across tasks. Prompting & instructions : How inputs steer outputs; includes system vs user intent, constraints, and tone. Context window : The model’s short-term “working memory” limit for text / images in a single run. Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) : Pulling relevant knowledge from external sources (docs / search / vector DB) to ground answers. Embeddings & vector search : Turning content into vectors to enable semantic retrieval and similarity matching. Fine-tuning vs adapters (e.g., LoRA) : Updating model behavior with task data; tradeoff between control, cost, and maintenance. Tool / function calling : Letting the model invoke calculators, APIs, databases, workflows, and other systems. Structured outputs : JSON / schema-constrained outputs for reliability and system integration. Evaluation (evals) : Measuring quality with tests (accuracy, faithfulness, toxicity, latency, cost). Hallucinations : Confident-sounding incorrect outputs; mitigated via RAG, constraints, verification, and UX patterns. Safety & governance : Policy controls, red-teaming, data handling, and auditability. Agentic AI — core concepts Agent : A model that can plan, act, and iterate toward a goal (not just answer once). Autonomy spectrum : From “suggest-only” to “execute with approvals” to “fully automated” (rare in enterprise). Planning & decomposition : Breaking goals into steps / subtasks; selecting strategies and sequencing actions. Tool use & action execution : Calling tools / APIs to change state (create tickets, deploy, update records). Memory : Persisted preferences / knowledge (user, task, org) vs ephemeral conversation context. State & workspace : Tracking intermediate artifacts (tasks, assumptions, files, run logs). Reflection / verification loops : Self-checking, critique, or second-pass validation to reduce errors. Multi-agent patterns : Specialized agents (e.g., researcher, coder, reviewer) coordinating with handoffs. Human-in-the-loop (HITL) : Approval gates, review queues, and escalation when confidence is low. Guardrails : Policy checks, allowlists / denylists for tools, spend limits, and sensitive-data filters. Observability : Traces, tool-call logs, failure modes, and metrics (success rate, MTTR, cost per task). Key Responsibilities : API Development : Design, develop, test, and deploy scalable RESTful APIs using Python and the FastAPI framework. Web Application Delivery : Collaborate with frontend teams to build and integrate APIs with web applications. CI / CD Ownership : Build and maintain CI / CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Azure DevOps to ensure rapid and reliable delivery of code to production. Secure Development : Implement security best practices across web applications and APIs, including OAuth2, JWT, and secure coding standards. Code Quality & Testing : Write clean, modular code with strong emphasis on unit testing, integration testing, and code reviews. Documentation & Collaboration : Create and maintain technical documentation. Collaborate closely with architects and business teams Continuous Improvement : Stay up-to-date with industry trends, frameworks, and best practices to drive continuous improvement in development and deployment practices. Benefits : The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements : medical insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, 401(k) retirement plan, life insurance, long-term disability insurance, short-term disability insurance, paid parking / public transportation, (paid time , paid sick and safe time , hours of paid vacation time, weeks of paid parental leave, paid holidays annually - AS Applicable