Architect, Federated GraphQL
eBay · Portland, United States · 9d ago
At eBay, we're more than a global ecommerce leader — we’re changing the way the world shops and sells. Our platform empowers millions of buyers and sellers in more than 190 markets around the world. We’re committed to pushing boundaries and leaving our mark as we reinvent the future of ecommerce for enthusiasts.
Our customers are our compass, authenticity thrives, bold ideas are welcome, and everyone can bring their unique selves to work — every day. We're in this together, sustaining the future of our customers, our company, and our planet.
Join a team of passionate thinkers, innovators, and dreamers — and help us connect people and build communities to create economic opportunity for all.
* This role cannot offer any sort of visa sponsorship *
About the team and the role:
Join the team shaping the future of eBay’s API ecosystem. In this FGQL Architect role, you will help define, scale, and govern eBay’s global GraphQL Federation platform, enabling hundreds of internal engineering teams and millions of customers worldwide to access data through a seamless, reliable API experience.
This is a highly impactful architecture role for someone who enjoys setting technical direction, building platform standards, and influencing engineering at scale. You will partner across business units to establish federation patterns, guide platform evolution, and improve how teams design and deliver APIs across eBay.
This role is ideal for a strong backend architect who brings deep distributed systems expertise, a clear point of view on API design, and the curiosity to grow GraphQL Federation capabilities in a complex global environment.
What you will accomplish:
Define the architectural vision for eBay’s federated GraphQL platform, establishing scalable standards for schema design, composition, and execution across a broad internal engineering ecosystem.
Build and champion governance frameworks for schema quality, enterprise security, and API performance, helping teams adopt consistent and sustainable patterns across business units.
Design and evolve high-performance platform components such as gateways, query optimization layers, caching strategies, and observability capabilities to support global scale and reliability.
Partner with product and engineering teams to guide their transition to federation, providing architectural consultation, developer enablement, and hands-on mentorship that accelerates adoption.
Evaluate and influence API strategy across GraphQL, REST, and gRPC, recommending the right patterns and trade-offs to improve platform resilience, usability, and developer experience.
Raise the technical bar for API architecture at eBay by advocating for clear standards. Encourage alignment across collaborators. Craft opportunities for teams to learn and build with confidence.
What you will bring:
10+ years of experience designing backend architectures for large-scale distributed systems, including microservices and asynchronous event-driven environments.
Strong understanding of API and schema design principles, with hands-on experience in GraphQL Federation, GraphQL API, REST, and/or gRPC.Demonstrated technical leadership with the ability to define architectural standards, influence multi-functional partners, and communicate complex ideas clearly to varied audiences.
Proficiency in Java with Spring Boot and/or Node.js, along with comfort working in JVM and JavaScript/TypeScript-based service environments.
Experience with cloud-native infrastructure and modern software delivery practices, including Kubernetes, CI/CD, observability, and platform reliability.
A platform-minded approach that balances scalability, security, and developer ergonomics, along with the ability and willingness to deepen expertise in GraphQL Federation in a fast paced environment.
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Additional Details
The base pay range for this position is expected in the range below:
$136,000 - $228,600Base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including location, skills, and experience. The total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a target bonus and restricted stock units (as applicable) in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits (including 401(k) eligibility and various paid time off benefits, such as PTO and parental leave). Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided if an employee receives an offer of employment.
If hired, employees will be in an “at-will position” and the Company reserves the right to modify base salary (as well as any other discretionary payment or compensation program) at any time, including for reasons related to individual performance, Company or individual department/team performance, and market factors.
Remote roles are not eligible for U.S. visa sponsorship.
eBay is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, and disability, or other legally protected status. If you have a need that requires accommodation, please contact us at talent@ebay.com. We will make every effort to respond to your request for accommodation as soon as possible. View our accessibility statement to learn more about eBay's commitment to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.
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