Engineering Manager - Indirect Channel (Direct Connect API & Web)

Driven to be the BestPeople. Performance. Purpose.At Avis Budget Group, we’re driven to be the best vehicle rental company in the world, together. Our 25,000 employees raise the bar every day, bringing different perspectives, taking ownership, and leading with integrity. We’re defining the future of mobility with safe, sustainable solutions that move people, businesses, and communities forward.Avis Budget Group is seeking a highly experienced Engineering Manager/Lead Architect to provide technical leadership for the architecture, engineering, modernization, and operation of large-scale enterprise applications and API platforms.This role is ideal for a technology leader with 15–17+ years of experience architecting and managing complex, highly distributed enterprise systems, with deep expertise in API-centric architectures, microservices, cloud platforms, GDS (Global Distribution Systems), and legacy modernization.The successful candidate will lead the evolution of Avis Budget Group's technology ecosystem toward a modern, API-first, cloud-native architecture, while ensuring seamless integration with existing mainframe, GDS, reservation, fleet, rental, and enterprise systems.You will operate at the intersection of enterprise architecture, engineering leadership, product delivery, and technology strategy, influencing architectural decisions across multiple engineering organizations and leading teams responsible for business-critical platforms operating at significant scale.What You'll Do:Enterprise Architecture & Technical LeadershipProvide senior technical leadership for the architecture and engineering of large-scale, mission-critical enterprise applications and platformsDefine enterprise application architecture strategies aligned with business objectives, technology roadmaps, and long-term modernization goalsArchitect highly available, scalable, resilient, and secure distributed systems supporting high transaction volumes and critical customer journeysEstablish architectural standards and reference architectures for microservices, APIs, event-driven systems, cloud platforms, and enterprise integrationLead architecture reviews and provide technical direction across multiple engineering teams and technology domainsTranslate complex business requirements into scalable technical architectures and actionable engineering roadmapsIdentify architectural risks, technical debt, scalability constraints, and modernization opportunitiesDrive technology decisions across build-vs-buy, platform capabilities, integration patterns, and modernization approachesAPI-First & API Platform StrategyOwn and evolve the enterprise API strategy, establishing APIs as the primary integration mechanism between customer-facing applications, GDS platforms, internal systems, partners, and third-party ecosystemsArchitect and govern enterprise-scale API platforms using technologies such as Apigee, 3scale, and RedSwiftEstablish standards for API design, governance, versioning, lifecycle management, security, discoverability, throttling, monetization, and observabilityDesign API products that enable rapid integration across digital channels, mobile applications, GDS platforms, partners, and internal enterprise systemsDefine API gateway and management strategies across hybrid cloud, on-premises, and legacy environmentsArchitect secure API ecosystems using OAuth2, OpenID Connect, JWT, mTLS, rate limiting, API policies, and enterprise identity platformsEstablish API resiliency patterns including throttling, circuit breakers, retries, caching, traffic management, and graceful degradationDrive API reuse and standardization across engineering organizations to reduce duplication and accelerate deliveryEstablish API SLAs, SLOs, performance standards, and operational governanceGDS Architecture & IntegrationProvide architectural leadership for Global Distribution System (GDS) capabilities and their integration with modern digital platformsDesign high-volume, low-latency architectures connecting GDS, reservation, rental, availability, pricing, customer, fleet, and partner ecosystemsLead modernization of GDS and legacy integrations through API-first and event-driven architecturesArchitect integration patterns between GDS platforms, mainframe systems, Java microservices, cloud services, and external partnersEvaluate opportunities to decouple tightly coupled legacy capabilities while maintaining business continuity and transactional integrityEstablish scalable integration patterns supporting multiple channels, partners, aggregators, and downstream consumersEnsure GDS integrations meet enterprise requirements for performance, availability, resiliency, security, and operational supportLead architecture for high-volume transaction processing where latency, consistency, and availability are criticalAWS & Cloud ArchitectureArchitect and lead modernization of enterprise applications onto AWS using cloud-native and hybrid-cloud patternsDesign highly available architectures leveraging AWS services across compute, networking, storage, messaging, security, and observabilityEstablish AWS CDN and edge delivery strategies to improve performance, availability, and scalability for customer-facing applications and APIsArchitect global traffic management, caching, edge routing, load balancing, and content delivery strategiesDesign solutions using technologies such as Amazon CloudFront, API Gateway, ECS/EKS, Lambda, S3, RDS, DynamoDB, ElastiCache, SQS/SNS, and other appropriate AWS servicesEstablish cloud architecture standards covering security, networking, identity, resiliency, cost optimization, and operational excellenceLead hybrid-cloud integration between AWS, enterprise data centers, mainframe environments, and GDS platformsEnsure cloud platforms are designed for enterprise-scale availability, disaster recovery, observability, and performanceMicroservices & Distributed SystemsLead the transformation of monolithic and legacy applications into domain-aligned microservices and distributed systemsDefine service boundaries using domain-driven design and enterprise architecture principlesEstablish patterns for synchronous and asynchronous communication across distributed servicesDrive adoption of event-driven architecture using technologies such as Kafka, messaging platforms, and cloud-native event servicesEnsure microservices are independently deployable, observable, scalable, and resilientDefine strategies for distributed transactions, eventual consistency, idempotency, service discovery, configuration management, and fault toleranceEstablish engineering standards for Java/Spring Boot-based services and other appropriate technology stacksMainframe & Legacy ModernizationLead architecture and modernization initiatives spanning mainframe, GDS, Java, APIs, and cloud platformsDevelop pragmatic modernization strategies that preserve critical business capabilities while reducing legacy dependenciesEstablish API façade and strangler-pattern approaches for progressively modernizing legacy applicationsIdentify capabilities that should be exposed through APIs, migrated to microservices, or retained within existing systems of recordEnsure modernization initiatives maintain transactional integrity, business continuity, and operational stabilityEngineering Management & Organizational LeadershipLead and manage multiple engineering teams and technical leads responsible for enterprise platforms and applicationsBuild a culture of engineering excellence, accountability, innovation, and continuous improvementMentor senior engineers, architects, and engineering managersEstablish engineering career development, technical growth, and succession strategiesPartner with Product, Enterprise Architecture, Infrastructure, Security, Data, DevOps, and business stakeholdersManage complex technical programs involving multiple teams, systems, vendors, and organizational dependenciesEstablish effective engineering operating models across geographically distributed teamsDrive Agile delivery while maintaining appropriate architecture governance and technical qualityBalance short-term delivery requirements with long-term platform sustainability and modernizationReliability, Performance & Operational ExcellenceArchitect systems capable of supporting enterprise-scale transaction volumes and customer trafficEstablish reliability engineering practices covering availability, resiliency, disaster recovery, and capacity planningDefine performance engineering strategies for APIs, GDS integrations, microservices, and customer-facing applicationsEstablish enterprise observability across APIs and distributed applications using metrics, logging, tracing, and real-time monitoringDefine SLOs, SLIs, operational KPIs, and production readiness standardsLead architecture and engineering responses to complex production incidents and systemic reliability issuesDrive proactive capacity planning, performance testing, chaos/resiliency testing, and operational readinessSecurity & API GovernanceEstablish enterprise security architecture for APIs, microservices, cloud applications, and partner integrationsEnsure APIs comply with enterprise authentication, authorization, encryption, data protection, and audit requirementsEstablish API security policies across Apigee, 3scale, RedSwift, and related API management platformsPartner with Cybersecurity and Enterprise Architecture teams to implement Zero Trust and defense-in-depth principlesEnsure security is integrated throughout the software development lifecycleWhat We're Looking For:15–17+ years of progressive experience in software engineering, architecture, and technology leadershipSignificant experience architecting and managing large-scale enterprise applications and distributed platformsProven experience leading multiple engineering teams and senior technical resourcesDeep expertise in API-first and API-led architectureStrong experience with API management platforms such as Apigee, 3scale, and RedSwiftExtensive experience designing RESTful APIs, API gateways, API products, and enterprise integration platformsStrong understanding of GDS architecture and large-scale transaction processingExtensive experience with Java, Spring Boot, microservices, and distributed systemsSignificant hands-on experience with AWS architecture, including CDN/edge delivery and cloud-native servicesExperience designing hybrid architectures spanning AWS, on-premises, mainframe, and GDS environmentsStrong understanding of event-driven architecture, messaging, Kafka, and asynchronous integration patternsExperience with enterprise application modernization and legacy/mainframe transformationStrong knowledge of API security, OAuth2, OIDC, JWT, mTLS, rate limiting, and traffic managementDemonstrated experience with high availability, scalability, performance engineering, and disaster recoveryStrong understanding of DevOps, CI/CD, infrastructure automation, containers, and KubernetesExcellent communication skills with the ability to influence senior technical and business stakeholdersPreferred (Nice to Have):Experience architecting technology platforms within travel, transportation, mobility, hospitality, airline, rental-car, or similar high-volume transaction environmentsExperience with large-scale reservation, availability, pricing, booking, or distribution platformsExperience with AWS CloudFront and global edge architectureExperience with Apigee API Management and enterprise API governanceExperience with RedSwift and/or 3scale API management ecosystemsExperience with Kafka and event-streaming architecturesExperience with Kubernetes/OpenShift and containerized enterprise applicationsExperience with observability platforms such as Splunk, Dynatrace, Datadog, or equivalentExperience implementing Domain-Driven Design and enterprise integration patternsExperience with mainframe technologies including COBOL, CICS, DB2, and JCLExperience managing large technology transformation programs involving multiple platforms and engineering organizationsThe annual starting salary for this position is between $130,000 – 160,000 annually. Factors that may affect starting pay within this range include geography/market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications of the successful candidate.Who We Are:Here at Avis Budget Group, you will be joining a team of 25,000 driven people, performing with purpose. Together, we’re moving the future of transportation forward with our innovative, customer-focused solutions.Our culture is performance driven, where we encourage and support each other to be at our best through leadership, training, tools, and rewards.We are proud to make a positive difference to the lives of our colleagues, customers, and communities where we operate.Avis Budget Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer – Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran or any other category protected by applicable law.This advertisement does not constitute a promise or guarantee of employment. This advertisement describes the general nature and level of this position only. Essential functions and responsibilities may change as business needs require. The compensation and benefits information is accurate as of the date of this posting. The Company reserves the right to modify this information at any time, with or without notice, subject to applicable law. This position may be with any affiliate of Avis Budget Group.ParsippanyNew JerseyUnited States of America #J-18808-Ljbffr Avis Budget Group