Sr. Middleware Platform Architect

Job Posting End Date

05-09-2026

Please note the job posting will close on the day before the posting end date.

Job Summary

At AEP, we’re more than just an energy company!

We’re a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering safe, reliable, and innovative energy solutions. Guided by our mission to put the customer first, we strive to exceed expectations by listening, responding, and continuously improving the way we serve our communities. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact and being part of a forward-thinking organization, this is the company for you!

Job Description

The Sr. Middleware Platform Architect is a senior technical leadership role within the Middleware Platform organization, responsible for architecting, solutioning, and implementing enterprise middleware and integration platforms that support both modern, cloud‑native workloads and essential legacy integrations. This role focuses on defining how integration platforms are designed, built, deployed, and operated, with a strong emphasis on modern microservices architectures deployed on Kubernetes, while ensuring integration platforms remain secure, reliable, observable, and scalable as business demands evolve. Unlike Enterprise Architecture roles that operate primarily at the conceptual level, this position requires deep hands‑on architectural credibility with prior development experience and close partnership with platform engineers, application teams, security, and infrastructure to ensure architectural intent translates into operational reality. The role requires some hands-on work on projects and initiatives including proof-of-concept and reference implementation solutions.

What You'll Do:

Platform Architecture & Engineering Leadership

- Own and evolve the reference architectures for middleware and integration platforms, including:

- API management and gateway platforms

- Event streaming and messaging platforms

- File transfer and B2B/EDI platforms

- Process orchestration and workflow engines

- Cloud‑native integration components

- Provide architectural leadership for microservices‑based integration solutions, ensuring:

- Clean service boundaries and API contracts

- Resilient interaction patterns

- Proper use of asynchronous and event‑driven designs

- Partner with platform engineering teams to guide implementation decisions, not just documentation.

Cloud‑Native & Container Platform Enablement

- Design and govern integration architectures built as microservices in Python or Java, deployed on Kubernetes‑based container platforms.

- Define best practices for:

- Service deployment, scaling, and resiliency on Kubernetes

- Integration with API gateways, identity providers, and messaging platforms

- Secure service‑to‑service communication

- Ensure containerized integration workloads align with enterprise standards for security, observability, and operations.

Non‑Functional Architecture

- Establish and enforce architectural standards that improve platform non‑functional quality, including:

- Observability (logging, metrics, tracing across distributed integrations)

- System Reliability & Resilience (fault tolerance, retry patterns, DR readiness)

- Automation (build, deploy, onboard, operate)

- Security (identity integration, secrets management, certificate lifecycle)

- Performance & Scalability

- Quality & Consistency

- Work with platform owners to ensure these non‑functionals are designed in, not bolted on.

Standards, Guardrails & Governance

- Define platform guardrails, standards, and patterns that guide teams while still enabling flexibility.

- Review and influence solution designs to ensure alignment with platform architecture standards.

- Help prevent integration anti‑patterns and accidental platform sprawl.

- Balance innovation with operational sustainability.

Cross‑Team Collaboration & Influence

- Collaborate closely with:

- Enterprise Architecture

- Platform Engineering teams

- Application and Data architects

- Security and Infrastructure teams

- Development teams

- Act as a technical authority and mentor, elevating architectural maturity across teams.

- Communicate complex trade‑offs clearly to both technical and leadership audiences.

Required Skills & Experience

- Extensive experience designing and operating enterprise middleware and integration platforms.

- Strong expertise designing, building, and deploying microservices developed in Python or Java, hosted on Kubernetes container platforms.

- Deep understanding of:

- Distributed systems and integration patterns

- API‑first and event‑driven architectures

- Secure, scalable platform design

- Proven experience using and leveraging Gen AI Tools (CoPilot, Claude Code, Codex etc) to boost developer productivity and unleash innovation

- Strong experience with Platform Observability Platforms such as Dynatrace and Splunk or similar

- Proven experience defining platform‑level architecture, not just application solutions.

- Ability to influence engineers and architects through technical credibility.

- Strong experience with workflow/orchestration engines (Camunda & n8n.io preferred) and Mainframe Integration platforms such as z/OS Connect

- Solid understanding of distributed system patterns and compensation models.

- Strong Experience with building integration solutions using Integration Platforms such as MuleSoft, webMethods, TIBCO and migrated to cost effective and nimble solutions

- Strong expertise in designing, building and deploying microservices developed in Python or Java hosted on Kubernetes Container Platforms.

What We're Looking For:

Education: Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related technical field is required.

Experience: 8 years of relevant work experience is required. An equivalent combination of education and related experience may be considered.

What You'll Get:

$116,255.00 - $151,132.50

In addition to a competitive compensation, AEP offers a unique comprehensive benefits package that aims to support and enhance the overall well-being of our employees.

Compensation Data

Compensation Grade:

SP20-009

Compensation Range:

$116,255.00 - $151,132.50

The Physical Demand Level for this job is: S – Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently. (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally, and all other sedentary criteria are met.

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It is hereby reaffirmed that it is the policy of American Electric Power (AEP) to provide Equal Employment Opportunity in all respects of the employer-employee relationship including recruiting, hiring, upgrading and promotion, conditions and privileges of employment, company sponsored training programs, educational assistance, social and recreational programs, compensation, benefits, transfers, discipline, layoffs and termination of employment to all employees and applicants without discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), national origin, age, veteran or military status, disability, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. When required by law, we might record certain information or applicants for employment may be invited to voluntarily disclose protected characteristics.