Freelance Python Api Developer Jobs in California

Where Ambition Meets Innovation

Build a career that matches all your initiative with an impressive dose of innovation. From cutting-edge resources and a collaborative environment to the freedom to make an impact and more, you'll find the ingredients you need at LPL Financial to shape your success while helping clients pursue their financial goals.

Job Overview:

TheSenior Software Engineer (Python / AWS)is a critical member of theData Modernization & Integration organization. This role is responsible for designing, building, securing, and operatinghighquality, cloudnative REST APIsthat power LPL's core business platforms and integrations.

This engineer will focus primarily onPythonbased API development on AWS, leveraging services such asAPI Gateway, Lambda, and related AWS components, with all infrastructure managed throughTerraform. The role plays an important part in modernizing legacy integrations and defining engineering standards for reliable, secure, and scalable API services.

The ideal candidate combines deep handson Python API engineering expertise with strong cloud architecture skills, a passion for automation, and the ability to collaborate across platform, data, security, and application teams.

Responsibilities

API Engineering & Application Development

• Design, develop, and maintainPythonbased REST APIsthat support businesscritical workflows.

• Build APIs usingAWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway, following APIfirst and REST best practices.

• Implement clean, testable, and welldocumented Python code suitable for enterprise production environments.

• Optimize API performance, reliability, scalability, and error handling.

• Ensure proper API versioning, contract stability, and backward compatibility.

Security & Access Management

• Implement secure authentication and authorization mechanisms such asOAuth2, JWT, and IAMbased access.

• Enforce API security controls including request validation, throttling, rate limiting, and auditing.

• Partner with security teams to ensure APIs meet enterprise security and compliance standards.

Automation & Infrastructure Engineering

• Provision and manage AWS infrastructure usingTerraform.

• Create and maintain reusable Terraform modules for:

  • API Gateway

  • Lambda

  • IAM roles and policies

  • CloudWatch logging and monitoring

• Ensure environment consistency acrossDEV, QA, UAT, and PROD.

CI/CD & Operational Excellence

• Design and maintainCI/CD pipelinesfor build, test, and deployment of Python APIs.

• Support automated testing, packaging, versioning, and release management.

• Implement observability throughlogging, metrics, alerts, and tracing.

• Participate in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and production support activities.

CrossTeam Collaboration

• Collaborate closely withapplication teams, platform engineering, cloud, and security teams.

• Align API design and implementation with enterprise architectural standards.

• Actively contribute to code reviews, design discussions, and technical documentation.

• Promote best practices and a culture of engineering excellence.

Strategic Influence

• Influence API engineering standards, patterns, and best practices across the organization.

• Contribute to architectural reviews and modernization efforts.

• Help drive consistent, scalable, and maintainable cloudnative API solutions.

What Are We Looking For?

We are looking for strong collaborators who deliver reliable, secure, and highquality API solutions in fastpaced, teamoriented environments. Ideal candidates pursue technical excellence, act with integrity, and are motivated to build scalable platforms that enable business growth. We value continuous improvement, curiosity, and individuals who take ownership and pride in their work.

Requirements:

• Minimum of 7 years of experience insoftware engineering, API engineering, or cloud application development.

• Demonstrated handson experience with: Pythonfor backend and API development, REST API design and implementation, AWS Lambda and Amazon API Gateway, and Terraformfor Infrastructure as Code

• Experience building and operating APIs in largescale, production environments

• Experience with CI/CD, Gitbased workflows, and automated testing.

• Ability to troubleshoot production issues and support oncall rotations when required.

Core Competencies

• API Design Mindset- builds clean, consistent, and consumerfriendly APIs.

• Builder Mindset- emphasizes automation, reuse, and simplicity.

• Systems Thinking- understands how APIs integrate with distributed systems.

• Collaboration- works effectively across engineering, security, and platform teams.

• Ownership & Accountability- takes responsibility for design, delivery, and reliability.

• Bachelor's degree inComputer Science, Engineering, or related field(Master's preferred).

Preferences

• Strong understanding of authentication, authorization, and secure API design.

• Experience withOAuth providersand identity platforms.

• Familiarity withAWS SAM or Serverless Framework(tooling experience).

• Exposure toeventdriven architectures(EventBridge, SNS/SQS).

• Experience operating APIs inregulated or enterprise environments(financial services preferred).

• Knowledge of observability tools such asCloudWatch, Dynatrace, Datadog, OpenTelemetry.

• Experience designing reusable API frameworks or shared libraries.

Pay Range:

$106,100.00 - $176,900.00
Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play - such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that LPL has to offer!

Company Overview:

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace(6) , LPL supports over 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services, and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.

For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com.

Join the LPL team and help us make a difference by turning life's aspirations into financial realities. Please log in or create an account to apply to this position. Principals only. EOE.

Information on Interviews:

LPL will only communicate with a job applicant directly from an@lplfinancial.comemail address and will never conduct an interview online or in a chatroom forum. During an interview, LPL will not request any form of payment from the applicant, or information regarding an applicant's bank or credit card. Should you have any questions regarding the application process, please contact LPL's Human Resources Solutions Center at(855) 575-6947.

EAC 5.19.26