Are you ready to unlock intelligence?
If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.
About the Role:
As a Forward Deployed Engineer at Kong, you will be a critical bridge between our cutting-edge products and our most strategic customers. You will drive the successful adoption and expansion of Kong's API management and service connectivity solutions, ensuring our clients can architect and scale their systems with unparalleled efficiency and developer delight. Your impact directly fuels our growth in the Agentic Era by transforming complex technical challenges into seamless, high-performance customer solutions.
What You’ll Do:
Architect and implement advanced API gateway and service mesh solutions directly with enterprise clients, translating complex business requirements into robust technical designs.
Lead technical deep-dive sessions, workshops, and proof-of-concepts, demonstrating Kong's capabilities and value proposition to diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Drive the resolution of critical customer technical issues, collaborating closely with Kong's engineering and product teams to provide rapid and effective solutions.
Own the technical success of strategic customer accounts from pre-sales engagement through post-implementation, ensuring long-term satisfaction and expansion.
Influence product roadmap development by capturing critical customer feedback and translating it into actionable insights for our engineering and product organizations.
Mentor junior engineers and technical account managers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning within the customer-facing teams.
Travel approximately 30-50% to client sites and industry events to support engagements and foster key relationships.
What You’ll Bring:
The Toolkit7+ years of experience in a customer-facing technical role such as Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Architect, or Technical Consultant, ideally within an enterprise software environment.
Deep expertise with API lifecycle management, microservices architectures, and distributed systems.
Strong command of cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes, Docker, and public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
Proficiency in programming/scripting languages such as Golang, Python, Lua, or JavaScript, with a strong ability to build integrations and custom solutions.
Experience with Open Source, APIs, or Infrastructure is essential.
Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues across various layers of the software stack.
Ownership: You take full accountability for customer success and technical outcomes, acting as a trusted advisor and driving initiatives to completion.
Urgency: You thrive in a fast-paced environment, prioritize effectively, and respond with agility to customer needs and evolving technical landscapes.
Collaboration: You seamlessly work with internal teams (Engineering, Product, Sales) and external stakeholders, fostering strong relationships and shared goals.
Bonus Points:
Prior experience with Kong Gateway, Kong Mesh, or other API management/service mesh platforms.
Active contributions to open-source projects or a strong personal technical portfolio.
Experience working with customers in highly regulated industries (e.g., Finance, Healthcare, Government).
Certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Kubernetes Administrator).
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About Kong:
Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform, Kong Konnect, enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.
Skills Required
- 7+ years in a customer-facing technical role (Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Architect, or Technical Consultant)
- Deep expertise with API lifecycle management, microservices architectures, and distributed systems
- Strong command of cloud-native technologies including Kubernetes and Docker
- Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Proficiency in programming/scripting languages such as Golang, Python, Lua, or JavaScript
- Experience with open source, APIs, or infrastructure
- Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues across the software stack
- Willingness to travel approximately 30-50% to client sites and events
- Prior experience with Kong Gateway or Kong Mesh
- Active contributions to open-source projects or strong personal technical portfolio
- Experience with customers in regulated industries (Finance, Healthcare, Government)
- Certifications in cloud platforms (AWS Solutions Architect, Kubernetes Administrator)
Kong Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Kong and has not been reviewed or approved by Kong.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for many roles, particularly in senior and technical positions, with bonuses and overtime enhancing earnings for some. Compensation is generally described as strong across a range of functions.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Policies such as flexible time off, company Unplug Days, U‑First Fridays, and a paid sabbatical create multiple avenues for rest and personal development. These offerings support work‑life balance for a distributed workforce.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options and an employee stock purchase plan enable broad participation in company equity. Equity is positioned as a meaningful component of total rewards alongside cash compensation.
Kong Insights
What We Do
Kong Inc., a leading developer of cloud API technologies, is on a mission to enable companies around the world to become “API-first” and securely accelerate AI adoption. Kong helps organizations globally — from startups to Fortune 500 enterprises — unleash developer productivity, build securely and accelerate time to market.
Why Work With Us
It starts with how we show up for each other. We’ve created a workplace that’s intentionally flexible, deeply inclusive, and built for meaningful collaboration — whether virtual or in person. We trust our teams to own their work, and we give them the support, tools, and freedom to grow.
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