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:
We are looking for an experienced attorney to join as an early member of Kong’s commercial legal team, responsible for helping support Kong’s strategic sales growth in the Americas East region and provide support to the AMER team as it grows. In this role, you will be a trusted strategic partner to the Americas East revenue team. You will draft, structure and negotiate customer contracts with some of the world’s biggest brands in financial services, technology, e-commerce and other industries. You will also play a primary role in supporting our US federal government customers. You will be called on to assess legal and business risks, make sound decisions, and provide advice on a broad range of issues in areas such as privacy, security, open-source software and intellectual property, and assist with other issues as they come up. You will report to Kong’s Sr. Director, Head of Global Commercial Legal. The position is based in New York, Chicago, Austin TX, or Toronto.
What You'll Do:
Lead complex SaaS and on-premises commercial negotiations
Serve as a trusted advisor to Kong’s Americas sales team, primarily in the US East market
Review, draft, and negotiate a wide variety of other commercial agreements
Help ensure compliance with a variety of laws and regulations impacting our SaaS and on-premises offerings, including regarding artificial intelligence, intellectual property, privacy, security and government contracting
Partner with Finance, Revenue Operations and Customer Assurance to support the end-to-end contract close process
Advise internal teams on legal matters and provide general commercial legal advice
Assisting with the development of our positions with respect to artificial intelligence and our products as they relate to our customers’ infrastructure.
What You’ll Bring:
Law degree, and member in good standing of the applicable state bar or eligible to be a registered in-house counsel
Minimum 7-10 years of experience practicing law both in private practice and in-house, preferably with late-stage private and/or early-stage public technology companies
Demonstrated experience in negotiating and closing complex SaaS and software contracts with large, sophisticated customers
Collaborative, and willing to build something together as a team
Experience with federal government procurement and customers
Great judgment, and an ability to build and maintain strong professional relationships within the company, with customers, and others
Working knowledge of intellectual property, data governance and information security/privacy matters
High professional and personal standards, and a commitment to inclusiveness
Attention to detail and an ability to view legal issues within the context of business objectives
Location:
Any of New York, Chicago, Austin TX or Toronto
#LI-KH1
About Kong:
Kong Inc., the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500® and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.
Skills Required
- Law degree
- Member in good standing of the applicable state bar or eligible to be registered as in-house counsel
- 7-10 years of legal experience in private practice and in-house roles
- Experience negotiating and closing complex SaaS and software contracts with large, sophisticated customers
- Experience with federal government procurement and customers
- Working knowledge of intellectual property, data governance, and information security or privacy matters
- Strong judgment and ability to build professional relationships
- Collaborative approach and willingness to build as part of a team
- High professional and personal standards with a commitment to inclusiveness
- Attention to detail and ability to assess legal issues in the context of business objectives
- Experience with late-stage private or early-stage public technology companies
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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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Flexible PTO, company-wide Unplug Days, and a four‑week paid sabbatical after five years are prominently offered to support rest and work–life balance. These programs are presented as meaningful perks beyond base pay and are highlighted across official materials and third‑party summaries.
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Healthcare Strength — U.S. medical, dental, and vision coverage is described as strong, with plan quality drawing positive sentiment. Solid healthcare appears to contribute meaningfully to overall satisfaction with the total package.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Stock options are offered to most employees, creating ownership upside alongside cash compensation. Equity is positioned as a visible component that helps keep offers competitive for certain technical and go‑to‑market roles.
Kong Insights
What We Do
Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the connectivity layer for AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. No AI without APIs.
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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