Director of Engineering, API Management at Kong

United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Technology, Cloud ComputingIndustries

Requirements

Deep, hands-on experience building and scaling SaaS products from the ground up
Strong track record of leading high-uptime, customer-facing SaaS platforms with 99.99% reliability or better
Proven ability to manage costs while maintaining performance and healthy margins
10+ years of engineering leadership experience, including 5+ years as a manager of managers and prior ownership at Director-level or higher
Demonstrated success operating and scaling engineering teams in fast-paced, high-growth environments
Deep familiarity with SaaS architecture and operational practices on AWS (hard requirement)
Steady, seasoned presence with ability to navigate ambiguity and lead through change and complexity

Responsibilities

Lead and grow a high-performing team of 30 engineers across Developer Portal, Service Catalog, and Integrations teams
Collaborate closely with Product to define and execute a bold, forward-thinking roadmap for API Management
Establish yourself and your team as visionary leaders in the API Management space through innovative thinking and execution
Build for resilience and scale, ensuring the SaaS platform is robust, reliable, and ready for global demand
Engage with large enterprises (e.g., Fortune 1000 companies) to solve complex API Management challenges at scale
Drive tangible business impact by contributing directly to revenue goals in a fast-growing product area
Monitor and manage infrastructure and operational costs to scale efficiently without compromising performance or reliability

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

API ManagementDeveloper PortalService CatalogIntegrationsSaaSArchitectural DesignEngineering LeadershipDesign ReviewsRoadmap PlanningCloud Engineering

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary for this Director of Engineering role?

This information is not specified in the job description.

Is this a remote position or what is the location requirement?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What experience is required for this role?

Candidates need 10+ years of engineering leadership experience, including 5+ years as a manager of managers and prior ownership at a Director-level or higher, plus deep hands-on experience building and scaling SaaS products and leading high-uptime, customer-facing platforms at 99.99% reliability or better.

What is the team structure for this position?

The role leads a 30-person engineering organization across three core teams: Developer Portal, Service Catalog, and Integrations, reporting to the Vice President of Cloud Engineering.

What makes a strong candidate for this Director of Engineering role?

A strong candidate has a proven track record of building and scaling SaaS products, leading high-uptime platforms with 99.99% reliability, managing costs effectively, and demonstrating success in engineering leadership at Director level or higher with hands-on architectural instincts.

Kong

API management and connectivity solutions provider

About Kong

Kong focuses on API management and connectivity, providing tools that help businesses manage, secure, and optimize their APIs for software communication. Its main product, Kong Gateway, is a fast API gateway that can handle up to 50,000 transactions per second, while Kong Konnect offers a SaaS platform for API management and Kong Mesh manages microservices. Kong stands out by combining open-source technology with enterprise solutions, allowing free access to core features and offering premium services for businesses. The company's goal is to enhance developer productivity, security, and performance for a diverse range of clients in a rapidly growing market.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2017Year Founded

$334.7MTotal Funding

SERIES_ECompany Stage

Data & Analytics, Enterprise SoftwareIndustries

501-1,000Employees

Benefits

Weekly Donut Chats

Home Office Stipend

Flexible Time Off & Dedicated Unplug Days

Virtual Events

Risks

AI-enhanced security threats pose significant risks to API security.

Low adoption of zero-trust architecture leaves APIs vulnerable to breaches.

Intensifying competition in AI API platforms may draw customers away from Kong.

Differentiation

Kong's API Gateway supports 50,000 transactions per second, ensuring high performance.

Kong offers a unique combination of open-source and enterprise-grade API solutions.

Kong Insomnia is the fastest-growing platform for building, testing, and debugging APIs.

Upsides

Kong raised $175M to enhance AI connectivity and expand its solutions.

Kong Insomnia surpassed 1 million users, indicating strong demand for its tools.

Kong's Premium Technology Partner Program fosters innovation and collaboration.

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