Software Engineering Manager, AI Gateway - Shanghai at Kong

Shanghai, Shanghai, China

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Senior (5 to 8 years), Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Technology, Artificial IntelligenceIndustries

Requirements

5+ years of managing engineering teams and obsessing over customer experience
Solid technical expertise for AI and LLM in one or more of the following: APIs, models and consumption models for different providers; Self-hosted models; RAG and Vector Databases; MCP
Experience doing reviews, hiring, comp
Experience managing remote teams and distributed workforce
Demonstrated leadership of Engineering teams
On-premise, cloud and hybrid product background
Proven customer relationship skills sets
Business fluent English language skills both written and verbal
Bonus: Hands-on experience in building and maintaining NGINX/OpenResty backend services
Bonus: Experience working in an Enterprise Software company
Bonus: Experience working on Rust projects

Responsibilities

Hire, mentor, and maintain healthy Engineering teams who value collaboration and innovation
Manage shift scheduling, measuring key performance indicators (KPIs), and training, assure high-quality work and SLA
Experience managing customer-facing, engineering support roles and has a breadth of experience across infrastructure, internal tooling, platforms, and on-premise products
Own the customer escalation system technically, including collaboration with other departments, stakeholders (Sales, Customer Experience, Sales Engineering etc.) and where necessary customers
Leadership experience displaying ability to organize and prioritize complex problem resolution and bug fixes, debugging distributed services
Organize and manage your teams to fit constructively into the org as a whole and help the company succeed
Set and manage expectations with other engineering teams, senior management, and external stakeholders
Give constructive feedback to Engineers, conduct 1:1s, address inter-personal issues, and conduct reviews

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

AILLMAPIsRAGVector DatabasesSelf-hosted ModelsDistributed ServicesInfrastructureInternal ToolingPlatformsOn-premise Products

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What experience is required for this Software Engineering Manager role?

Candidates need 5+ years of managing engineering teams, solid technical expertise in AI and LLM areas like APIs, models, self-hosted models, RAG and Vector Databases, or MCP, and experience managing remote teams.

Is this role remote or does it require being in Shanghai?

The role is based in Shanghai and requires experience managing remote teams and distributed workforce, but specific remote policy details are not provided.

What is the compensation for this position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What does the company culture look like for this team?

The team values collaboration and innovation, with a focus on mentoring engineers, providing constructive feedback, conducting 1:1s, and ensuring engineers grow and have a great experience.

What makes a strong candidate for this role?

Strong candidates have 5+ years managing engineering teams with a focus on customer experience, deep AI/LLM technical expertise, experience with remote teams, and bonus for NGINX/OpenResty or Rust experience; apply even if you don't meet every criterion.

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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