Kong API Gateway Developer

We are seeking a Lead Kong API Gateway Developer with 10 years of experience to own the architecture, design, and governance of API gateway solutions. This role requires deep Kong expertise, strong distributed systems knowledge, and the ability to lead platform-level initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Define and drive API Gateway architecture and strategyusing Kong
• Design and oversee scalable, secure API platforms
• Lead implementation of:
• Kong configurations, plugins, and advanced routing strategies
• API lifecycle management and governance frameworks
• Establish standards, guardrails, and reusable patterns
• Own Kong deployment models(DB-less, hybrid, Konnect, etc.)
• Ensure high availability, scalability, and security of API platforms
• Collaborate with enterprise architecture, DevOps, and product leadership
• Mentor engineers and conduct design/code reviews
• Drive resolution of complex system and integration issues

Required Skills & Qualifications

• 10 yearsof software/platform engineering experience
• Deep hands-on expertise with Kong API Gateway (must-have)
• Strong experience in API architecture and platform design
• Experience designing distributed, cloud-native systems
• Proficiency in at least one backend language (Java, Python, Go, Node.js, etc.)
• Strong knowledge of:
• API security (OAuth2, JWT, mTLS)
• Traffic management and gateway policies
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS/Azure/Google Cloud Platform)
• Strong leadership and stakeholder management skills

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience building custom Kong plugins (Lua, Go)
• Exposure to service mesh (Istio, Linkerd)
• Knowledge of GraphQL APIs
• Experience with observability tools(Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Kong Vitals)
• Prior ownership of enterprise API platforms
• Agile/Scrum experience