Staff Engineer • Senior

Who you are

You have over 8 years of experience in software engineering with a strong focus on security domains — you've developed and implemented security frameworks that protect sensitive data and ensure compliance with industry standards. Your technical expertise is complemented by exceptional communication skills, allowing you to effectively liaise between engineering teams and security organizations.

You are passionate about security best practices and have a proven track record of evangelizing these practices within engineering teams — you understand the importance of building secure systems and have experience mentoring others on security protocols. You thrive in collaborative environments and enjoy breaking down complex security challenges into manageable tasks.

Your hands-on experience with cloud API technologies has equipped you with the skills to design and implement security features that enhance the overall security posture of products — you are adept at conducting code reviews and providing security engineering designs for sensitive paths. You are proactive in researching and staying updated on the latest security threats and mitigation strategies.

Desirable

Experience with API security and cloud infrastructure is a plus — familiarity with tools like Burp Suite or OWASP can enhance your contributions. You may also have experience in agile methodologies, which will help you adapt quickly to the fast-paced environment at Kong.

What you'll do

In this role, you will act as a liaison between the Kong Runtime engineering teams and the security organization to develop innovative security requirements for the roadmap. You will be responsible for researching, designing, implementing, and owning security-oriented frameworks and features that harden Kong’s Data Plane and protect its customers. Your role will involve coaching and mentoring engineers on security best practices, ensuring that security is integrated into the development lifecycle.

You will routinely provide security engineering designs and conduct code reviews for sensitive paths, ensuring that all code meets the highest security standards. You will break down complex security problems into sub-tasks and prototype rapidly, contributing to security initiatives using agile practices. Your leadership will help foster a culture of security awareness across the engineering organization.

What we offer

At Kong, you will be part of a mission-driven team that is focused on enabling companies to become API-first and securely accelerate AI adoption. You will have the opportunity to work with a diverse range of technologies and collaborate with talented engineers who are passionate about building secure and scalable solutions. We encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn't match every requirement — your unique perspective could be a valuable addition to our team. Join us in powering the world's connections and making a significant impact in the API landscape.