Staff Solutions Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Texas.

📋 Description

• Assist field sales in demonstrating the benefits of Kong’s API and AI connectivity platform to customers.

• Engage in discovery discussions to comprehend customer needs and align them with Kong solutions from initial product assessments to production stages.

• Facilitate proofs of concept during the evaluation phase, managing technical validation and ensuring stakeholder alignment.

• Maintain customer satisfaction across designated accounts.

• Work collaboratively with support, product, and engineering teams to advocate for customer needs.

• Develop technical documentation for DevOps, implementations, and service engagements.

• Lead and assist in evaluations of API Management and AI governance, covering API/AI use cases, LLM traffic management, and governance needs.

• Showcase Kong’s capabilities in API and AI governance as well as agentic connectivity, including MCP governance, semantic caching, prompt guardrails, and shadow AI detection.

• Conduct API and AI-centric Technical Feasibility Workshops to assess Kong’s suitability for contemporary and AI/agentic architectures.

• Manage the technical strategy for intricate, multi-stakeholder enterprise agreements from the qualification phase to closure.

• Mentor and guide junior SEs in technical proficiencies, discovery techniques, and deal strategies.

• Write technical blogs, lead webinars, and present at industry events and conferences.

• Shape product direction by consolidating customer insights and market trends into actionable input for the product team.

• Undertake additional responsibilities as assigned by the manager.

⛳️ Requirements

• Over 7 years of experience in software engineering and/or solutions engineering within a SaaS, open-source, or enterprise software environment.

• Demonstrated success in managing complex, enterprise-level deals involving multiple technical and executive stakeholders.

• Experience in mentoring or coaching other SEs or technical team members.

• Proficiency with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native platforms.

• Familiarity with REST and GraphQL APIs, CI/CD pipelines, and API security protocols (OAuth2, OIDC, mTLS).

• Practical experience with AI-assisted development tools such as Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, or similar is essential.

• Knowledge of AI/LLM architectures, including model routing, rate limiting, semantic caching, and prompt governance.

• Understanding of Model Context Protocol (MCP) and agentic AI methodologies.

• Strong grasp of cloud computing trends and open-source business models.

• Excellent listening and communication abilities with engineers, architects, and executives.

• Passion for working in a dynamic, fast-paced environment at the convergence of API and AI connectivity.

🏝️ Benefits

• Equity

• Commission

• Health insurance

• Dental insurance

• Vision insurance

• Paid holidays

• PTO

• Professional development opportunities

• Professional development tools