Kong AI Gateway Engineer (Remote, United States)

Allstate Insurance; Illinois; Remote; USD 100,000 - 171,000; Full time

Job summary

Allstate is seeking a Software Engineer Lead Consultant to architect and lead Kong AI Gateway projects. You will design, implement, and operate enterprise API gateway solutions, integrate multiple LLM providers, and drive security, observability, and governance across digital platforms.

This role requires 8+ years in API management or platform engineering, hands‑on Kong administration, and cloud‑native experience. Candidates must be able to work Central Time or Eastern Time hours from Illinois.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in API Management, Middleware, or Platform Engineering.
• Minimum 3–5 years hands-on Kong Gateway Administration.
• Experience with cloud-native and microservices architectures preferred.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-grade AI Gateway solutions using Kong AI Gateway.
• Configure AI-specific policies including prompt logging, content filtering, token controls, and guardrails.
• Enable secure access to multiple LLM providers through a unified gateway architecture.
• Implement AI observability, token analytics, usage tracking, and cost governance.
• Develop routing strategies across multiple AI models based on latency, cost, and availability.
• Integrate RAG-based AI services through secure API management frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise AI governance, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish AI platform standards, reusable AI APIs, and best practices for GenAI adoption.
• Support AI agent and MCP-based integrations within enterprise ecosystems.
• Drive AI platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence.
• Configure, administer, and support Kong Gateway environments.
• Develop and manage AI Gateway proxies for GenAI/LLM services.
• Implement API security, authentication, throttling, and governance policies.
• Integrate AI platforms such as Azure OpenAI and OpenAI through secure API gateways.
• Deploy and manage Kong in Kubernetes-based environments.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize gateway performance and availability.
• Automate deployments and operational processes using DevOps tools.

Skills

Kong Gateway

API Management

AI Gateway Development

OpenAI Integration

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Tools

Docker

Helm

Prometheus

Grafana

Jenkins

Job description

At Allstate, great things happen when our people work together to protect families and their belongings from life's uncertainties. And for more than 90 years, our innovative drive has kept us a step ahead of our customers' evolving needs. From advocating for seat belts, air bags and graduated driving laws, to being an industry leader in pricing sophistication, telematics, and, more recently, device and identity protection.

Job Description

The Software Engineer Lead Consultant will serve as a technical lead focused on Kong AI Gateway, bringing strong experience in API Gateway management, Kong administration, and AI/LLM proxy development. This role will architect, design, build, test, and support modern digital products, while owning applications through production and driving their overall success against key performance goals.

Candidates must be able to work Central Time or Eastern Time hours.

Required Skills

• Kong Gateway (OSS/Enterprise), Kong Konnect
• API Management & API Lifecycle Management
• AI Gateway / LLM Proxy Development
• OpenAI / Azure OpenAI Integration
• REST APIs, GraphQL
• OAuth2, JWT, OIDC, API Security
• Kubernetes, Docker, Helm
• CI/CD (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps)
• Monitoring: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK/Splunk
• Cloud Platforms: Azure, AWS, or GCP
• Kong AI Gateway Configuration & Administration
• LLM Traffic Routing, Load Balancing and Failover Management
• Prompt Management, Prompt Security and Guardrails
• AI Security, Responsible AI and Model Governance
• Token Usage Monitoring, Rate Limiting and Cost Optimization
• Multi-LLM Integration (OpenAI, Azure OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, Mistral, Llama)
• Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Architecture Concepts
• Vector Databases
• LLMOps, AI Observability and Model Performance Monitoring
• AI API Governance, Compliance and Data Protection
• Prompt Caching, Semantic Caching and Response Optimization
• Model Gateway Policy Development and AI Consumption Controls
• MCP (Model Context Protocol) and AI Agent Integration Concepts
• GenAI Platform Engineering and Enterprise AI Enablement

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement enterprise-grade AI Gateway solutions using Kong AI Gateway.
• Configure AI-specific policies including prompt logging, content filtering, token controls, and guardrails.
• Enable secure access to multiple LLM providers through a unified gateway architecture.
• Implement AI observability, token analytics, usage tracking, and cost governance.
• Develop routing strategies across multiple AI models based on latency, cost, and availability.
• Integrate RAG-based AI services through secure API management frameworks.
• Ensure compliance with enterprise AI governance, security, and regulatory requirements.
• Establish AI platform standards, reusable AI APIs, and best practices for GenAI adoption.
• Support AI agent and MCP-based integrations within enterprise ecosystems.
• Drive AI platform reliability, scalability, and operational excellence.
• Configure, administer, and support Kong Gateway environments.
• Develop and manage AI Gateway proxies for GenAI/LLM services.
• Implement API security, authentication, throttling, and governance policies.
• Integrate AI platforms such as Azure OpenAI and OpenAI through secure API gateways.
• Deploy and manage Kong in Kubernetes-based environments.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize gateway performance and availability.
• Automate deployments and operational processes using DevOps tools.

Experience

• 8 Plus years of experience in API Management, Middleware, or Platform Engineering.
• Minimum 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience with Kong Gateway Administration.
• Experience with cloud-native and microservices architectures preferred.

Skills

AI Architecture, AI Systems, LLM Evaluation, LLM Guardrails, Product Ownership, Software Architectures, Software Development

Compensation

Compensation offered for this role is 100,000.00 - 170,500.00 annually and is based on experience and qualifications.

The candidate(s) offered this position will be required to submit to a background investigation.

Joining our team isn't just a job - it's an opportunity. One that takes your skills and pushes them to the next level. One that encourages you to challenge the status quo. One where you can shape the future of protection while supporting causes that mean the most to you. Joining our team means being part of something bigger - a winning team making a meaningful impact.

Allstate generally does not sponsor individuals for employment-based visas for this position.

Effective July 1, 2014, under Indiana House Enrolled Act (HEA) 1242, it is against public policy of the State of Indiana and a discriminatory practice for an employer to discriminate against a prospective employee on the basis of status as a veteran by refusing to employ an applicant on the basis that they are a veteran of the armed forces of the United States, a member of the Indiana National Guard or a member of a reserve component.

It is the Company's policy to employ the best qualified individuals available for all jobs. Therefore, any discriminatory action taken on account of an employee's ancestry, age, color, disability, genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual and reproductive health decision, marital status, medical condition, military or veteran status, national origin, race (include traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles), religion (including religious dress), sex, or sexual orientation that adversely affects an employee's terms or conditions of employment is prohibited. This policy applies to all aspects of the employment relationship, including, but not limited to, hiring, training, salary administration, promotion, job assignment, benefits, discipline, and separation of employment.

Allstate provides a comprehensive technology setup, including a laptop, monitors, headset, keyboard, and mouse. Employees eligible to work from home also receive a monthly connectivity reimbursement to help offset internet costs.

When working from home, you must have a dedicated, private workspace free from distractions, along with appropriate desk and seating. Reliable internet is required, with minimum speeds of 50 MB download and 5 MB upload.

To help create a more personal and engaging experience, we ask that you join with your camera on if your interview is virtual. Please also have a Valid Photo Identification available at the start of your interview.

Note: Internal candidates are only asked to join on video; a Valid Photo Identification is not needed for the interview.