Senior Software Engineer, AI Gateway

Kong; Milan (MI); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Kong Inc. is seeking a senior backend-focused engineer to help build the AI Gateway in a Kubernetes-based, cloud-native environment. You will own core components, write clean Go and/or Python, and promote high availability and low latency for AI traffic at scale.

You will shape the architecture, mentor engineers, and collaborate with product teams to translate complex customer requirements into scalable solutions, embracing Kong's Developer Delight ethos.

Qualifications

• Experience building backend systems for scalable services.
• Strong knowledge of Go and/or Python.
• Familiarity with cloud-native environments (Kubernetes, Docker, AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Knowledge of API gateways, service meshes, and related infra.

Responsibilities

• Design and own core components of the AI Gateway with 99.99% uptime and low latency.
• Implement features like prompt engineering, caching, and observability in Go and/or Python.
• Influence the technical roadmap and manage debt for long-term scalability.
• Architect integrations with various LLMs and AI platforms for API management.
• Mentor junior engineers through code reviews and design discussions.
• Drive the full development lifecycle in a Kubernetes environment from ideation to deployment.
• Collaborate with product managers to translate customer needs into robust technical solutions.

Skills

Distributed systems

Microservices

API design

Go

Python

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

AWS/GCP/Azure

Job description

Are you ready to unlock intelligence?

The Mission

The AI Gateway team is at the forefront of Kong's evolution into the Agentic Era, building the critical infrastructure that connects enterprises to the world of generative AI. We are architecting a highly performant, secure, and observable gateway that provides developers with an unparalleled 'Developer Delight' experience for AI workloads. Your work will directly empower our customers to innovate faster by securely integrating LLMs and AI services into their applications at massive scale.

What You’ll Do

• Design and own core components of our AI Gateway, ensuring 99.99% uptime and low-latency performance for critical AI traffic.
• Lead the implementation of features like prompt engineering, caching, and observability for AI services, writing clean, maintainable Golang and/or Python code.
• Influence the technical roadmap and architecture, proactively identifying and mitigating technical debt to ensure long-term scalability.
• Architect robust solutions for integrating with various Large Language Models (LLMs) and AI platforms, shaping the future of API management for AI.
• Mentor junior engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, high-ownership, and rapid iteration through code reviews and design discussions.
• Drive the full development lifecycle, from ideation and design to deployment and operation within a modern Kubernetes environment.
• Collaborate with product managers and cross-functional teams to translate complex customer requirements into elegant and powerful technical solutions.

The Toolkit

• Extensive experience in backend development, preferably with Golang and/or Python.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and API design principles.
• Proven experience designing and operating services in a cloud-native environment (Kubernetes, Docker, AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Familiarity with API gateways, service mesh, or related infrastructure technologies.
• Strong computer science fundamentals (data structures, algorithms, concurrency).

The Kong DNA

• Ownership: You are a self-starter who takes initiative and sees features through from conception to production.
• Urgency: You thrive in a fast-paced environment, balancing quality with the need to deliver value to customers quickly.
• Collaboration: You excel at working with a globally distributed team, communicating clearly and effectively to achieve shared goals.

Bonus Points

• Experience with AI/ML infrastructure, LLMs, or frameworks like LangChain or LlamaIndex.
• Contributions to open-source projects.
• Experience with performance tuning and optimization of high-throughput systems.
• Knowledge of Lua/OpenResty.

About Kong:

Kong Inc., the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and AI-native startups alike, Kong’s unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic — on any model, any cloud. For more information, visit www.konghq.com.