Senior Software Engineer - Kubernetes

Kong; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Kong is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design, develop, and optimize our API gateway and cloud-native connectivity solutions. You will build high-performance Golang services, contribute to Kong Gateway Operator and Ingress Controller, and ensure seamless operation across Kubernetes, multi-cloud, and on-prem environments.

You will collaborate with product, DevOps, and other engineers to deliver new features, improve reliability, observability, and security, mentor junior engineers, and

Qualifications

• 5+ years in backend software engineering.
• Strong experience with Golang is required or quick ramp-up.
• Extensive knowledge of Kubernetes and cloud-native ecosystems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain Kong’s Gateway Operator and Ingress Controller to ensure reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Contribute to open-source projects and engage with the community to drive innovation in API connectivity.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (engineering, product, DevOps) to build new features and enhance existing functionality.
• Write clean, efficient, and well-tested code in Golang while ensuring high code quality through automated testing and peer reviews.
• Optimizing performance for high-throughput, low-latency distributed systems.
• Building and maintaining integrations with Kubernetes and cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Participating in technical design discussions, architecting solutions, and contributing to technical roadmaps.
• Troubleshooting complex system issues and ensuring high availability and resilience.
• Mentoring junior engineers and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.

Skills

Golang

Backend development

Kubernetes

Cloud platforms

Distributed systems

Observability

Open-source

Tools

AWS

GCP

Azure

Docker

Git

Job description

Are you ready to unlock intelligence?

Nobody checks every box - we’re looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer at Kong, you will play a key role in designing, developing, and optimizing our cutting-edge API gateway and cloud-native connectivity solutions. You’ll work on high-performance, scalable software that empowers organizations to manage APIs and microservices efficiently across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments. At Kong, we are revolutionizing API connectivity with open-source and enterprise-grade solutions that power some of the world’s most demanding applications. The team’s core products, Kong Gateway Operator and Kong Ingress Controller, enable seamless, secure, and intelligent service connectivity for modern architectures, including Kubernetes, multi-cloud, and service mesh deployments.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Designing, developing, and maintaining Kong’s Gateway Operator and Ingress Controller to ensure reliability, performance, and scalability.
• Contributing to open-source projects and engaging with the community to drive innovation in API connectivity.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams (engineering, product, DevOps) to build new features and enhance existing functionality.
• Writing clean, efficient, and well-tested code in Golang while ensuring high code quality through automated testing and peer reviews.
• Optimizing performance for high-throughput, low-latency distributed systems.
• Building and maintaining integrations with Kubernetes and cloud providers (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• Participating in technical design discussions, architecting solutions, and contributing to technical roadmaps.
• Troubleshooting complex system issues and ensuring high availability and resilience.
• Mentoring junior engineers and fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration.
• Staying up to date with emerging trends in cloud computing, Kubernetes, and service meshes.

What You’ll Bring

• 5+ years of software engineering experience, with a strong focus on backend development.
• Proficiency in Golang (or strong experience in another modern programming language with the ability to ramp up in Golang).
• Deep knowledge of Kubernetes and the wider cloud-native ecosystem.
• Experience designing and building high-performance, scalable distributed systems.
• Familiarity with APIs, microservices, and networking (L4/L7 concepts).
• Strong understanding of observability, monitoring, and debugging techniques in cloud environments.
• Experience working with cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure.
• Ability to contribute to and navigate open-source projects.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work independently in a distributed team.
• Excelle