Staff Solutions Engineer — API & AI Governance Architect

engineeringjobs.net, Inc.; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Kong Inc. is seeking a Staff Solutions Engineer to serve as a trusted technical advisor at the intersection of API management and AI connectivity in Austin, TX.

You will own complex, enterprise deals, run technical discovery, and validate POCs while collaborating with product and engineering teams to drive customer success. The role requires strong communication, experience with cloud-native platforms, and hands-on AI tooling familiarity.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software or solutions engineering experience in SaaS or enterprise software.
• Proven track record owning complex, enterprise-level deals with multiple stakeholders.
• Experience mentoring or coaching other SEs or technical team members.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-native platforms.
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tooling (e.g., Claude Code, Copilot).
• Working knowledge of AI/LLM architectures, MCP, and governance concepts.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive technical strategy for complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise deals from qualification through close.
• Lead discovery, map customer requirements to Kong solutions, and align stakeholders across teams.
• Support POCs and technical validation throughout the evaluation process.
• Deliver demonstrations of Kong's API & AI governance capabilities and governance patterns.
• Mentor junior SEs, and contribute to thought leadership via blogs, webinars, and events.
• Collaborate with product and engineering to translate customer feedback into product input.

Skills

Enterprise deals

Mentoring SEs

Docker

Kubernetes

REST APIs

GraphQL

AI tooling

Communication

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD

OAuth2

OIDC

mTLS

Job description

Kong Inc. is seeking a Staff Solutions Engineer to serve as a trusted technical advisor at the intersection of API management and AI connectivity in Austin, TX.

You will own complex, enterprise deals, run technical discovery, and validate POCs while collaborating with product and engineering teams to drive customer success. The role requires strong communication, experience with cloud-native platforms, and hands-on AI tooling familiarity.