Forward Deployed Engineer

Kong is hiring a Forward Deployed Engineer in Milan to work closely with strategic customers on API management and service connectivity projects. The role involves designing and delivering technical solutions, leading workshops and proof-of-concepts, supporting customers through implementation, and working with internal engineering and product teams to resolve issues and share feedback. It also includes mentoring colleagues and travelling to client sites and events around 30–50% of the time. This position suits someone with strong technical skills, customer-facing experience, and an interest in helping enterprise clients adopt and scale complex systems.

Are you ready to unlock intelligence? If you don’t think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. 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 Forward Deployed Engineer at Kong, you will be a critical bridge between our cutting-edge products and our most strategic customers. You will drive the successful adoption and expansion of Kong's API management and service connectivity solutions, ensuring our clients can architect and scale their systems with unparalleled efficiency and developer delight. Your impact directly fuels our growth in the Agentic Era by transforming complex technical challenges into seamless, high-performance customer solutions. What You’ll Do: - Architect and implement advanced API gateway and service mesh solutions directly with enterprise clients, translating complex business requirements into robust technical designs. - Lead technical deep-dive sessions, workshops, and proof-of-concepts, demonstrating Kong's capabilities and value proposition to diverse technical and non-technical stakeholders. - Drive the resolution of critical customer technical issues, collaborating closely with Kong's engineering and product teams to provide rapid and effective solutions. - Own the technical success of strategic customer accounts from pre-sales engagement through post-implementation, ensuring long-term satisfaction and expansion. - Influence product roadmap development by capturing critical customer feedback and translating it into actionable insights for our engineering and product organizations. - Mentor junior engineers and technical account managers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning within the customer-facing teams. - Travel approximately 30-50% to client sites and industry events to support engagements and foster key relationships. What You’ll Bring: THE TOOLKIT - 7+ years of experience in a customer-facing technical role such as Forward Deployed Engineer, Solutions Architect, or Technical Consultant, ideally within an enterprise software environment. - Deep expertise with API lifecycle management, microservices architectures, and distributed systems. - Strong command of cloud-native technologies, including Kubernetes, Docker, and public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP). - Proficiency in programming/scripting languages such as Golang, Python, Lua, or JavaScript, with a strong ability to build integrations and custom solutions. - Experience with Open Source, APIs, or Infrastructure is essential. - Demonstrated ability to troubleshoot complex technical issues across various layers of the software stack. THE KONG DNA - Ownership: You take full accountability for customer success and technical outcomes, acting as a trusted advisor and driving initiatives to completion. - Urgency: You thrive in a fast-paced environment, prioritize effectively, and respond with agility to customer needs and evolving technical landscapes. - Collaboration: You seamlessly work with internal teams (Engineering, Product, Sales) and external stakeholders, fostering strong relationships and shared goals. Bonus Points: - Prior experience with Kong Gateway, Kong Mesh, or other API management/service mesh platforms. - Active contributions to open-source projects or a strong personal technical portfolio. - Experience working with customers in highly regulated industries (e.g., Finance, Healthcare, Government). - Certifications in cloud platforms (e.g., AWS Solutions Architect, Kubernetes Administrator). #LI-JF1 About Kong: Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform, Kong Konnect, enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models. For more information, visit www.konghq.com http://www.konghq.com.