Kong APIM Engineer

Job Title: Kong API Management (APIM) Engineer
Location: Seattle, WA
Employment Type: Contract

About Us
DMV IT Service LLC is a trusted IT consulting firm, established in 2020. We specialize in optimizing IT infrastructure, providing expert guidance, and supporting workforce needs with top-tier staffing services. Our expertise spans system administration, cybersecurity, networking, and IT operations. We empower our clients to achieve their technology goals with a client-focused approach that includes online training and job placements, fostering long-term IT success.

Job Purpose
As a Kong APIM Engineer, you will be responsible for managing, configuring, and scaling Kong API Gateways while ensuring performance, reliability, and security. You will design and implement scalable infrastructure, integrate monitoring tools, and create custom plugins to extend Kong functionality. This role requires close collaboration with application teams to enable seamless API adoption and onboarding.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API standards, requirements, and integrations.
• Configure and maintain Kong API Gateways, ensuring reliability, scalability, and security.
• Implement API security protocols such as OAuth, JWT, rate limiting, and IP filtering.
• Monitor and analyze API performance using Kong tools and third-party observability platforms.
• Develop custom Kong plugins in Lua for authentication, logging, transformations, and rate limiting.
• Implement logging, monitoring, and tracing solutions with OpenTelemetry, Datadog, Splunk, and Jaeger.
• Manage Kubernetes-based infrastructure to support Kong, including applying patches and scaling clusters.
• Provide technical documentation, training, and support to application and internal teams.
• Support API adoption initiatives across SaaS environments.
• Contribute to API platform migrations and proxy migration initiatives.

Required Skills & Experience

• 5–8 years of experience with API management platforms, specializing in Kong.
• Strong expertise in API gateway configuration, optimization, and troubleshooting.
• Hands-on experience with Kubernetes, Redis, and AWS infrastructure for Kong deployment.
• Skilled in Lua scripting with experience building custom Kong plugins.
• Familiarity with observability tools: OpenTelemetry, Datadog, and Splunk.
• Experience with API platform migrations in enterprise environments.
• Strong understanding of API management principles including versioning, documentation, and security best practices.
• Proficiency with API management features: load balancing, rate limiting, authentication, logging, and monitoring.
• Experience working in SaaS environments to support application teams with API onboarding.
• Ability to work in an Agile environment and communicate effectively with stakeholders.

Nice to Have Skills

• Experience with Apigee Edge.
• Hands-on experience with proxy migration from Apigee Edge to Kong.