Staff Solutions Engineer - Mid Atlantic / East Coast

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:Kong is looking for a seasoned, customer facing Sales Engineer for the Central Region who is motivated to help drive new business, evangelize our technology, onboard and train new customers, and establish revenue potential with existing customers. Ideally this candidate should have experience working with cloud native technologies like Kubernetes, Docker, AWS/GCP/Azure and excited about working on API and connectivity challenges.

What you'll be doing:

• Support field sales in helping customers understand the value of the Kong API/Connectivity Management platform
• Understand customer requirements and how the Kong platform can help.  Grow trusted client relationships throughout the entire sales lifecycle, from initial product reviews to production
• Support PoCs throughout the entire evaluation process
• Ensure 100% customer satisfaction across assigned set of accounts
• Prioritize customer needs and coordinate with support, product, and engineering teams to help support customer needs
• Create technical documentation for DevOps, implementations, and services engagements
• And any additional tasks required by manager

What you'll bring:

• 7+ years software engineer and/or sales engineer management experience at SaaS, Open Source or Enterprise Software company
• Solid understanding of cloud computing trends and open source business models
• You are a strong listener and communicator
• You can confidently lead a discussion with a group of Product Managers, Engineers, and Executives
• Enthusiasm for working in a high profile, fast-paced startup culture

Bonus Points:

• Experience with Docker/Kubernetes and other cloud native platforms and fluent working on Linux OSes.
• Familiarity with APIs and CD/CI automation frameworks pipeline.

Kong has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to specific candidate location, role, skill set and level of experience. Certain roles are eligible for additional rewards including sales incentives depending on the terms of the applicable plan and role. Benefits may vary depending on location. US based employees are typically offered access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short and long term disability benefits, basic life and AD&D insurance, among others. The typical base pay range for this role in the US is $155,000 - 185,000 plus variable comp and equity.
About Kong: 
Kong is THE cloud native API platform with the fastest, most adopted API gateway in the world (over 300m downloads!). Loved by developers and trusted with enterprises’ most critical traffic volumes, Kong helps startups and Fortune 500 companies build with confidence – allowing them to bring solutions to market faster with API and service connectivity that scales easily and securely. 
83% of web traffic today is API calls!  APIs are the connective tissue of the cloud and the underlying technology that allows software to talk and interact with one another.  Therefore, we believe that APIs act as the nervous system of the cloud.  Our audacious mission is to build the nervous system that will safely and reliably connect all of humankind!  
For more information about Kong, please visit konghq.com or follow @thekonginc on Twitter.
We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.
#LI-DNI#LI-RS1