Role overview

Kong is an API and AI gateway company that provides infrastructure for enterprises to govern APIs, tokens, and autonomous agents. As an Account Development Representative, you’ll be among the first to introduce prospects to Kong’s next-generation API and AI Agent management solutions, using AI-native prospecting tools and signal-based workflows that mirror the products Kong sells.

Key responsibilities

Execute signal-based prospecting focused on accounts showing real buying intent, such as competitor churn signals, funding events, tech-stack shifts, and hiring patterns across defined categories including competitive displacement, infrastructure investment, and AI initiatives.
Collaborate with Marketing and RevOps to develop AI-assisted, personalized outbound sequences delivered via email, LinkedIn, and phone.
Conduct account research using AI-enabled prospecting and enrichment platforms to tailor messaging and reach relevant personas including CFOs, CTOs, and CISOs.
Qualify and convert inbound opportunities quickly using a modern qualification framework designed for fast-moving AI buying cycles that emphasizes tension, economic impact, buying mandate, proof, and optionality.
Test and optimize messaging, sequencing, and calling strategies continuously, approaching your pipeline as an ongoing experiment to improve results.
Develop subject matter expertise and public visibility in the API and AI infrastructure space, positioning yourself as a trusted resource for prospects navigating this market shift.
Report market and competitive intelligence to go-to-market leadership to refine targeting and messaging strategies.

Requirements

One to two or more years of SDR or ADR experience in high-growth B2B SaaS, ideally with experience selling technical or infrastructure products in the Public Sector.
Demonstrated curiosity about AI and practical experience using or willingness to master modern AI-native prospecting tools beyond traditional sequencers.
Growth mindset that views skill development as something built through practice, feedback, and iteration.
Comfort with cold outreach and phone prospecting, with ability to track and improve your own conversion rates.
Resilience and self-direction, treating rejection as data rather than a personal setback.
Coachability and openness to actively seeking feedback and quickly adapting to new processes and tools.

What makes this role worth considering

Kong operates at the center of a major infrastructure shift in software, positioning your pipeline contributions toward a company and category being defined in real time. You’ll work in a culture that values experimentation and intentionality over rigid scripts, with access to learning and development resources, equity participation, and a hybrid work model with regional hubs. The role offers genuine ownership over your prospecting process, from signal selection through meeting booking, in a market energized by AI and fast-moving infrastructure developments.