Role overview

Kong is seeking an Enterprise Account Executive for its Austin, Texas office to drive growth within a dedicated territory. Kong is the cloud-native API and AI connectivity company, powering infrastructure used by Fortune 500 organizations and millions of developers worldwide. In this full-cycle role, you will convert open-source adoption and developer momentum into large-scale enterprise platform commitments while working across Kong’s suite of products including Kong Konnect, AI Gateway, and Service Mesh.

Key responsibilities

Manage complex, multi-threaded enterprise sales cycles spanning deals valued at $100,000 to over $1 million annually, engaging stakeholders from CTO, VP of Platform/Architecture, and CISO levels.
Own your territory completely, from initial outreach and pipeline development through negotiation and deal closure, with full accountability for results.
Conduct discovery conversations that identify customer problems and align Kong’s solutions to measurable business outcomes, employing frameworks like MEDDPICC or Command of the Message.
Work across technical personas (engineers and architects) and executive economic buyers to build multi-threaded relationships and secure strategic commitments.
Represent Kong at industry events, conferences, and customer engagements to increase visibility and strengthen the company’s market position.
Provide customer insights and market feedback directly to Kong’s product and marketing teams to inform strategy and go-to-market decisions.
Maintain disciplined account planning, accurate sales forecasting, and current CRM hygiene to enable reliable pipeline visibility.

Requirements

Minimum five years of full-cycle enterprise sales experience closing deals with mid-market and enterprise companies exceeding 1,000 employees, with a track record of consistent quota overachievement.
Demonstrated familiarity with modern B2B SaaS or infrastructure sectors, with direct exposure to commercial open source, developer platforms, cloud and networking technologies, APIs, Kubernetes, or observability solutions.
Ability to conduct consultative selling by discovering customer needs, translating technical capabilities into business value, and tailoring demonstrations to specific use cases.
Proficiency in account planning, competitive research, and CRM systems such as Salesforce to maintain accurate forecasts and pipeline discipline.
Comfortable navigating high-stakes negotiations, building lasting relationships with customers, and operating autonomously in a fast-moving environment.
Builder mindset with willingness to take ownership, adapt to market changes, and thrive in an entrepreneurial, low-bureaucracy setting.

What makes this role worth considering

Kong holds a leadership position in its market category with strong adoption metrics and continuous product momentum. The role offers uncapped earning potential through a competitive base salary, variable compensation, accelerators, and equity participation. You will work within a culture built for execution—autonomous, fast-moving, and designed for closers and builders who want to drive impact without unnecessary process overhead.