Role overview

Kong is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join its Control Plane team in Milan. The Control Plane team builds the core infrastructure that powers Kong’s API management platform, enabling users to manage billions of API calls reliably and at scale. This is a full-time position where you will contribute to building high-performance, resilient services that form the backbone of Kong’s ecosystem.

Key responsibilities

Design and implement core features for the Kong Gateway Control Plane, primarily using Golang.
Own the complete lifecycle of services, including architectural design, implementation, deployment, and ongoing operational excellence.
Lead technical discussions and make architectural decisions that prevent technical debt and maintain the platform’s commitment to 99.99% uptime.
Shape the technical roadmap for cloud-native components and advocate for best practices in distributed systems environments.
Mentor fellow engineers through code reviews and design sessions to maintain high code quality standards.
Work closely with product managers and other engineering teams to architect solutions for Kong’s global user base.
Identify and resolve complex bugs and performance issues in core networking and configuration management components.

Requirements

Significant professional experience writing and deploying production services in Golang.
Deep understanding of distributed systems, microservices architecture, and API design principles.
Hands-on experience working with Kubernetes and the cloud-native ecosystem.
Proficiency with relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL.
Familiarity with modern CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code practices.
A proactive, self-starting approach with ownership mentality and responsibility for end-to-end user experience.
Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across teams in a fast-paced environment.

What makes this role worth considering

This position offers the opportunity to work on the critical infrastructure that underpins Kong’s platform at a pivotal stage in the company’s growth. You will be directly responsible for building systems that serve enterprise-scale users worldwide and shaping the technical direction of Kong’s cloud-native offerings. The role values both technical excellence and mentorship, providing a chance to grow while contributing to a platform trusted by Fortune 500 companies and AI-native startups.