Role overview

Kong is seeking an experienced Strategic Account Executive to drive enterprise sales of the Kong Enterprise Platform. This role is critical to the company’s growth strategy, with the successful candidate serving as the primary relationship owner and face of Kong to prospective enterprise customers globally.

Key responsibilities

Sell the Kong Enterprise Platform directly to enterprise customers and manage the full sales cycle from prospecting through closure.
Own your assigned book of business by documenting customer buying criteria and processes, identifying the appropriate sales approach, and maintaining pipeline accuracy.
Meet individual sales quotas and agreed-upon business objectives.
Provide account leadership and strategic direction throughout the pre-sales and post-sales phases of customer engagements.
Conduct win/loss analysis and contribute insights to improve sales effectiveness and strategy.
Travel to customer sites as needed, with expected frequency between 30% and 50% of your time.

Requirements

Minimum 10 years of experience selling enterprise software solutions.
Proven track record of success using established relationships and proven sales methodologies.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to build and maintain customer relationships.
Demonstrated excellence in negotiation, presentation, and deal-closing capabilities.
Self-motivated, driven mindset with a results-oriented approach to achieving sales targets.
Experience with open source software, APIs, or infrastructure platforms is highly valued.
Background with fast-growing startups or early-stage enterprise products in entrepreneurial environments is a plus.

What makes this role worth considering

Kong is positioned as an AI Connectivity Company trusted by both Fortune 500 enterprises and AI-native startups. This role offers the opportunity to work with a high-growth organization building critical infrastructure for the modern AI era, selling a unified platform that addresses security, management, acceleration, governance, and monetization across API and AI traffic.