Kong APIM Engineer

Dice is the leading career destination for tech experts at every stage of their careers. Our client, Velocity Tech Inc, is seeking the following. Apply via Dice today! Job role - Kong APIM Engineer Contract - W2/C2C Hybrid - Seattle WA Job Description A client of ours is looking for a Kong APIM Engineer for a 6 month contract opportunity. Qualified candidates will have the following qualifications: Required skills: 5-8 years experience in APIM management tools with a specialization in KONG Deep expertise in managing and optimizing API gateways, specifically KONG, and play a key role in implementing, configuring, and maintaining API management solutions for our organization. Performance, reliability, and scalability of KONG API Gateway, while also driving integration with other systems and troubleshooting any issues that arise. Experience with Kubernetes, Redis cache and any other AWS infra components needed to support Kong in AWS. Create scalable, optimized and secure Kubernetes-based infrastructure. Experience to apply kong patches to Kubernetes cluster Experience with Observability tool (OTEL framework) with deep skills in Datadog and Splunk for metrics and logs respectively. LUA Experience and ideally experience in writing with writing Kong plugins in LUA. Experience in migrating APIM platforms (add color) Experience working in SaaS environment and enabling application teams to aid with API adoption and onboarding. Nice to haves: Experience in APIGEE Edge Proxy migration experience from APIGEE Edge to KONG Responsibilities: Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define API requirements, integrations, and standards. Implement and manage API security policies, including OAuth, JWT, rate limiting, IP filtering, and other industry-standard security protocols. Monitor and analyze API performance using KONG s built-in tools and third-party monitoring solutions, identifying opportunities for optimization. Custom Plugin Development: Design and implement custom KONG plugins using Lua to meet specific business needs, such as advanced authentication, logging, rate limiting, and custom transformations. Monitoring, Logging & Tracing: Implement custom logging, monitoring, and distributed tracing capabilities through plugins to capture meaningful metrics, errors, and system health information. Use tracing tools (e.g., OpenTelemetry, Jaeger) to provide end-to-end visibility of API calls and identify performance bottlenecks. Develop reusable, efficient, and well-documented Lua scripts for KONG plugins that extend its capabilities beyond the default functionality. Provide documentation, training, and support to internal teams and stakeholders on KONG and API management practices. Solid understanding of API management principles, including versioning, documentation, and security best practices. Hands-on experience with API management features such as rate limiting, load balancing, authentication, logging, and monitoring. Proficiency in managing cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure) and working with cloud-based API Gateway services. Ability to work effectively in an agile development environment and communicate with stakeholders at all levels.