KONG API Management (APIM) Engineer

Job Title: KONG API Management (APIM) Engineer

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid)
Experience: 8+ Years

Job Summary

Value Technology is looking an experienced KONG API Management (APIM) Engineer to design, configure, and support APIs using the KONG API Gateway platform. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience managing enterprise API ecosystems, implementing API security, and supporting API lifecycle management in cloud or hybrid environments.

This role requires strong technical expertise in API gateway configuration, REST integrations, and security protocols, along with the ability to collaborate across development, DevOps, and security teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, configure, and manage APIs using KONG API Gateway (routes, services, plugins, policies).
• Implement API security standards including OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and JWT validation.
• Configure and manage rate limiting, throttling, authentication, and authorization policies.
• Support API onboarding, versioning strategies, and lifecycle management.
• Develop and support RESTful APIs and JSON-based integrations.
• Monitor API traffic, performance, and gateway logs; troubleshoot security or routing issues.
• Collaborate with application development teams for API design and integration.
• Work with security teams to ensure compliance with enterprise security policies.
• Support CI/CD pipelines for API deployments using Git-based version control.
• Participate in API platform improvements and optimization initiatives.
• Provide L3 support, root cause analysis (RCA), and documentation updates.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, integration, or platform engineering.
• 1–2 years of hands-on experience with KONG API Management / KONG API Gateway.
• Strong experience in RESTful API development and JSON integrations.
• In-depth knowledge of OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and JWT.
• Experience managing API lifecycle management processes.
• Proficiency in Git or equivalent version control systems.
• Strong troubleshooting and performance optimization skills.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Experience in API migration projects (from Apigee, MuleSoft, IBM APIC, etc.).
• Knowledge of Docker and Kubernetes environments.
• Experience with CI/CD tools (Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, etc.).
• Exposure to cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools (Splunk, ELK, Prometheus, Grafana).