Staff Software Engineer, Identity and Access Management

Responsibilities

• ▹Design and implement advanced token management systems (refresh token rotation, proof-of-possession tokens, real-time revocation)
• ▹Lead development of Kong Identity's extensible claims engine (dynamic attribute resolution, contextual claim injection)
• ▹Architect global identity infrastructure with edge optimization and cross-region replication for sub-millisecond authentication latency
• ▹Design rate limiting, anomaly detection, and fraud prevention systems against credential stuffing and token abuse
• ▹Build enterprise identity federation capabilities (SAML bridge, external IdP chaining, custom protocol adapters)
• ▹Lead technical strategy for developer experience (SDKs, webhooks, audit logging, analytics dashboards)
• ▹Architect client management systems (dynamic client registration, automated credential rotation)
• ▹Design Kong Identity's plugin architecture for custom grant flows and protocol extensions
• ▹Drive implementation of compliance frameworks (SOC 2, FedRAMP, GDPR), audit trails, data residency controls
• ▹Lead integration with observability platforms (distributed tracing, metrics, security event correlation)
• ▹Mentor engineering teams on advanced identity concepts (zero-trust architectures, workload identity)

Requirements

• ▹7+ years building production identity platforms at leading identity providers or enterprise software companies
• ▹Deep expertise in advanced OAuth 2.0 extensions (PKCE, mTLS, JWT bearer assertions, token exchange), OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.1 and GNAP
• ▹Proven experience architecting multi-tenant identity platforms with complex isolation requirements
• ▹Strong background in cryptographic protocols (JWT patterns, key rotation, HSM integration, post-quantum cryptography)
• ▹Experience building identity platforms with sophisticated analytics and real-time monitoring
• ▹Expertise in global identity infrastructure (edge deployment, geo-distributed token validation)
• ▹Deep understanding of enterprise identity integration patterns (SAML federation, LDAP/AD bridges, SCIM)
• ▹Track record building developer-first identity platforms (SDKs, webhook systems)
• ▹Experience with identity platform security (threat modeling, penetration testing coordination)
• ▹Strong background in compliance and regulatory requirements
• ▹Experience with complex organizational structures and delegated administration
• ▹Expertise in high-performance system design (scaling, caching, latency optimization)
• ▹Knowledge of service mesh identity patterns and workload identity
• ▹Experience with identity protocol extensions and custom grant flows
• ▹Proven ability to lead technical initiatives in complex, regulated environments

Soft skills

About the company

Kong Inc. is a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong Konnect enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models.