At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead AI technical discovery and design runtime architecture for real-world applications.
- Company: Join Kong, the AI Connectivity Company trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, travel opportunities, and a chance to work with cutting-edge AI technology.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for growth and collaboration across EMEA.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by turning strategic AI use cases into successful implementations.
- Qualifications: Hands-on engineering experience and strong communication skills required.
The predicted salary is between 63000 - 77000 £ per year.
Are you ready to unlock intelligence?
You'll make our customers' first strategic AI use case work securely, in production, in their real environment. Not a demo. Not a proof-of-concept that quietly dies. Real traffic, real identity, real policy.
As a Forward-Deployed Engineer in EMEA, you'll sit with platform, security and engineering teams at some of the region's most important enterprises, and own the technical path from first discovery call to a workload that's actually running. You're a builder with enterprise architecture instincts, credible with staff engineers and security architects, and comfortable owning ambiguity across APIs, AI Gateway, agents, MCP, identity and policy. This is not a demo-only SE role, and it's not a ticket-based implementation consultancy. You own technical success for strategic AI opportunities end to end, then take what you learn back into Kong's own engineering team to make the next deal faster.
What you'll do:
- Lead AI, API and agentic technical discovery with customer platform, security and engineering teams.
- Design runtime architecture across models, APIs, MCP and tool access, identity and policy.
- Build prototypes, integrations, evaluation flows and reference implementations that prove Kong governs real production traffic.
- Remove blockers in pilot and production: auth, network, observability, latency and cost.
- Own the technical path from pilot to paid, and stay on it until the workload is running.
- Turn what you build into reusable patterns, so the next AI Gateway deal is faster and cheaper to win.
- Spend regular time embedded with Kong's internal engineering team, pairing on AI Gateway and agentic roadmap work.
- Feed field patterns and roadmap-critical requirements straight back to Product, before competitors define the narrative.
- Partner with Sales, Solutions Engineering and Customer Success across EMEA on strategic AI opportunities.
What you'll bring:
- Strong hands-on engineering background, with experience building and shipping production software (Go, Python, TypeScript or similar).
- Experience in a customer-facing technical role such as forward-deployed, solutions architecture, staff or principal engineering, or technical consulting.
- Enterprise architecture instincts: you can design for identity, network, security and observability constraints in complex environments.
- Working knowledge of LLM and agentic patterns: model APIs, tool calling, MCP, evaluation and cost and latency trade-offs.
- Experience with API gateways or infrastructure: Kubernetes, service mesh, OAuth/OIDC, mTLS, policy enforcement.
- Credibility with staff engineers and security architects. You can lead a technical discussion from whiteboard to working code.
- You own outcomes, not tickets. You're comfortable with ambiguity and drive work to done.
- Strong written and verbal communication in English; additional European languages are a plus.
- Willingness to travel to customer sites across EMEA as needed.
Bonus points:
- Prior experience at an AI-native, developer-platform or infrastructure company.
- Experience with Kong Gateway, Konnect or other API management platforms.
- Open source contributions, or a track record of publishing reference architectures or patterns.
About Kong: Kong Inc., the AI Connectivity Company, is building the connectivity layer of AI. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and AI-native startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI traffic on any model, any cloud.
Forward Deployed Engineer AI Gateway EMEA in Warwick employer: Kong
Kong Inc. is an exceptional employer for those looking to make a significant impact in the public sector, offering a dynamic work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. With a strong focus on employee growth, we provide ample opportunities for professional development and the chance to work with cutting-edge technologies in a supportive environment. Located in the UK, our team enjoys a flexible work-life balance and the unique advantage of engaging with major public sector clients, making every day rewarding and meaningful.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Forward Deployed Engineer AI Gateway EMEA in Warwick
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Kong or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Kong.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Kong.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Kong that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Forward Deployed Engineer AI Gateway EMEA in Warwick
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Kong.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Kong and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Kong
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Kong uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
