Role: Kong API Engineer

Location: Fort Mill, SC & Austin, Tx

Long Term

Role Overview:

The API Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing API lifecycle using Kong Enterprise Gateway and associated technologies. This role involves enhancing the security, performance, and scalability of LPL's internal and external API integrations, particularly within AWS environments. 

Key Responsibilities

• Kong API Management: Deploy, configure, and maintain Kong Gateway components (Plugins, Consumers, Routes, Services).
• API Security & Policy: Implement security measures (OAuth2, JWT, Rate Limiting) within Kong to protect financial data.
• Development & Integration: Develop API specs (Swagger/OpenAPI) and integrate Kong with microservices architectures.
• Automation: Utilize CI/CD pipelines to automate the deployment of Kong configurations.
• Performance Tuning: Monitor API performance, troubleshoot latency issues, and enable caching/load balancing.
• Infrastructure Support: Collaborate with cloud teams to manage Kong on cloud-native services (AWS/Kubernetes). 

Required Skills & Qualifications

• Experience: 3-7+ years of experience in API development and API Gateway management.
• Kong Expertise: Deep understanding of Kong Enterprise Gateway (Admin API, plugins, and Konnect).
• Backend Skills: Proficiency in programming languages like Java or Python.
• API Technologies: Strong hands-on experience with RESTful APIs, SOAP, JSON, and OpenAPI specifications.
• Cloud Platforms: Knowledge of AWS cloud infrastructure, including EC2, EKS (Kubernetes), and networking.
• Environment: Experience working in highly regulated industries (Finance/Banking) is highly desirable. 

Desirable "Nice to Haves"

• Experience with WebMethods or other legacy integration tools.
• Experience with GitOps methodologies (GitLab CI, GitHub Actions).
• Knowledge of Service Mesh concepts.