Sr. Director of Product, AI Middleware
About The Position
Kong is building the future of API and AI infrastructure, empowering developers to connect, secure, and scale their applications with speed and intelligence. As a fast-growing and well-funded company, we take pride in our innovative products, happy customers, and strong values-driven culture. As Senior Director of Product for AI Middleware, you will lead Kong’s portfolio of products that form the foundation of AI connectivity across enterprises — including Kong AI Gateway, AI Manager, and the emerging MCP-based agentic infrastructure. These products define how organizations securely integrate, orchestrate, and govern AI workloads and agentic applications at scale. This role combines strategic leadership, hands-on product direction, and people management. You will build and lead a small team of product managers while working closely with engineering, design, and field leaders. You’ll partner directly with Kong’s CTO and co-founder to shape the company’s long-term vision for AI infrastructure and ensure that Kong remains the market leader in this fast-evolving space. You’ll operate at the intersection of infrastructure, AI, and developer experience, guiding the strategy and execution of a portfolio that’s central to Kong’s growth and differentiation.
Requirements
- Experience: 12+ years in product management, including experience managing teams and owning multi-product portfolios in infrastructure, developer platforms, or AI/ML systems.
- Leadership: Proven ability to hire, mentor, and grow product managers and lead cross-functional execution in complex environments.
- Technical Depth: Strong understanding of APIs, middleware, and distributed systems. Familiarity with AI infrastructure, LLMs, or orchestration frameworks (e.g., MCP, RAG pipelines, function calling).
- Enterprise GTM Acumen: Experience scaling enterprise products, driving pricing and packaging strategy, and working closely with field teams on adoption and expansion.
- Strategic Clarity and Communication: Excellent storyteller able to connect product strategy with company vision, influence executives, and represent Kong externally.
- Bias for Impact: Comfortable operating in emerging markets with high ambiguity, balancing technical rigor with rapid execution.
Responsibilities
- Define and Evolve the AI Middleware Vision
- Build and Lead a High-Performing Team
- Drive Portfolio Execution and Integration
- Accelerate Customer Adoption
- Shape the Enterprise GTM and Product Narrative
- Ensure Cross-Functional Alignment and Accountability
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
Education Level
No Education Listed
Number of Employees
501-1,000 employees
