Remote job description

If you don't think you meet all of the criteria below but are still interested in the job, please apply. Nobody checks every box - we're looking for candidates that are particularly strong in a few areas, and have some interest and capabilities in others.

Why will you enjoy this new opportunity?

Kong is looking for an experienced and self-motivated technical product manager to join our growing global team and be responsible for developing our open source and commercial Service Mesh strategies. Our open source work centers around leading the Kong-originated, CNCF open source project, Kuma, which is used in production at major organizations such as American Airlines. You will also be responsible for driving our commercial product, Kong Mesh, which layers on additional enterprise features and will integrate with Konnect, our SaaS delivered full-lifecycle API management platform.

We are looking for a person who can both define vision and drive execution of a software product that is by developers and for developers. You will play a pivotal role defining compelling and differentiated capabilities, communicating roadmap to internal and external stakeholders, and collaborating with marketing and sales to rapidly expand the Service Mesh community and customer-base. The Kong team offers a fast-paced environment where you will have the opportunity to build new businesses from the ground up while developing skills in cutting-edge technologies.

What You'll Be Doing

  • In partnership with the community, driving the overall roadmap of our open source service mesh, Kuma, and the commercialization of the open-core product, Kong's Mesh product.
  • Establish product requirements based on an intimate knowledge of the specific target customers and service mesh ecosystem.
  • Work in a cross-functional and collaborative role spanning multiple teams including product, design, marketing, engineering, professional services, and developer advocacy.
  • Working with our developer advocacy team on engaging and growing the open source community.
  • Be a technical, strong and eloquent product advocate for Service Mesh and our full-lifecycle API management platform with regular presentations and talks.

What You'll Bring

  • 3+ years of software product management experience, preferably in cloud native technologies.
  • Experience balancing open source community growth with downstream commercial monetization strategies.
  • Understanding of how B2B go-to-market motions work (ideally experience helping manage products that have both SaaS and on-premise offerings).
  • Excellent communication skills: both written and verbal.
  • Flexibility to a changing set of opportunities and fluency in a fast-paced environment.
  • What is leadership like for this role? What is the structure and culture of the team like?
  • The hiring manager for this role is Ross Kukulinski, Senior Director of Product Management, leading the Konnect, Kubernetes, & Service Mesh product teams. Ross has an extensive track record of developing open source projects and successfully commercializing them for the enterprise including his time at Heptio and VMware Tanzu. The Konnect and Service Mesh teams are made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds who are excited about delivering new product experiences to enable Kong's customers to operate, scale, and manage APIs in today's modern application world.
  • What is a Konger? (see our company values below...)

We are a group of makers, thinkers, and doers focused on helping today's developers build tomorrow's technology. Our teams work on the bleeding edge of API innovation to provide our users with a central nervous system for data and services.

We put design at the heart of everything we do, and we're relentlessly focused on creating beautiful experiences for our customers. That's why technology companies, major banks, e-commerce innovators, and government agencies put Kong in front of their most important web applications.

We believe in the power of Open Source and everything it stands for. That's why developers around the world enthusiastically contribute on top of our open-source platform.

We are passionate about solving challenges that will fundamentally shape the future of technology, and we're looking for the right people to join us on our mission. If you believe in taking ownership of your work, making an impact, and having fun along the way, we would love to talk to you.

Kong Core Values:

  • Be Inclusive. We work together from anywhere to achieve our common goals. Our differences make us stronger.
  • Be Authentic. We are genuine, principled and confident without arrogance. Show respect and kindness, especially in tough moments.
  • Be Relentlessly Resourceful. We work with purpose, obsession and grit. It takes muscle to do hard things and doing hard things build muscle.
  • Be Customer Obsessed. We care. Customers are everything, we put them at the center of everything you do. We are all empowered to make an impact.
  • Be Curious. We value ideas over hierarchy. Never accept the status quo. We make bold bets, fail, and learn everyday. There is always a way.
  • Be an Owner. We are drivers not passengers and own the quality and outcomes of our work.



Summary
Company name: Kong
Remote job title: Senior Product Manager Service Mesh
Job tags: open-source, api, dev ops / tech ops, infrastructure, software, saas

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