Director, Product Marketing

Are you ready to power the World's connections?

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.

About the role:

We seek a visionary product marketing leader who can help us tell the story of Kong Konnect and the future of modern digital infrastructures. As Director of Product Marketing, you will be responsible for leading the product marketing team, as well as building and executing the product marketing strategy.

Reporting to the Head of Product Marketing, you will serve as a strategic partner to leaders across marketing, product, partnerships, sales and customer success. You are a data and process-driven, passionate people leader and have a proven track-record of building and delivering differentiated product and platform stories to large audiences. You have experience with cloud infrastructure products and their associated technical audiences.

Why should you want to work at Kong?  

Market Opportunity - We are on a quest to build a $10b+ software company over the next few years and need YOUR help!

Why APIs Matter? APIs have been enabling innovation for decades!

Strong VC team, Series D, strong year over year revenue growth!

Technical Leadership - We are recognized as the leader in innovation in the connectivity space.

Marco, our CTO/co-founder - “We are the Cisco of L4 and L7” - CUBE Conversation, March 2021

We are the leading innovator in the connectivity space!

Amazing Team & Culture - Come be a "Konger" and find out what we mean.

Great Place to Work Certified in 2020 & 2021

Kong employees exemplify our culture at our 2022 Sales Kickoff

2022 Forbes Cloud 100 Honoree

Building Great Products - Learn why the world's largest companies love our tech!

Kong Named in the Leaders Quadrant of the Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for API Management for the Fourth Consecutive Year

Over 250m+ downloads of our open source API gateway!  Over 40k+ stars on Github between Kong API and Kong Insomnia!

What You'll Do:

• Build and lead a high-performing team of product marketers responsible for Kong’s flagship API platform—Kong Konnect
• Lead positioning and messaging efforts with the team to differentiate Kong’s cloud-based API management platform in the market
• Be a thought leader in the API Management space and represent Kong in internal and external industry events and conversations. Be comfortable delivering keynotes in front of large audiences while also being a resource for sales rep in prospect meetings
• Build scalable processes to drive Konnect product marketing activities, including analyst relations, competitive intelligence, product launches and sales enablement 
• Work closely with Product, Marketing and Field teams to build and execute a customer centric go-to-market strategy for Kong Konnect
• Collaborate with Field Enablement to coach and train the field teams on the Konnect platform pitch, value proposition, messaging, ROI, competitive positioning, assets, etc. 
• Influence and guide the product roadmap by acting as the voice of the customer and field teams
• And any additional tasks required by manager.

Who You Are:

• 10+ years of experience in product marketing and/or product strategy
• 5+ years of experience leading high-performance product marketing teams in cloud native solutions
• Highly collaborative and influential in cross-functional environments. You’ll work with a wide range of stakeholders across marketing, product, developer relations, sales, cx and more 
• Past experience in open source software, SaaS platforms, moving from on-premises to cloud managed services, and API management space strongly preferred
• You’re passionate about building and leading a team with a coaching mindset, helping your team members learn and grow everyday
• Passion for measurable outcomes and continuous experimentation to drive innovation and results

Kong has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States, which allows us to pay employees competitively and consistently in different geographic markets. Compensation varies depending on a wide array of factors, including but not limited to specific candidate location, role, skill set and level of experience. Certain roles are eligible for additional rewards including sales incentives depending on the terms of the applicable plan and role. Benefits may vary depending on location. US based employees are typically offered access to healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan, short and long term disability benefits, basic life and AD&D insurance, among others. The typical base pay range for this role in the US is $190,000 - 250,000.

What is a Konger? 

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: 

We are CUSTOMER CHAMPIONS. Customers are everything, we put them at the center of everything we do. We are all empowered to make an impact.

We are OWNERS. We are drivers, not passengers and own the quality and outcomes of our work.

We are UNSTOPPABLE. We work with purpose, obsession, and grit. It takes muscle to do hard things and doing hard things builds muscle.

We are REAL. We are genuine, principled, and confident without arrogance. Show respect and kindness, especially in tough moments.

We Are ACCELERATORS. We prioritize speed, iteration, and results.

We are GLOBAL. We work together from anywhere to achieve our common goals. Our differences make us stronger.

We are EXPLORERS. We value ideas over hierarchy. Never accept the status quo. We make bold bets, fail, and learn everyday. There is always a way.

About Kong: 

Kong is THE cloud native API platform with the fastest, most adopted API gateway in the world (over 300m downloads!). Loved by developers and trusted with enterprises’ most critical traffic volumes, Kong helps startups and Fortune 500 companies build with confidence – allowing them to bring solutions to market faster with API and service connectivity that scales easily and securely. 

83% of web traffic today is API calls!  APIs are the connective tissue of the cloud and the underlying technology that allows software to talk and interact with one another.  Therefore, we believe that APIs act as the nervous system of the cloud.  Our audacious mission is to build the nervous system that will safely and reliably connect all of humankind!  

For more information about Kong, please visit konghq.com or follow @thekonginc on Twitter.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.