Kong API Gateway Specialist

Role overview

eTelligent Group (eTel) is supporting a federal customer that runs mission-critical tax systems and needs its enterprise APIs modernised and hardened. The Kong API Gateway Specialist designs, builds and maintains the Kong layer that fronts those services, keeping it aligned with federal compliance mandates while giving developers a workable experience and absorbing the heavy API traffic that arrives during filing season.

The work spans both Kong Enterprise and open-source deployments, including hybrid and DB-less modes, and reaches into IAM and Zero Trust integration, configuration automation, observability and DevOps pipeline support. The specialist also writes the documentation, SOPs and training material that keep the platform supportable by the wider team.

What you will do

• Architect, set up and keep running Kong API Gateway, in both its Enterprise and open-source editions, for enterprise services.
• Set up plugins for authn/authz, throttling, caching, logging and payload transformation.
• Connect Kong to IAM and Zero Trust programmes, supporting OAuth2 and OIDC flows as well as mutual TLS.
• Automate Kong configuration with decK, Terraform or Ansible.
• Keep the platform within federal security requirements, including FISMA, FedRAMP and the NIST 800-53 control set.
• Track and tune API performance using dashboards built in Prometheus, Grafana and Splunk.
• Support DevOps pipelines that move APIs through test, staging and production.
• Work with development, integration and operations teams so APIs ship smoothly and code-freeze windows are respected.
• Produce documentation, SOPs and training content for staff.

What the employer is looking for

• An active security clearance is mandatory (applicants without one are not considered), and US citizenship is required.
• 5+ years' experience across API management, integration or middleware, including 2+ years administering Kong Gateway.
• Hands-on expertise with Kong Enterprise and decK, including hybrid and DB-less deployment modes.
• Knowledge of containers and orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes and OpenShift.
• Strong scripting ability in Python, Lua and shell.
• Familiarity with observability tooling at federal scale: Prometheus, Grafana and Splunk.
• Proven experience delivering secure API deployments within a Zero Trust architecture.
• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, in Data Engineering, or in a comparable discipline.

Good to have

• Prior work in federal environments such as the IRS, Treasury or DHS is strongly preferred.
• Being based in the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) area is preferred, though the role is remote.

About eTelligent Group

eTelligent Group (eTel) has spent 15 years delivering technology solutions to the US federal government, spanning data security and management, scalable identity and access, legacy modernisation and high-performance platforms. Its customers include the Treasury, Commerce and State Departments. The company runs CMMI Level 3 processes, is certified to ISO 9001:2015, ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and ISO/IEC 20000-1:2018, and fields subject-matter experts who know federal environments closely.