Senior Engineering Manager - Test Function

Kong
Milan
Workplace: HybridFull timeFunction: Solutions Engineering & Sales EngineeringSkills: ["Leadership","Mentorship","Operational excellence","Cross-timezone execution","Strategic planning"]

Lead Kong’s global quality engineering function for runtime platforms including AI Gateway, API Gateway, Event Gateway, and Mesh. You’ll manage a distributed SDET organization and architect the next-generation AI-driven testing strategy—integrating LLMs, autonomous test agents, self-healing tests, and smarter failure triage. Own runtimes quality for low-latency/high-throughput C/Lua/Rust data planes, modernize CI/CD test frameworks, and define enterprise-grade QE metrics.

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FursaFursa
Kong
Kong
4 days ago

Senior Engineering Manager - Test Function

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Last checked: 23 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead Kong’s global quality engineering function for runtime platforms including AI Gateway, API Gateway, Event Gateway, and Mesh. You’ll manage a distributed SDET organization and architect the next-generation AI-driven testing strategy—integrating LLMs, autonomous test agents, self-healing tests, and smarter failure triage. Own runtimes quality for low-latency/high-throughput C/Lua/Rust data planes, modernize CI/CD test frameworks, and define enterprise-grade QE metrics.
Location: Milan
Workplace: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Solutions Engineering & Sales Engineering
Seniority: Manager level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Lead, mentor, and grow a geographically distributed SDET team across North America, Europe, and Asia.
  • •Define and execute a roadmap for integrating AI, LLMs, and autonomous test agents into the testing lifecycle.
  • •Establish quality strategies for low-latency, high-throughput C/Lua/Rust data planes.
  • •Modernize end-to-end performance, regression, and chaos testing automation within modern CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Docker, and K8s.
  • •Shift quality ownership upstream by embedding testability standards into architectural designs and tracking QE health metrics.

Key Requirements

  • •10+ years building and scaling enterprise software test automation systems (SDET/Software Engineering in Test).
  • •4+ years in engineering management, including leading distributed or global engineering/SDET teams.
  • •Experience applying LLMs, generative AI, or autonomous agent frameworks to software quality or developer workflows.
  • •Ability to manage follow-the-sun operational cadence and cross-timezone execution, including vendor partnerships.
  • •Strong vision for integrating AI testing capabilities such as automated test generation and intelligent failure triage.
Experience:Enterprise softwareAIDeveloper workflowsDistributed teamsHigh-performance networkingAPI gateways
Skills:LeadershipMentorshipOperational excellenceCross-timezone executionStrategic planning
Tech Stack:LLMsModel Context ProtocolGitHub ActionsDockerK8sCLuaRustCI/CDSelf-healing test scriptsAgentic tool-callingSynthetic data generationGenerative AIChaos engineeringPerformance testing

Company Brief

Kong
Provides a cloud-native API and service connectivity platform (Kong Gateway, Konnect, Kuma, Insomnia) that secures, manages, and observes APIs and microservices for enterprises across cloud and hybrid environments.
Industry: API Platforms
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Revenue: USD 100M to 250M
Growth: Scaleup
Valuation: Unicorn (USD 1B+)
Funding: Series E+
Headquarters: San Francisco, United States
Founded: 2017
Glassdoor
Glassdoor: 3.9
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