Kong AI Gateway Engineer

LPL Financial has a Senior Middleware Engineer opening who will assist in building and maintaining Kong AI gateway platform. The middleware group is responsible for operational aspect of Kong AI gateway platform including upgrading, building patterns and working with various development teams to enable onboarding of MCP and LLM traffic through Kong gateway. The role will blend software engineering, AI/LLM integration and API gateway expertise with strong communication skills., * Collaborating internally with our Product and Technology teams so they can get the most value out of Kong Platform

• Developing internal solutions & tools for the organization to help us push our technical boundaries and improve our ability to deliver AI integration to the organization
• Writing or editing technical documentation and knowledge base articles for the solutions you develop
• Maintain and upkeep Kong platform
• Configure and develop Kong plugins for authentication, rate limiting (including token-based throttling), logging, and transformation

What are we looking for?

We're looking for strong collaborators who deliver exceptional client experiences and thrive in fast-paced, team-oriented environments. Our ideal candidates pursue greatness, act with integrity, and are driven to help our clients succeed. We value those who embrace creativity, continuous improvement, and contribute to a culture where we win together and create and share joy in our work.

• Minimum of 6 years of relevant software development, middleware, and/or platform engineering experience
• Proven track record in enterprise API platforms or integration layers to design and manage scaleable API ecosystems
• Hands-on implementation experience with Kong API and AI gateway and/or API integrations in enterprise environments
• Practical working knowledge of APIs, microservices, and containerized architectures
• Proficient in Linux environments including Cloud and Development tooling

Core Competencies:

• Experience with building and deploying software solutions using AI Coding Agents
• Experience with application development and multiple programming languages required
• Experience with Lua scripting and strong knowledge of various Kong plugins and deployment through Terraform
• Experience with major cloud providers such as GCP, AWS, and Azure
• Experience with Google Apigee or IBM API Connect or Data Power a plus
• Understanding of AI/LLM concepts and interaction with LLM APIs and MCP servers
• Strong organizational and change management skills with an ability to manage competing demands
• Proven team player and solution builder who loves to work collaboratively in a fast-growing dynamic environment
• BS in Computer Science / B.A. or equivalent technical development experience

Actual base salary varies based on factors, including but not limited to, relevant skill, prior experience, education, base salary of internal peers, demonstrated performance, and geographic location. Additionally, LPL Total Rewards package is highly competitive, designed to support your success at work, at home, and at play - such as 401K matching, health benefits, employee stock options, paid time off, volunteer time off, and more. Your recruiter will be happy to discuss all that LPL has to offer!

LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: LPLA) is among the fastest growing wealth management firms in the U.S. As a leader in the financial advisor-mediated marketplace(6) , LPL supports over 32,000 financial advisors and the wealth management practices of approximately 1,100 financial institutions, servicing and custodying approximately $2.3 trillion in brokerage and advisory assets on behalf of approximately 8 million Americans. The firm provides a wide range of advisor affiliation models, investment solutions, fintech tools and practice management services, ensuring that advisors and institutions have the flexibility to choose the business model, services, and technology resources they need to run thriving businesses. For further information about LPL, please visit www.lpl.com. At LPL, independence means that advisors and institution leaders have the freedom they deserve to choose the business model, services, and technology resources that allow them to run a thriving business. They have the flexibility to do business their way. And they have the freedom to manage their client relationships, because they know their clients best. Simply put, we take care of our advisors and institutions, so they can take care of their clients.