Staff Design Technologist

Are you ready to unlock intelligence?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:Kong is building the future of AI connectivity and API management. We're hiring a Staff Design Technologist to sit at the intersection of product design, design systems, and frontend implementation — shaping how design and engineering work together more effectively at scale.You'll join our ~20-person Product Design team, reporting to the VP of Design, as the second specialist focused on design systems. Our design systems practice is already strong — you'll contribute across all of it while helping us push into new territory: AI-enabled design workflows, deeper design engineering convergence, and how we design for emerging agent-driven experiences.We're looking for someone with strong product and visual design instincts who has the technical fluency and collaboration skills to bridge design and engineering. Roughly half your time will be in design tools; the other half in code, tooling, and cross-functional collaborationWhat You'll Do:Lead AI-enabled design workflowsBuild and maintain our AI prototyping starter kits, repos, and conventionsWrite internal scripts, tools, and workflows that accelerate how the Product Design team worksExperiment with MCP Apps (ext-apps) and emerging agent UI patterns — helping establish how Kong designs for AI-native and agent-driven experiencesStay close to what's emerging in AI tooling and enable the team on the latest best practicesBe a bridge between design and engineeringBuild trusted, ongoing relationships with frontend engineersHelp reduce drift between design and implementation systems, in service of both teamsDrive platform UI cohesionCollaborate with your design systems colleagues, designers, and engineers to identify or revamp reusable patternsAudit and identify opportunities to reduce one-off patterns and improve cross-product cohesionContribute to documentation, usage guidance, and governance — and enable the team effectively on changesRaise the bar on craftHelp establish a high standard for visual quality, interaction design, and usability across technical product experiencesBring strong judgment around when to follow conventions versus when to push forwardPartner with designers to improve consistency, polish, and accessibilityWhat You'll Bring:8+ years of experience in Design Engineering, Product Design, Design Systems, or similar hybrid roles — rooted in designStrong product and visual design instincts, especially for technical or developer-focused productsTechnical fluency with modern frontend systems — enough to collaborate deeply with engineers, contribute meaningfully to shared systems, and build internal toolingHands-on experience with AI tooling, prototyping workflows, or building design-adjacent scripts and automationsFamiliarity with Figma code workflows — CodeConnect, design tokens, component APIs, Storybook, or similarExperience working closely with both designers and frontend engineers as a collaborative partnerGenuine excitement about where AI is taking product development — and the initiative to help your team get thereExcellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to build trust across disciplinesStrong systems thinking and ability to balance short-term pragmatism with long-term scalabilityPortfolio expectations:A portfolio, site, and/or repo demonstrating:Strong visual and interaction design craftAI Prototyping, tooling, and technical experimentationDesign systems and frontend collaboration workMultiple examples of driving meaningful impact backed by an effective process#LI-AW1About Kong:Kong Inc., a leading developer of API and AI connectivity technologies, is building the infrastructure that powers the agentic era. Trusted by the Fortune 500 and startups alike, Kong's unified API and AI platform, Kong Konnect, enables organizations to secure, manage, accelerate, govern, and monetize the flow of intelligence across APIs and AI models. For more information, visit .Compensation Range: $140K - $205KLocationUnited States; Canada; New York, United StatesEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeRemoteDepartmentAll Cost CenterR&DProductCompensation$140K – $205K • Offers Equity • Offers BonusKong has different base pay ranges for different work locations within the United States and Canada, 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.