Description
We are seeking a highly specialised Senior Developer with hands-on Kong API Gateway and integration development experience to join the ICX platform API integration team. This offshore role requires expertise in Lua-based Kong plugin development, Python and Perl-based integration service engineering, and a deep understanding of enterprise API security and governance. The Senior Developer will work directly under the Development Lead for the API Gateway workstream and will be responsible for building and maintaining the critical API fabric that connects all ICX modules with each other and with Ranhill SAJ legacy systems. This role requires exceptional technical precision, strong documentation habits, and the ability to troubleshoot complex cross-system integration issues.
Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain Kong API Gateway plugin configurations, custom plugins in Lua, and declarative Kong configuration files for all ICX platform service routes
- Build integration services in Python and Perl to facilitate data exchange between ICX modules and Ranhill SAJ legacy backend systems
- Implement API security policies within Kong including JWT validation, OAuth2 token introspection, HMAC authentication, and IP restriction plugins
- Develop request/response transformation logic in Kong using Lua scripts to handle data format conversion between legacy and modern API formats
- Design and maintain API mock services for use by parallel development teams during integration testing
- Monitor API gateway logs, error rates, and latency metrics and investigate performance anomalies
- Maintain OpenAPI/Swagger documentation for all managed API routes and integration services
- Write integration tests for API gateway routing rules and integration services using Pytest and Postman/Newman
- Debug complex cross-system integration failures providing detailed root cause analysis and resolution documentation
- Support the Performance Test Lead with API load test scenario execution and bottleneck investigation
- Manage API versioning and deprecation schedules in coordination with Development Leads
- Collaborate with the Security Engineer to ensure API gateway configurations meet OWASP API security standards
Requirements
- Minimum 8 years of software development experience with at least 4 years specifically in API gateway development and enterprise integration
- Deep hands-on expertise with Kong API Gateway including plugin development, Kong Admin API, declarative configuration (deck), and self-managed deployment
- Expert Lua scripting skills for Kong plugin development
- Strong Python 3.x development skills for integration service development
- Proficiency in Perl for legacy system integration and ETL scripting
- Comprehensive knowledge of REST, SOAP, and GraphQL API design and security standards
- Expert understanding of API security including OAuth2, JWT, OpenID Connect, API keys, mutual TLS, and CORS policies
- Experience with API monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Datadog, or Kong Vitals
- Proficiency in Docker and Kubernetes for API gateway containerised deployment
- Experience with integration testing using Postman, Newman, or equivalent API testing frameworks
- Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills for distributed microservices integration issues
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field
Other Skill Sets
Kong API GW