About the role
Are you ready to power the World's connections? 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: Shape the future of connectivity in India. Kong, a Gartner-recognised leader in API management for five consecutive years, is seeking a driven Country Manager to spearhead our expansion and drive monumental revenue growth across India. The ideal candidate is a visionary leader with a deep understanding of the tech industry and cloud service. You will be at the forefront of strategic planning, team leadership, and cross-functional collaboration, with a clear mandate to expand Kong’s market presence and ensure our customers' success in an AI-driven world. This role is based in Bangalore or Mumbai. What you’ll be doing: Shape our regional strategy by developing and executing ambitious sales plans that will define and expand our market leadership in India. Build and empower a winning team by leading, mentoring, and inspiring the regional sales force to exceed performance standards and crush targets. Cultivate top talent by recruiting, onboarding, and training a team of high-performing sales professionals who embody Kong's values and methodology. Forge powerful cross-functional partnerships with product, marketing, and customer success teams to create a unified strategy that drives customer success and market growth. Partner with the VP of Sales to co-create and execute a growth strategy, leveraging market insights and emerging trends to unlock new opportunities for Kong. Become a trusted advisor to key enterprise customers, building deep, long-lasting relationships by understanding their mission-critical challenges and positioning Kong as the essential solution. Lead complex contract negotiations and close high-value deals that maximise profitability and uphold Kong's commitment to excellence. Serve as a market expert , staying ahead of the competitive landscape to strategically position Kong as the clear choice in the API and AI solutions space. Be the face of Kong at key industry conferences and events, building a powerful network and driving brand visibility that fuels our pipeline. What you'll bring: You are a seasoned sales veteran with at least 10 years of experience in the tech sector. You thrive on the pace and challenge of a high-growth environment. You have a proven track record of building and inspiring high-performance sales teams in a high-growth SaaS environment, excelling at selling complex technical solutions. You are an expert in field sales, with a history of successfully closing high-value SaaS deals and growing key accounts. You are an expert in field sales, with a history of successfully closing high-value SaaS deals and growing key accounts. You are a collaborative leader who builds strong, effective partnerships with marketing, enablement, operations, and other teams to drive company-wide success. You have a strong grasp of cloud services and a strategic understanding of the broader technology landscape. #LI-SP1 About 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 www.konghq.com .