Overview
We are seeking an experienced Kafka Solution Architect to design and deliver scalable, reliable, and real-time data streaming solutions using Apache Kafka and the Confluent ecosystem. The role will work closely with data engineers, architects, DevOps teams, and stakeholders to develop event-driven architectures and enterprise-grade streaming solutions.
Key Responsibilities
- Design and implement end-to-end real-time data streaming solutions using Apache Kafka and Confluent technologies.
- Translate business and technical requirements into scalable event-driven architectures and integration solutions.
- Collaborate with data engineering, application, architecture, and DevOps teams to deliver reliable streaming platforms.
- Support Kafka deployments across cloud environments and contribute to platform performance, security, scalability, and reliability.
- Troubleshoot complex streaming and integration issues, perform root-cause analysis, and recommend sustainable solutions.
- Provide technical guidance and contribute to architectural standards, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Engage with customers and stakeholders to communicate technical solutions, recommendations, risks, and implementation approaches.
General Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Minimum 10 years of total IT experience, with at least 4 years of relevant experience in Kafka, event streaming, data engineering, or solution architecture.
- Proven experience delivering enterprise-scale data integration, streaming, or event-driven solutions.
- Strong customer-facing, analytical, and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively across technical and business teams.
Mandatory Skills
- Minimum 5 years of hands-on Apache Kafka experience, including any major distribution such as Open Source Kafka, Confluent, Cloudera, or AWS MSK.
- Strong proficiency in at least one programming language: Java, Python, or Scala, with a solid understanding of distributed systems and software engineering principles.
- Strong understanding of event-driven architecture, real-time data streaming patterns, Kafka architecture, and data integration.
- Experience deploying and operating Kafka on AWS, GCP, or Azure.
- Familiarity with Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Strong problem-solving, stakeholder management, and verbal and written communication skills.
Preferred / Nice-to-Have
- Hands-on experience with the Confluent ecosystem, including Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, ksqlDB/KSQL, Schema Registry, REST Proxy, and Confluent Control Center.
- Experience with Confluent Cloud, ksqlDB Cloud, Apache Flink, Confluent Platform, Confluent for Kubernetes (CFK), and multi-cloud deployments.
- Knowledge of Stream Governance, Data Lineage, Stream Catalog, Audit Logs, and RBAC.
- Experience with modern event streaming patterns, data mesh architectures, KRaft migration, and integration with data lakes, data warehouses, or big data platforms.
- Exposure to monitoring and observability tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk.
- Relevant Confluent certifications, including Confluent Developer, Administrator, or Flink Developer certifications.
- High initiative, flexibility, customer orientation, and strong commitment to quality and delivery excellence.
