Job Description

Employment Type: Full-Time Location Type: Remote Salary: Not Specified

Position Overview

Confluent is not just building better tech; we are rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them. We are looking for individuals who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together.

About the Role

Our team's mission is to advance the innovation of Apache Kafka both within Confluent and the open-source community. We are a team of passionate engineers who love solving complex distributed systems and infrastructure problems. You will work with highly respected Apache Kafka committers and PMC members to help shape the next generation of Kafka APIs, Kafka Protocols, and Kafka Streams. You will be instrumental in driving technical projects end-to-end, working closely with the team and key stakeholders to design, architect, and develop top-notch solutions.

Recent challenges tackled by the team include:

• Apache Kafka's Next-Gen Rebalance Protocol
• Centralized Monitoring and Troubleshooting for Kafka Clients
• Queues for Kafka
• Kafka Streams
• Apache Kafka 4.0

What You Will Do

• Independently drive the design and execution of complex projects end-to-end.
• Contribute advancements to the Apache Kafka project.
• Work with customers to understand their requirements and help them succeed.
• Represent the team in cross-functional design/architecture meetings.
• Provide guidance and mentorship to other engineers.
• Collaborate with other engineers and make decisions that benefit Apache Kafka and Confluent.

What You Will Bring

• BS, MS, or PhD in computer science or a related field, or equivalent work experience.
• 4+ years of relevant experience in distributed systems, query, and stream processing.
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems design and development.
• Experience building and operating highly scalable and performant systems.
• Solid understanding of basic systems operations (disk, network, operating systems, etc.).
• A self-starter with the ability to work effectively in teams.
• Proficiency in Java, Scala, or other statically typed languages.

What Gives You an Edge

• Apache Kafka contributor.
• A strong background in distributed storage systems or databases.
• Experience/knowledge with public clouds (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Interest in evangelism (giving talks at tech conferences, writing blog posts evangelizing Kafka).

Company Information

Confluent is committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. Belonging isn’t a perk; it’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. We make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what’s possible.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.

Ready to build what's next? Let’s get in motion.