Kafka/Confluent Developer/Engineer

Role: Kafka/Confluent Developer/Engineer

Location: Halifax, CA (Remote)

Type: Contract

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and manage Kafka-based data pipelines and messaging solutions to support critical business operations and enable real-time data processing.
• Configure, deploy, and maintain Kafka clusters, ensuring high availability and scalability to maximize uptime and support business growth.
• Monitor Kafka performance and troubleshoot issues to minimize downtime and ensure uninterrupted data flow, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with development teams to integrate Kafka into applications and services.
• Develop and maintain Kafka connectors such as Postgres, Cosmos DB, MongoDB, and Azure Blob Storage connectors, along with topics and schemas, to streamline data ingestion from databases, NoSQL data stores, and cloud storage, enabling faster data insights.
• Implement security measures to protect Kafka clusters and data streams, safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Optimize Kafka configurations for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Automate Kafka cluster operations using infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or Ansible to increase operational efficiency and reduce manual overhead.
• Provide technical support and guidance on Kafka best practices to development and operations teams, enhancing their ability to deliver reliable, high-performance applications.
• Maintain documentation of Kafka environments, configurations, and processes to ensure knowledge transfer, compliance, and smooth team collaboration.
• Stay updated with the latest Kafka features, updates, and industry best practices to continuously improve data infrastructure and stay ahead of industry trends.

Required Skills

• 3-5 years of experience working with Apache Kafka in a production environment.
• Strong knowledge of Kafka architecture, including brokers, topics, partitions, and replicas.
• Experience with Kafka security, including SSL, SASL, and ACLs.
• Proficiency in configuring, deploying, and managing Kafka clusters in cloud and on-premises environments.
• Experience with Kafka stream processing using tools like Kafka Streams, KSQL, or Apache Flink.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, data streaming, and messaging patterns.
• Proficiency in Java, Scala, or Python for Kafka-related development tasks.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and logging.
• Experience with tools like Zookeeper/Kraft, Schema Registry, and Kafka Connect.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex issues in a distributed environment.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Preferred Skills/Certifications

• Kafka certification or related credentials, such as:
• Confluent Certified Administrator for Apache Kafka (CCAAK)
• Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Kafka (CCA-131)
• AWS Certified Data Analytics Specialty (with a focus on streaming data solutions)
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Knowledge of containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
• Familiarity with other messaging systems like RabbitMQ or Apache Pulsar.
• Experience with data serialization formats like Avro, or JSON.