We’re not just building better tech. We’re rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn’t sit still. 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. It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those 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. One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform. About Product & Team: Kafka Connect is the foundational streaming integration framework for Apache Kafka. It enables reliable, scalable data movement between Kafka and the broader ecosystem of databases, cloud services, and storage systems. Designed for mission-critical production environments, this highly configurable system provides a distributed and fault-tolerant architecture that supports high-volume data pipelines across hybrid and cloud-native deployments. As a strategic core of the Confluent Cloud platform, our team builds the extensible engine that transforms and routes data streams at scale, powering the infrastructure that our customers rely on for their most critical data workflows.   What You’ll Do: * Design, build, and operationalize high-performance, scalable, and resilient distributed systems for the Kafka Connect platform. * Independently own the end-to-end execution of complex technical projects, ensuring high-quality delivery in production. * Solve complex challenges in the stream processing space using cloud and on-premises resources to improve the performance, scalability, and elasticity of Kafka Connectors. * Engage with the Open Source community to provide technical guidance and thought leadership. * Promote a culture of engineering excellence through clear communication, high-quality execution, and effective collaboration.   What We're Looking For: * 6 to 10 years of experience in backend engineering. * Strong fundamentals in distributed systems design and development * Experience in building and operating large-scale production services in public cloud environments (AWS, Azure, or GCP). * Solid understanding of relational or non-relational database systems and systems operations (networking, operating systems, etc.). * Proficiency in Java, Go, or C/C++, and experience with Kubernetes and Terraform. * Understanding of systems operations (databases, networking, operating systems). * A self-starter with the ability to work effectively in a team and excellent written and verbal communication skills. * Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent experience.   Who you are: * Empathetic and collaborative team player. * Strong sense of ownership and commitment to team and company success. * Self-starter driven by the challenges of a fast-paced software environment.   What gives you an edge: * Experience in open-source development. * Experience using Apache Kafka. READY TO BUILD WHAT'S NEXT? LET’S GET IN MOTION. COME AS YOU ARE Belonging isn’t a perk here. It’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And 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. PRIVACY STATEMENT Confluent is an IBM subsidiary which has been acquired by IBM and will be integrated into the IBM organization. By proceeding with this application, you understand that Confluent will share your personal information with other IBM affiliates involved in your recruitment process, wherever these are located. More Information on how IBM protects your personal information, including the safeguards in case of cross-border data transfer, are available here.