Senior Software Engineer - Kafka
First Citizens Bank · Texas, United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $140,000 / year
- Texas, United States
Job highlights
- Design, deploy, and manage Kafka clusters for scalability.
- Develop and maintain real-time data streaming pipelines.
- Optimize Kafka performance for low latency and throughput.
- Provide technical guidance and mentor peers.
- Troubleshoot and resolve infrastructure and message delivery issues.
About the role
About the Role
This remote position provides technical guidance on complex strategic projects, focusing on the design, development, and maintenance of data streaming pipelines and distributed messaging systems. The Senior Software Engineer - Kafka will be responsible for setting up Kafka clusters, configuring brokers, optimizing performance, and ensuring high availability. This role involves recommending processes and products that align with the Bank's strategic goals and long-term technology direction.
Responsibilities
Infrastructure Management
- Design and deploy Kafka clusters on-premise to ensure scalability and high availability.
- Manage clusters through capacity planning, monitoring, and alerting.
Pipeline Development
- Develop and maintain real-time, stream data pipes using Kafka Connect, Schema Registry, Streams, and ksqlDB.
Performance Optimization
- Monitor, tune, and optimize broker and topic configurations for throughput and low latency.
Technical Expert
- Maintain a strong knowledge of technology trends and their impact on the Bank's infrastructure to provide consultative guidance.
- Train and mentor peers on new technologies.
Consultation
- Provide technical advice and direction to associates, management, and developmental project teams.
- Utilize expertise to consult and develop software to solve complex technical problems.
Business Strategy
- Act as a trusted advisor on strategies that align developmental projects with long-term business needs and technological direction.
- Assist management in implementing initiatives or strategies across the division.
Troubleshooting
- Diagnose and work on remediations for issues related to infrastructure, consumer lags, and message delivery.
Security and Governance
- Secure Kafka clusters via SSL and SASL.
- Manage data contracts using Schema Registry.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree and 4 years of experience in Software application development and maintenance OR High School Diploma or GED and 8 years of experience in Software application development and maintenance.
- Preferred Area of Study: Computer Science, Information Systems.
- Preferred Area of Experience: Information Technology, Application Development.
Skills
- Strong understanding of Kafka architecture – topics, partitions, brokers, producers, consumers, connectors.
- Knowledge of distributed systems, data streaming, and messaging systems.
- Experience with Confluent Kafka Connect, Streams.
- Experience with monitoring tools like Grafana, Prometheus, Confluent Control Center.
- Ability to be on call for support on a rotating basis (as needed).
Benefits
Benefits are an integral part of total rewards and First Citizens Bank is committed to providing a competitive, thoughtfully designed and quality benefits program to meet the needs of our associates. More information can be found at https://jobs.firstcitizens.com/benefits.
Key skills/competency
- Senior Software Engineer
- Kafka
- Data Streaming
- Distributed Systems
- Messaging Systems
- Kafka Connect
- Schema Registry
- Performance Optimization
- Infrastructure Management
- Troubleshooting
Skills & topics
- Senior Software Engineer
- Kafka
- Data Streaming
- Distributed Systems
- Messaging Systems
- Kafka Connect
- Schema Registry
- Performance Optimization
- Infrastructure Management
- Troubleshooting
- Confluent
- Grafana
- Prometheus
- Remote
- Software Development
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight Kafka architecture, distributed systems, and data streaming experience relevant to the job description.
- Showcase project impact: Quantify achievements in pipeline development, performance optimization, and cluster management.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Review Kafka concepts, distributed systems principles, and common troubleshooting scenarios.
- Demonstrate consultative skills: Be ready to discuss how you've provided technical guidance and aligned solutions with business needs.
- Highlight remote work experience: If applicable, mention your ability to work effectively in a remote environment.
Technical preparation
Master Kafka architecture: topics, partitions, brokers, producers, consumers.,Practice with Kafka Connect, Streams, and Schema Registry.,Configure and tune Kafka brokers for performance.,Set up monitoring with Grafana and Prometheus.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex data streaming challenge you solved.,How do you mentor junior engineers on new technologies?,Explain your approach to performance optimization.,How do you ensure security and governance in Kafka?
Frequently asked questions
- What are the primary responsibilities of a Senior Software Engineer - Kafka at First Citizens Bank?
- The primary responsibilities include designing and deploying Kafka clusters, developing and maintaining data streaming pipelines, optimizing Kafka performance, and providing technical guidance. You'll also be involved in troubleshooting, security, and governance of Kafka systems.
- What are the location requirements for this remote Senior Software Engineer - Kafka role?
- This is a remote role, but candidates must reside in Arizona (AZ), North Carolina (NC), or Texas (TX) to be considered for this position at First Citizens Bank.
- What specific Kafka technologies and tools are important for this role?
- Key technologies include a strong understanding of Kafka architecture (topics, partitions, brokers, producers, consumers, connectors), Confluent Kafka Connect, Confluent Streams, and Schema Registry. Experience with monitoring tools like Grafana, Prometheus, and Confluent Control Center is also highly valued.
- What level of experience is required for the Senior Software Engineer - Kafka position?
- A Bachelor's Degree with 4 years of software application development and maintenance experience is required, or a High School Diploma/GED with 8 years of equivalent experience.
- Does this Senior Software Engineer - Kafka role involve on-call duties?
- Yes, the role includes the ability to be on call for support on a rotating basis, as needed, to address critical issues outside of standard working hours.
- What kind of technical guidance is expected in this Senior Software Engineer - Kafka role?
- You are expected to provide technical guidance on complex strategic projects, recommend processes and products that meet strategic goals, and act as a trusted advisor for developmental project teams at First Citizens Bank.
- How does First Citizens Bank approach benefits for their associates in this Senior Software Engineer role?
- First Citizens Bank is committed to offering a competitive and thoughtfully designed benefits program as an integral part of total rewards. More details can be found on their careers page.
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