Senior Software Engineer II

Confluent is a leading company in data streaming technology, focusing on enhancing how data moves and is utilized. As a Senior Software Engineer II, you will lead the design and implementation of critical backend systems for Stream Governance, ensuring high availability and security across a cloud-native platform.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and architect the cloud-native Stream Governance platform - a multi-tenant, highly available, and scalable service for Kafka and real-time data
• Own and lead the end-to-end design and implementation of complex backend services within a cloud-native, microservices-based environment
• Drive projects from requirements and design through implementation, rollout, and ongoing operation in production
• Make architecture and technical decisions that thoughtfully balance reliability, scalability, performance, and operability
• Solve complicated technical projects with high quality, provide specialized technical guidance to the team, and mentor/support other engineers through code reviews and design reviews
• Evaluate and enhance the efficiency of our platform's technology stack, ensuring we keep pace with industry trends and adopt state-of-the-art solutions
• Take responsibility for developing, managing, and maintaining a mission-critical service with a 99.99 SLA running across 100+ AWS, GCP, and Azure regions
• Partner across engineering and with other key stakeholders to create and execute the overall roadmap for delivering a top-notch Data Streaming Platform
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, inclusive collaboration, and high technical standards

Requirements:

• 8+ years of industry experience designing, building, scaling, and operating backend systems in production
• Deep proficiency in at least one major backend programming language (e.g., Java, Go, C/C++, or Python) and strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and system design
• Hands-on experience with distributed systems, such as event-driven architectures, high-throughput services, or large-scale data pipelines. A strong understanding of consistency, fault tolerance, and performance tradeoffs
• Strong experience running production services in a public cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure), including containerized workloads (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
• Expertise in cloud-native technology, including networking & security, and experience being part of an on-call rotation
• Proven experience in leading and mentoring technical teams
• A track record of technical leadership: driving projects, influencing architecture, and coordinating work across multiple engineers or teams
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to align stakeholders, explain complex ideas clearly, and drive decisions
• BS, MS, or PhD in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
• Experience building or operating mission-critical, multi-tenant, or multi-region services with strict availability and latency requirements
• Familiarity with data streaming technologies such as Apache Kafka, Flink, or similar systems
• Demonstrated impact beyond your immediate team, such as driving cross-org initiatives or technical vision
• Contributions to open source, technical writing, or speaking that showcase technical depth