Kafka Developer

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At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what's possible.

Job Description:

As a Kafka Developer at Parsons, you will be working closely with our partners as well as data engineers, analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure that our data-driven strategies are effective and aligned with our organizational goals.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Design, develop, and maintain Kafka-based data streaming applications and custom connectors in Java
• Architect and implement data ingestion patterns to integrate customer systems with Kafka streaming platforms
• Deploy and manage Kafka broker clusters across multiple Kubernetes environments and datacenters using Harvester-managed infrastructure
• Optimize Kafka performance, troubleshoot distributed system issues, and tune cluster configurations for reliability and throughput
• Develop custom Kafka Connect connectors in Java to enable seamless data integration between source and sink systems
• Analyze customer data integration requirements and develop scalable streaming solutions
• Configure and manage multi-datacenter Kafka replication and disaster recovery strategies
• Operate in an agile development environment using DevSecOps and CI/CD practices
• Collaborate directly with customers and cross-functional teams to gather requirements and deliver streaming data solutions
• Conduct and participate in design reviews, sprint demonstrations, and after-action reviews
• Write, review, and execute comprehensive test procedures for Kafka applications and infrastructure
• Deploy Kafka applications and infrastructure into development/staging/production environments using Infrastructure as Code
• Monitor Kafka cluster health, performance metrics, and security posture using observability tools
• Ensure security of streaming data platforms and implement encryption, authentication, and authorization controls
• Peer-review code and write/review/update technical documentation including architecture diagrams, runbooks, and integration guides

What Required Skills You'll Bring:

• B.S. in Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline (A combination of education and demonstrated experience will be considered in lieu of a degree)
• Minimum 4 years software engineering experience
• Java development experience with demonstrated proficiency in enterprise Java applications
• Hands-on experience architecting, deploying, and operating Apache Kafka in production environments
• Deep understanding of Kafka internals including topics, partitions, replication, consumer groups, and offset management
• Experience developing custom Kafka Connect connectors and Kafka Streams applications in Java
• Experience with Kubernetes cluster management and deploying stateful applications (like Kafka) on Kubernetes
• Experience with distributed systems concepts including consensus protocols, eventual consistency, and fault tolerance
• Experience developing in a Linux environment (Rocky Linux 9)
• Experience with Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform)
• Experience using scripting languages such as bash and shell scripting for automation
• Experience with DevSecOps and CI/CD practices for infrastructure and application deployment
• Experience with agile project management using tools such as Jira and Confluence and configuration management tools such as GitLab
• Experience with container runtimes and orchestration tools such as Docker and Kubernetes
• Experience with YAML and JSON formats for configuration management
• Strong problem-solving and troubleshooting skills for complex distributed systems
• Excellent communication and customer-facing skills, with ability to translate technical concepts for diverse audiences
• Ability to work independently onsite at customer locations with minimal supervision
• U.S. Citizenship and active DoD Secret clearance

What Desired Skills You'll Bring:

• Experience with Kafka on Kubernetes operators (Strimzi)
• Experience with Kafka monitoring and observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana,)
• Experience with event streaming patterns and event-driven architectures
• Experience with data parsing, transformation, and data ingest methodologies
• SAFe Agile training such as Agile Software Engineer, SAFe for Teams, or SAFe for Government
• Experience with REST/gRPC API development for data platform management
• Knowledge of security best practices for streaming data platforms (mTLS, SASL, ACLs, encryption at rest/in transit)

Security Clearance Requirement:
An active Secret security clearance is required for this position.

This position is part of our Federal Solutions team.

The Federal Solutions segment delivers resources to our US government customers that ensure the success of missions around the globe. Our intelligent employees drive the state of the art as they provide services and solutions in the areas of defense, security, intelligence, infrastructure, and environmental. We promote a culture of excellence and close-knit teams that take pride in delivering, protecting, and sustaining our nation's most critical assets, from Earth to cyberspace. Throughout the company, our people are anticipating what's next to deliver the solutions our customers need now.

Salary Range: $86,700.00 - $151,700.00

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, 401(k), life insurance, flexible work schedules, and holidays to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other protected status.

We truly invest and care about our employee's wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest-APPLY TODAY!

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