Kafka Specialist – Data Infrastructure

What We’re Working On

We’re supporting a fast-growing fintech platform undergoing major modernization of its real-time data infrastructure. Built on event-driven architecture and powered by Kafka, the system handles mission-critical messaging across multiple retail brands. We’re looking for a Kafka Architecture SME to help lead the next phase of remediation and optimization — ensuring scalability, security, and performance at production scale.

What You’ll Do

• Join the team as a Kafka Architecture SME (Senior-level)
• Own and execute a set of high-priority Kafka remediation epics
• Upgrade Kafka/MSK clusters and harden IAM and proxy security
• Define and implement retention, replication, and offloading strategies
• Enable structured observability with metrics, telemetry, and alarms
• Replace EventBridge dependencies with direct Kafka producers to reduce latency
• Collaborate with architects, developers, and platform engineers
• Work remotely with a global team across multiple time zones

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience working with Kafka in production environments
• Deep understanding of Kafka internals, replication, partitions, ISR, and retention policies
• Hands-on experience with AWS-native Kafka (MSK) and services like S3, Lambda, KMS
• Experience with Kafka monitoring and telemetry (CloudWatch, Grafana, etc.)
• Strong focus on Kafka security, including IAM, secrets management, and proxy hardening
• Comfortable working autonomously and delivering results on tight timelines
• Fluent in English (spoken and written)

This job is 100% Remote; however, it requires candidates to be working fully within the UK timezone. Please ensure you have a comfortable office set at your desired work location.

Ongoing recruitment – no set deadline.