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Kafka Developer Jobs in Chicago, IL (NOW HIRING)

Java Developer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$52.50 - $68/hr

Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, Amazon Kinesis Nice to have: * Working knowledge of DevOps tools: Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins, Maven/Gradle, Nexus/Artifactory and CI/CD pipeline etc. * Familiarity with ...

Sr .NET Developer

Elgin, IL · On-site

$49.25 - $65.25/hr

NET Developer Rate: Market Location: Hoffman Estates, IL (100% on-site) Duration: 6+ months ... Apache Kafka implementation experience * Strong troubleshooting and debugging skills Preferred ...

Java Developer

Chicago, IL · Hybrid

$52.50 - $68/hr

Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, Amazon Kinesis Nice to have: * Working knowledge of DevOps tools: Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins, Maven/Gradle, Nexus/Artifactory and CI/CD pipeline etc. * Familiarity with ...

Big Data Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54.50 - $70.75/hr

Kafka Spark Big Data Developer * 4-6 years of experience in Big Data development using Hadoop with a good understanding in all phases of software development life cycle. * Experience using Hadoop ...

Java Full Stack Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54 - $69.75/hr

Leverage Kafka for messaging, streaming, and enabling horizontal scalability. * Collaborate with ... AWS, Azure * DevOps: Docker, CI/CD pipelines, Spinnaker * Monitoring: Datadog, Dynatrace, Splunk ...

Big Data Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54.50 - $70.75/hr

Kafka Spark Big Data Developer * 4-6 years of experience in Big Data development using Hadoop with a good understanding in all phases of software development life cycle. * Experience using Hadoop ...

DevOps Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54.25 - $74.50/hr

... DevOps best practicesIntegrate microservices with Kafka for real-time data streaming and event ... Experience with Kafka for building event-driven architectures. Strong database skills, including ...

DevOps Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54.25 - $74.50/hr

... DevOps best practicesIntegrate microservices with Kafka for real-time data streaming and event ... Experience with Kafka for building event-driven architectures. Strong database skills, including ...

1 - Sr Full Stack Developer @ CHICAGO Experience * 8-10 years Technical Skills * Java Development ... Kafka Integrations * Docker * Azure Container Services * Azure Cloud Services * Experience working ...

Java Fullstack Developer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$54 - $69.75/hr

Senior Java Full Stack Software Engineer - Java, kafka, mongodb/postgress/oracle, Angular/React for UI framework - Must have experience with AWS, specifically deployments - Must have some log/monitor ...

Showing results 21-40

Kafka Developer information

See Chicago, IL salary details

$17

$54

$87

How much do kafka developer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for kafka developer in Chicago, IL is $54.23, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $43.61 and $62.40 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a Kafka developer?

A Kafka Developer is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining real-time data streaming applications using Apache Kafka. They work on building data pipelines, integrating Kafka with various systems, and optimizing event-driven architectures. Their role involves writing producers and consumers, handling message serialization, and ensuring efficient data processing. Kafka Developers also focus on fault tolerance, scalability, and security to support high-throughput data applications.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Kafka developer?

To thrive as a Kafka Developer, you need a solid understanding of distributed systems, event-driven architecture, and strong proficiency in programming languages like Java or Scala. Familiarity with Kafka tools (such as Kafka Streams, Connect, and Zookeeper), cloud platforms, and Apache ecosystem certifications is highly valued. Problem-solving abilities, effective communication, and teamwork are crucial soft skills for this role. These competencies are essential for building reliable data pipelines, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and maintaining high-throughput message systems in a production environment.

What typical challenges might I face as a Kafka developer, and how is support structured within a team?

As a Kafka Developer, you’ll often face challenges related to ensuring data reliability, managing high-throughput event streams, and troubleshooting issues in distributed environments. Support is usually provided through collaborative team structures, where developers, DevOps engineers, and data engineers work closely to identify and resolve bottlenecks or performance issues. Regular code reviews, knowledge-sharing sessions, and access to system monitoring tools help address technical hurdles. You can expect a supportive environment where collaboration and proactive problem-solving are encouraged to ensure smooth data flow and system stability.

Is Kafka developer difficult to learn?

Learning to become a Kafka developer involves understanding distributed systems, messaging concepts, and Kafka's architecture, which can be complex for beginners. Proficiency typically requires knowledge of programming languages like Java or Python, along with experience in data streaming and system integration. With dedicated study and hands-on practice, many developers can acquire the necessary skills over time.

What are the most commonly searched types of Kafka Developer jobs in Chicago, IL?

The most popular types of Kafka Developer jobs in Chicago, IL are:

What job categories do people searching Kafka Developer jobs in Chicago, IL look for?

The top searched job categories for Kafka Developer jobs in Chicago, IL are:

Infographic showing various Kafka Developer job openings in Chicago, IL as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, 6% Part Time, and 10% Contract. Highlights an 82% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 13% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $112,791 per year, or $54.2 per hour.

$52.50 - $68/hr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.


Job description

Java Developer (Contract)

Chicago, IL, Dallas, TX or Jersey City, NJ Hybrid – onsite 2-3 days per week, WFH 2-3 days per week

Position Summary:

This role is open with a financial services company. Our team is looking for a Java Developer to help transform the enterprise into a data-driven organization. This individual will architect, design and build streaming solution(s) as part of a Risk Based set of systems. We need a major contributor in the development of scalable, resilient hybrid Cloud-based distributed computing solutions, supporting critical financial risk management activities. The role is for someone with experience in cloud development, having the ability to design large scale micro services based streaming solution(s). Further, this person should have hands on technical skills in creating prototype(s) and in setting right standards around software development practices.

Responsibilities:

  • Actively participates in design of highly performing, scalable, secure, reliable, and cost optimized solutions.
  • Thoroughly analyzes requirements, develops, tests, and documents software quality to ensure proper implementation.
  • Follows SDLC procedures to ensure that all information system products and services meet: both explicit and implicit quality standards, end-user functional requirements, architectural standards, performance requirements, audit requirements, security rules are upheld, and external facing reporting is properly represented.
  • Performs thorough code-reviews based on high engineering standards
  • Writes unit and integration tests based on chosen DevOps frameworks.
  • Performs application and project risk analysis and recommends quality improvements.
  • Assists Production Support by providing advice on system functionality and fixes as required
  • Communicates in a clear and concise manner all time delays or defects in the software immediately to appropriate team members and management

Requirements:

  • 7+ years of experience with Java - current with Java 8 and/or Java 11+
  • 1+ years of experience developing cloud native streaming applications with Kafka
  • AWS experience - the more the better, this is what they'll be using:
    • VPCs, EC2, ACLs, KMS, AWS CLI, IAM, Security groups
  • Hands-on experience with any high-speed distributed computing frameworks: AWS EMR, Hadoop, HDFS, Spark, Hive, Kafka Streams
  • Hands-on experience with a distributed message broker: Kafka, RabbitMQ, ActiveMQ, Amazon Kinesis

Nice to have:

  • Working knowledge of DevOps tools: Terraform, Ansible, Jenkins, Maven/Gradle, Nexus/Artifactory and CI/CD pipeline etc.
  • Familiarity with monitoring related tools and frameworks like Splunk, ElasticSearch, Prometheus, AppDynamics
  • Previous experience at a financial services company

1872 Consulting logo

About 1872 Consulting

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

1872 Consulting, based in Chicago, IL, USA, operates within the IT consulting industry. Armed with a diverse team of experts, the company offers specialized IT consulting services, focusing on modernizing business technologies and driving innovative business strategies. Established in 1872, the company has a rich history marked by its commitment to bridging the gap between businesses and technology. Its mission is to empower organizations to surpass their business goals by providing state-of-the-art IT solutions and service. The company prides itself on its core values of integrity, excellence, and innovation, instilling these principles in every project they undertake.

Industry

It services

Company size

11 - 50 Employees

Headquarters location

Chicago, IL, US

Year founded

2014