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Kafka Engineer Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

Required : • 5+ years in systems/platform engineering, SRE, or DevOps; 4+ years operating Kafka ... in production at scale. • Deep knowledge of Kafka internals: partitions, replication, retention ...

SQL Server, MySQL, RESTful APIs, and message queues (e.g., RabbitMQ, Kafka) * DevOps & tooling: Git, Docker, Kubernetes, and automated testing (unit, integration) * Soft skills: Strong problem ...

Principal Data Engineer

Boulder, CO · On-site

$120K - $165K/yr

As a Principal Data Engineer, you will lead a team in building and maintaining scalable, reliable ... Design and implement high-throughput, low-latency streaming data pipelines using Apache Kafka ...

DevOps Engineer (Big Data)

Denver, CO · On-site

$54.25 - $74.25/hr

... Engineer (Big Data) Location: Denver, CO Type: Direct Hire Client located in Denver, Colorado is ... Desired Skills: 1) Jenkins / Puppet / Chef. 2) Kafka. 3) Spark. 4) Hadoop. 5) Cassandra. 6) ...

Scala Developer Location: Denver, US Duration:12+ Months Contract with Extension Employment Type ... Ensure reliable, fault-tolerant Kafka integration, including schema validation, error handling, and ...

Java Engineer (Big Data)

Denver, CO · On-site

$57.50 - $76/hr

Java Engineer (Big Data) Location: Denver, CO Type: Direct Hire Client located in Denver, Colorado ... Desired Skills: 1) Kafka. 2) Spark. 3) Hadoop. 4) Cassandra. 5) AWS. 6) Geospatial data.

Data Engineer

Aurora, CO · On-site

$62K - $141K/yr

  • Medical

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Data Engineer The Opportunity: Ever-expanding technology and collection methodologies means that ... Experience with Kafka ecosystem tools,such as Kafka Connect and Kafka Streams * Experience with ...

Showing results 21-40

Kafka Engineer information

See Colorado salary details

$41K

$107K

$144.6K

How much do kafka engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for kafka engineer in Colorado is $106,994.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $88,300.00 and $122,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a Kafka engineer do?

A Kafka Engineer specializes in designing, building, and maintaining distributed data streaming systems using Apache Kafka. They are responsible for configuring Kafka clusters, ensuring data reliability and scalability, and integrating Kafka with other systems. Kafka Engineers also monitor system performance, troubleshoot issues, and optimize data pipelines to support real-time data processing needs. Their work is essential for organizations that rely on high-throughput, low-latency data streaming for applications such as analytics, event sourcing, and microservices architectures.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Kafka engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Kafka Engineer, you need a strong understanding of distributed systems, proficiency in Apache Kafka, and experience with programming languages like Java or Python, often supported by a degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with tools such as Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, monitoring systems (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana), and relevant certifications like Confluent Certified Developer for Apache Kafka are typically required. Problem-solving skills, effective communication, and the ability to work collaboratively make someone stand out in this position. These skills and qualities are crucial to ensure reliable data pipelines, seamless integration, and efficient troubleshooting in mission-critical, real-time data environments.

How does a Kafka engineer typically collaborate with development and operations teams?

Kafka Engineers play a key role in bridging the gap between development and operations teams. They work closely with developers to design and implement event-driven architectures using Kafka, ensuring data flows reliably between services. Simultaneously, they partner with operations teams to deploy, monitor, and maintain Kafka clusters, addressing issues like scalability, fault tolerance, and security. Effective communication and a strong understanding of both software development and infrastructure are essential for success in this collaborative environment.

What is the difference between Kafka Engineer vs Data Engineer?

AspectKafka EngineerData Engineer
Required CredentialsCertifications in Kafka, cloud platforms, programming languagesCertifications in data tools, cloud, SQL, programming
Work EnvironmentFocus on Kafka setup, streaming data, real-time processingBroader data pipeline, storage, and processing tasks
Employer & Industry UsageTech companies, data-driven organizations using KafkaVarious industries managing large data systems
Common Search & ComparisonOften compared for specialization in streaming dataBroader role encompassing multiple data technologies

The Kafka Engineer specializes in designing, implementing, and maintaining Kafka-based streaming data systems, focusing on real-time data processing. In contrast, Data Engineers work on building comprehensive data pipelines, integrating various data sources, and managing storage solutions. While Kafka Engineers focus on Kafka-specific tasks, Data Engineers handle a wider range of data tools and platforms, making their roles complementary but distinct in data infrastructure teams.

What cities in Colorado are hiring for Kafka Engineer jobs?

Cities in Colorado with the most Kafka Engineer job openings:

Infographic showing various Kafka Engineer job openings in Colorado as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 74% Full Time, and 26% Contract. Highlights an 84% In-person, 5% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,994 per year, or $51.4 per hour.

Senior Kafka DevOps Administrator

Neshent Technologies

Dupont, CO • On-site

$137K - $176K/yr

Full-time

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


Job description

Job Summary

We are seeking a Senior Kafka DevOps Administrator to manage, optimize, and modernize enterprise-scale Confluent Platform and Apache Kafka environments. This role will focus on operating highly available on-premises Kafka clusters, leading hardware refresh initiatives, improving platform reliability, implementing automation, and ensuring high availability, disaster recovery, and operational excellence. Experience with AWS MSK is desirable to support hybrid and multi-environment deployments.

Key Responsibilities
  • Design, deploy, administer, and optimize highly available Kafka clusters across on-premises and cloud environments.

  • Lead Kafka infrastructure upgrades, hardware refreshes, cluster migrations, and cutover activities with minimal downtime.

  • Configure and manage Kafka topics, partitions, replication, retention policies, quotas, and consumer groups.

  • Administer Kafka ecosystem components including Kafka Connect, Schema Registry, MirrorMaker/Confluent Replicator, and REST Proxy.

  • Perform Kafka performance tuning, capacity planning, benchmarking, and cluster right-sizing.

  • Implement automation for provisioning, deployment, monitoring, and operational tasks using scripting.

  • Monitor Kafka infrastructure using DataDog, Grafana, JMX exporters, and centralized logging solutions.

  • Develop disaster recovery strategies, backup/restore procedures, multi-region deployment plans, and incident response processes.

  • Troubleshoot Linux, networking, and Kafka platform issues to ensure maximum availability and performance.

  • Produce comprehensive technical documentation, operational runbooks, and knowledge transfer materials.

Required Skills
  • 5+ years of experience in Systems Engineering, DevOps, Platform Engineering, or Site Reliability Engineering (SRE).

  • 4+ years of hands-on experience managing Apache Kafka in large-scale production environments.

  • Strong expertise in Kafka internals, including partitions, replication, retention, compaction, ISR, and consumer group rebalancing.

  • Hands-on experience with Kafka Connect, Schema Registry, MirrorMaker, and Confluent Replicator.

  • Strong Linux administration, networking (TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing), and performance troubleshooting skills.

  • Experience with automation and scripting for infrastructure management.

  • Hands-on experience with monitoring and observability tools such as DataDog, Grafana, JMX exporters, and log aggregation platforms.

  • Experience implementing disaster recovery, multi-region architectures, and incident management processes.

  • Excellent technical documentation and communication skills.

Preferred Skills
  • Experience with Apache Kafka on AWS MSK.

  • Experience with Confluent Platform administration and operations.

  • Knowledge of Kafka Streams and ksqlDB.

  • Experience performing hardware refreshes, cluster rebuilds, or large-scale Kafka migrations with minimal downtime.

Qualifications
  • Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline.

  • Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills.

  • Ability to work effectively in a collaborative DevOps and SRE environment.