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Platform Engineer Kafka Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Hirekeyz Inc

Platform Engineer

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

Platform Engineer Location: Phoenix, AZ, /Charlotte, NC, Job Type: W2/Full Time Mandatory ... Kafka, Flink, Postgres, or similar data technologies * 1+ Years supporting and monitoring service ...

Akuna Capital

Platform Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

As a Platform Engineer, you will take ownership of projects, design and implement cloud solutions ... Kafka, and other large-scale distributed databases • Automate infrastructure management and ...

Raft Company Website

Platform Engineer

San Diego, CA · On-site

$100K - $170K/yr

We are seeking a Platform Engineer with an active Top Secret/SCI clearance to play a pivotal role ... Manage a wide array of open-source applications (NiFi, Kafka, Zookeeper, MinIO, Keycloak, Longhorn ...

Akuna Capital

Platform Engineer

Chicago, IL

$145K/yr

... Kafka, and other large-scale distributed databases * Automate infrastructure management and ... Platform Engineering, Cloud Engineering, SRE, DevOps, or related infrastructure roles * AWS ...

Akuna Capital

Platform Engineer

Chicago, IL · On-site

$145K/yr

... Kafka, and other large-scale distributed databases * Automate infrastructure management and ... Platform Engineering, Cloud Engineering, SRE, DevOps, or related infrastructure roles * AWS ...

InterSources

Platform Engineer

Pensacola, FL · On-site

Platform Engineer System design and scaling (CAP, Distributed Caches, CQRS, etc.) Java programming ... Knowledge of Java Perf tooling, micro benchmarking, messaging systems (Kafka, RabbitMQ), Golang ...

alter Domus

ND

Work with the Data Engineer (who builds pipelines that run on your platform), the Data Architect ... Familiarity with data delivery patterns - SFTP, Snowflake Data Sharing, streaming (Kafka/Kinesis ...

Hudson Manpower

Platform Engineer III

Cincinnati, OH · On-site

Job Title: Platform Engineer III Location: Remote USA TOP SKILLS: comprehensive vulnerability ... Kafka, Hadoop, Spark, etc) • Work with Data Scientists to develop rich value-added features • ...

Texas Capital Bank

Platform Engineer

Richardson, TX · On-site

Collaborate with data engineering, analytics, and platform teams for the development, support, and ... Kafka). * Ability to obtain, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple data sources to ...

Texascapitalbank

Platform Engineer

Richardson, TX · On-site

Collaborate with data engineering, analytics, and platform teams for the development, support, and ... Kafka). * Ability to obtain, analyze, and synthesize information from multiple data sources to ...

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All JobsPlatform Engineer Kafka Jobs

Platform Engineer Kafka information

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How much do platform engineer kafka jobs pay per hour?

As of Jun 23, 2026, the average hourly pay for platform engineer kafka in the United States is $63.95, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $50.48 and $73.80 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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

To thrive as a Platform Engineer Kafka, you need expertise in distributed systems, strong programming skills (often in Java, Scala, or Python), and a solid understanding of Kafka architecture and stream processing, typically backed by a relevant degree in computer science or engineering. Familiarity with Linux systems, containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes), and Kafka certifications such as Confluent Certified Developer or Administrator are commonly required. Excellent problem-solving abilities, collaboration, and effective communication are critical soft skills for success in this role. These skills ensure reliable data pipelines, system scalability, and seamless integration within complex, data-driven environments.

What is the difference between Platform Engineer Kafka vs Data Engineer?

AspectPlatform Engineer KafkaData Engineer
Primary FocusBuilding and maintaining Kafka-based data streaming platformsDesigning, developing, and managing data pipelines and storage
Skills & CertificationsKafka expertise, scripting, cloud platforms, LinuxSQL, ETL tools, cloud services, data modeling
Work EnvironmentDevOps teams, cloud infrastructure, real-time data systemsData teams, analytics platforms, data warehouses

While both roles involve data systems, Platform Engineer Kafka specializes in Kafka infrastructure and real-time streaming, whereas Data Engineers focus on broader data pipeline development and data storage solutions. The roles often collaborate but have distinct technical focuses.

What are the typical challenges Platform Engineers face when managing Kafka clusters in a production environment?

Platform Engineers working with Kafka often encounter challenges such as ensuring high availability, managing data retention policies, and scaling clusters to handle fluctuating workloads. Troubleshooting issues like broker failures, message lag, and balancing partitions can require in-depth knowledge of Kafka's architecture and monitoring tools. Collaboration with DevOps, application developers, and data engineering teams is also essential to optimize configurations and maintain secure, reliable data pipelines.

What does a Platform Engineer Kafka do?

A Platform Engineer Kafka is responsible for designing, building, and maintaining scalable and reliable Apache Kafka infrastructure within an organization. They ensure efficient data streaming, monitor system health, and troubleshoot issues related to Kafka clusters. Platform Engineers also work closely with development teams to support data integration, optimize performance, and implement best practices for security and availability. Their goal is to provide a robust platform for real-time data processing and analytics.
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What job categories do people searching Platform Engineer Kafka jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Platform Engineer Kafka jobs are:
Platform Engineer Kafka jobs near you
Infographic showing various Platform Engineer Kafka job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 71% Full Time, and 29% Contract. Highlights an 71% In-person, and 29% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $133,026 per year, or $64 per hour.

Remote DevOps Engineer (Kafka/Kong)

Pennant Solutions Group

Richmond, VA • Remote

$52.25 - $71.50/hr

Contractor

Posted 11 hours ago

Job description

Senior Kafka Administrator/Kong Administrator with DevOps Experience
Remote-Contract to Hire

Our client is seeking a skilled and experienced Senior Kafka/Kong Administrator to join our client's IT operations team. As a Kafka/Kong Administrator, you will be responsible for the deployment, configuration, maintenance, and monitoring of our Kafka clusters and Kong gateways, ensuring the high availability, reliability, and optimal performance of our real-time platforms. Your role will be crucial in supporting our data engineering and application teams to deliver seamless data integration and processing.
Responsibilities: Kafka Administration
1. Cluster Deployment and Configuration:
  • Deploy and configure Kafka clusters following best practices for scalability, security, and performance.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to gather requirements and design Kafka infrastructure to meet data streaming needs.
  • Manage topics, partitions, replication factors, and broker configurations to ensure efficient data distribution and fault tolerance.
2. Monitoring and Performance Optimization:
  • Implement monitoring and alerting solutions to proactively identify and address performance bottlenecks, resource constraints, and anomalies.
  • Conduct regular performance testing, load testing, and capacity planning to ensure clusters can handle anticipated workloads.
3. High Availability and Disaster Recovery:
  • Design and implement high-availability strategies, including failover mechanisms and data replication across multiple data centers or cloud regions.
  • Develop and maintain disaster recovery plans and procedures to minimize data loss and downtime in the event of failures.
4. Security and Compliance:
  • Implement and manage security measures such as encryption, authentication, and authorization to ensure data privacy and compliance with industry standards.
  • Stay updated on security vulnerabilities and patches, applying necessary updates to maintain a secure Kafka environment.
5. Troubleshooting and Issue Resolution:
  • Diagnose and resolve Kafka-related issues, including performance degradation, data loss, and connectivity problems.
  • Collaborate with development and data engineering teams to troubleshoot consumer/producer application integration with Kafka.
6. Documentation and Knowledge Sharing:
  • Maintain thorough documentation of Kafka configurations, deployment processes, and troubleshooting procedures.
  • Provide training and knowledge sharing sessions to junior team members and other stakeholders.
7. Collaboration and Communication:
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including data engineers, developers, and system administrators, to ensure smooth integration of Kafka into our data ecosystem.
  • Communicate effectively with stakeholders to provide updates on Kafka performance, maintenance, and improvements.
8. Certification as a Confluent Certified Administrator for Apache Kafka (CCAAK) preferred.
Responsibilities: Kong Administration
  • Hands on experience installing and configuring Kong API Gateway as well as integration with existing API frameworks.
  • Describe and configure dataplane security using RBAC, Roles, Workspaces and Teams
  • Configure upstreams and load balancing
  • Create Services, Routes, and Consumers
2. Experienced in the Kubernetes platform
  • Working knowledge of Kong Ingress with Kubernetes\Dockers
3. Excellent knowledge of API design standards, patterns, and best practices especially with OpenAPI 2.0, REST, JSON, XML.
4. Troubleshoot problems on Kong Gateway
  • Distinguish between downstream and upstream networking issues
  • Collecting troubleshooting/debug information
  • Using log files and health and traffic metrics
5. Deep understanding of JWTs and their usage.
6. Preferred certification in Kong Gateway Certified Associate (KGCA)
7. 5+ years of experience with monitoring and troubleshooting. Should be able to monitor and debug platform or application issues.
  • Use Kong Vitals to monitor Kong Gateway’s health and performance
  • Pull metrics using Vitals API

Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field (or equivalent work experience).
  • 5+ years of hands-on experience in administering Apache Kafka clusters in production environments.
  • 5+ years proficiency in Kafka/Kong architecture, installation, configuration, and tuning.
  • Strong understanding of Kafka internals, including topics, partitions, replication, and consumer/producer APIs.
  • 5+ years of experience with Kafka ecosystem tools such as Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, and Schema Registry.
  • Knowledge of Linux systems and shell scripting.
  • Strong DevOps background.
  • 5+ years of familiarity with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Excellent problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex issues efficiently.
  • Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.