Senior Software Engineer

Who We Are

At Kyndryl, we run and reimagine the mission-critical technology systems that drive advantage for the world’s leading businesses. We are at the heart of progress; with proven expertise and a continuous flow of AI-powered insight, enabling smarter decisions, faster innovation, and a lasting competitive edge. For our people—Kyndryls—that means doing purposeful work that powers human progress. Join us and experience a flexible, supportive environment where your well-being is prioritized and your potential can thrive.

The RoleRole Summary

A Senior Kafka Operations Engineer is responsible for ensuring the stability, performance, and reliability of Kafka-based data streaming platforms in production. The role focuses on end-to-end operational support, advanced troubleshooting, and enabling development teams to build resilient, high-performing Kafka integrations.

This is a hands-on operational role, working in a 24/7 support environment, with deep involvement in Kafka clients, cluster health, and real-time incident resolution.

What You Will Do

• Own production support for Kafka environments in a 24/7 on-call rotation
• Monitor and maintain Kafka cluster performance, availability, and reliability
• Perform advanced troubleshooting across the full Kafka stack:
• Producers, consumers, brokers, and clusters

• Analyze logs and metrics to proactively detect and resolve issues
• Ensure minimal downtime and uninterrupted data flow

Deep-Dive Troubleshooting Areas

• Kafka Clients
• Producer delivery failures, retries, idempotence, acknowledgments
• Consumer lag, offset issues, delivery guarantees

• Connectivity & Security
• TLS handshake failures
• SASL authentication issues

• Schema & Serialization
• Schema compatibility problems
• Serializer/deserializer failures

• Performance
• Slow producers/consumers
• Throughput bottlenecks (e.g., compression, batching)

• Cluster Health
• Partition hot spots
• Broker performance issues
• Replication/reliability concerns

Collaboration & Impact

• Support and guide development teams on Kafka best practices
• Help onboard applications onto Kafka
• Act as a subject matter expert during incidents and root cause analysis
• Improve system resilience and operational efficiency

What Makes This a Senior Role

• Deep understanding of distributed systems and Kafka internals
• Ability to troubleshoot complex, multi-layer issues under pressure
• Strong communication with both engineering and non-engineering teams
• Ownership of business-critical production environments

Who You AreRole Summary

A Senior Kafka Operations Engineer is responsible for ensuring the stability, performance, and reliability of Kafka-based data streaming platforms in production. The role focuses on end-to-end operational support, advanced troubleshooting, and enabling development teams to build resilient, high-performing Kafka integrations.

This is a hands-on operational role, working in a 24/7 support environment, with deep involvement in Kafka clients, cluster health, and real-time incident resolution.

What You Will Do

• Own production support for Kafka environments in a 24/7 on-call rotation
• Monitor and maintain Kafka cluster performance, availability, and reliability
• Perform advanced troubleshooting across the full Kafka stack:
• Producers, consumers, brokers, and clusters

• Analyze logs and metrics to proactively detect and resolve issues
• Ensure minimal downtime and uninterrupted data flow

Deep-Dive Troubleshooting Areas

• Kafka Clients
• Producer delivery failures, retries, idempotence, acknowledgments
• Consumer lag, offset issues, delivery guarantees

• Connectivity & Security
• TLS handshake failures
• SASL authentication issues

• Schema & Serialization
• Schema compatibility problems
• Serializer/deserializer failures

• Performance
• Slow producers/consumers
• Throughput bottlenecks (e.g., compression, batching)

• Cluster Health
• Partition hot spots
• Broker performance issues
• Replication/reliability concerns

Collaboration & Impact

• Support and guide development teams on Kafka best practices
• Help onboard applications onto Kafka
• Act as a subject matter expert during incidents and root cause analysis
• Improve system resilience and operational efficiency

What Makes This a Senior Role

• Deep understanding of distributed systems and Kafka internals
• Ability to troubleshoot complex, multi-layer issues under pressure
• Strong communication with both engineering and non-engineering teams
• Ownership of business-critical production environments

Being You

The “Kyn” in Kyndryl means kinship, which represents the strong bonds we have with each other, our customers and our communities. We focus on ensuring all Kyndryls feel included and we welcome people of all cultures, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply. We believe in growth, and we’re excited to see what you can bring. At Kyndryl, employee feedback has told us that our number one driver of employee engagement is belonging. That sense of belonging — being a valued, respected, trusted member of the team — is fundamental to our culture and fueling great experiences for our customers. This dedication to welcoming everyone into our company means that Kyndryl gives you the ability to thrive and contribute to our culture of empathy and shared success. That’s The Kyndryl Way.

What You Can Expect

Your career with us isn’t just a job—it’s an adventure with purpose. We offer a dynamic, hybrid-friendly culture that supports your well-being and empowers you to grow. Our Be Well programs are thoughtfully designed to support your financial, mental, physical, and social health—because we know that when you feel your best, you do your best.

From your very first day, you’ll dive into impactful work that powers the systems our customers rely on every day. You won’t just contribute—you’ll make a difference, tackling meaningful projects that sharpen your skills and fuel your growth.

We’re here to champion your journey. With powerful tools to chart your career path, personalized development goals aligned with your ambitions, and continuous feedback to keep you inspired and on track, you’ll have everything you need to thrive and evolve. You’ll develop in-demand skills to grow your career and achieve your ambitions with access to cutting-edge learning opportunities—from certifications with Microsoft, Google, and Amazon to coaching and hands-on experiences. And through it all, you’ll be part of a culture that values empathy, restless learning, and a devotion to shared success.

We want you to thrive here—and we’re committed to helping you do just that. Ready to make an impact? Join us and help shape what’s next.

Get Referred!

If you know someone that works at Kyndryl, when asked ‘How Did You Hear About Us’ during the application process, select ‘Employee Referral’ and enter your contact's Kyndryl email address.