Confluent Kafka Architect

• Introduction
• A career in IBM Consulting is built on long-term client relationships and close collaboration worldwide.

You'll work with leading companies across industries, helping them shape their hybrid cloud and AI journeys. With support from our strategic partners, robust IBM technology, and Red Hat, you'll have the tools to drive meaningful change and accelerate client impact. At IBM Consulting, curiosity fuels success. You'll be encouraged to challenge the norm, explore new ideas, and create innovative solutions that deliver real results. Our culture of growth and empathy focuses on your long-term career development while valuing your unique skills and experiences.

• Your role and responsibilities
• As an Integration Architect specializing in Hybrid Integration, you will design and build integrations that break down everyday business applications into individual business functions and processes.

You will deploy and integrate these new functions and processes to enable seamless communication between independent applications and computing platforms.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

Design Business Functions:

Design individual business functions and processes that can run independently of applications and computing platforms, enabling integration and communication between them.

Build and Deploy Integrations:

Build and deploy integrations using software that allows independent applications to communicate with each other, utilizing a collection of standards and specifications.

Define Web Services:

Define Web services that interact with each other to form a particular Web service application in SOA and Enterprise Integration, using protocols to describe operations and data exchange.

Integrate Applications:

Integrate new functions and processes with existing applications and computing platforms, ensuring seamless communication and interaction.

Develop Standards-Based Solutions:

Develop solutions that adhere to industry standards and specifications, enabling interoperability and flexibility in integration.

• Required technical and professional expertise
• 8+ years of experience with Kafka/Confluent architecture in enterprise environments
• Expert-level Flink SQL skills, including UDFs, Flink functions, and stateful stream processing
• Deep knowledge of Confluent Connectors configuration and troubleshooting
• Hands-on experience integrating Kafka with AI/ML platforms and MCP server frameworks
• Strong understanding of event-driven architecture, CQRS, and data mesh patterns
• Preferred technical and professional experience
• Architected end-to-end event streaming solutions leveraging Confluent Platform and Confluent Cloud for enterprise clients
• Designed complex stream processing pipelines using Confluent Flink SQL, including stateful operations, windowing, joins, and custom Flink functions
• Defined connector strategies using Confluent Managed and Custom Connectors for source and sink integrations across databases, SaaS, and cloud services
• Led AI/ML integration design, connecting real-time Kafka streams with model inference pipelines, feature stores, and MCP servers
• Established Schema Registry governance, data contracts, and topic design standards for the COE
• Conducted architecture reviews, proof-of-concepts, and technical workshops for client accounts
• Mentored architects and developers within the COE on Confluent best practices
• Owned the effort estimation model and related solution guidance.

IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.