Senior Java & Kafka Engineer - Real-Time Data Platform (Azure) - Onsite in Chicago

Techwolf; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 109,000 - 179,000; Full time

Job summary

A global consulting and technology group is seeking a Senior Java & Kafka Engineer to lead the development of cloud-based solutions. This hybrid position requires strong Java and Kafka skills, with a competitive salary range of USD 80,000-130,000. Join us to leverage technology for meaningful change and contribute to exciting projects in a dynamic environment.

Benefits

401(k) retirement plan with company matching

15 days paid vacation

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Qualifications

• 6+ years of experience in Java programming with Spring Boot.
• Experience in leading Kafka design and performance tuning.
• Knowledge of big data tools like Spark and Hive.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement solutions using Java and cloud technologies.
• Lead Kafka architecture design and performance optimization.
• Monitor and troubleshoot Kafka clusters.

Skills

Java

Kafka

Spring Boot

Spark

Hive

Kubernetes

Elastic Search

Cloud Platforms (AWS, Azure)

TDD

BDD

Education

BS / master's degree in Computer Science

Job description

Overview

With over 7,000 experts in 20 countries, Talan is a global consulting and technology group dedicated to accelerating our clients' transformation through technology, data, and innovation. We’re proud to be a Certified Great Place to Work and are on track to reach €1 billion in revenue by 2025.

At Talan, our philosophy is simple yet powerful: Positive Innovation—leveraging technology to benefit people and society.

Join us and be part of meaningful change!

Job Details

Location: Chicago, IL (Hybrid – at least 4 days onsite / week)

Visa Sponsorship: We offer sponsorship under specific treaty-based U.S. work visas, including TN and E-2 (for eligible Canadian, Mexican, and French citizens). We do not support or transfer other visa types (e.g., H-1B).

Role: Senior Java & Kafka Engineer with experience in cloud technologies. You will play a key role in developing and evolving our data lake platform and event streaming solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement technical solutions in cloud environments using Java, Spark, Hive, Avro, Parquet, Kubernetes, Spring Boot, Elastic Search, Logstash, Kibana, Oozie, and PostgreSQL.
• Lead the design, implementation, and performance optimization of Kafka-based event streaming architectures, ensuring scalability, reliability, and high availability.
• Monitor, troubleshoot, and tune Kafka clusters to maintain optimal system performance.
• Collaborate with Product Owners to break down customer requirements into actionable user stories.
• Deliver clean, tested, and maintainable code that meets acceptance criteria and Definition of Done.
• Manage deployment, CI / CD pipeline monitoring, and production stability activities.
• Engage in pair programming and write unit and BDD-style tests with JUnit, Mockito, and Cucumber.
• Participate actively in backlog refinement, sprint planning, and agile ceremonies.

Qualifications

Required Technical Skills:

• Strong Java skills with 6+ years of experience, including Spring Boot
• Proven experience leading Kafka design, deployment, and performance tuning is mandatory
• Strong Kafka internals and troubleshooting skills
• Big Data tools: Spark, Hive, Avro, Parquet
• Kubernetes and container orchestration
• Elastic Search, Kibana, Logstash
• Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or similar)
• Agile methodologies and automated testing (TDD, BDD)

Education and Experience

• BS / master's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology or relevant technical field.
• 5-10 years of experience working as Senior Programmer Analyst role
• First-hand experience working in a real Change and Release management environment
• Experience with business analysis methodologies, processes, and documentation standards

Company’s Benefits

At Talan, we invest in our employees' well-being and empower them with benefits, including :

• The yearly salary range for this role is USD 80,000-130,000
• 401(k) retirement plan with company matching
• 15 days of paid vacation per year at hire and up to 27 according to seniority (annual untaken vacation days are cashed out)
• 8 paid holidays + 5 sick days + 2 personal days per year
• Company health, dental, and vision insurance plans + FSA
• Voluntary STD and LTD
• Commuter / transit benefits

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.