Associate Technical Support Engineer - Confluent

IBM; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software in London is seeking Technical Support Engineers to diagnose and resolve complex Apache Kafka and Confluent Platform issues, supporting high-priority production cases and collaborating with Engineering, Product, and other teams.

You will work across production and non-production environments, analyze logs and metrics, document steps, and contribute to improving customer outcomes through repeatable processes and knowledge sharing.

Qualifications

• Experience troubleshooting mission-critical distributed systems.
• Ability to analyze logs, metrics, configurations, and environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication to explain complex technical concepts.
• Ability to work independently on ambiguous problems.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and resolve customer issues across production and non-production environments.
• Troubleshoot distributed systems, Apache Kafka, Confluent Platform, customer applications, and integrations.
• Support the analysis and resolution of technical incidents and customer escalations.
• Assist in identifying root causes and implementing solutions to customer problems.
• Communicate effectively with customers, providing timely updates and managing expectations.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Product, and Support teams to resolve issues and improve customer outcomes.
• Document troubleshooting steps, resolutions, and best practices in knowledge base articles.
• Contribute to product feedback and help identify opportunities for improving supportability and customer experience.
• Participate in team projects focused on process, tooling, and workflow improvements.
• Take part in on-call rotations and support activities as required.

Skills

Distributed systems

Log analysis

Technical communication

Independent problem solving

Customer-facing support

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

Prometheus

Grafana

OpenTelemetry

Job description

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Introduction

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world’s leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You’ll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM’s product and technology landscape. Here, you’ll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world.

Your Role And Responsibilities

Technical Support Engineers work directly with customers to diagnose and resolve complex Apache Kafka and Confluent Platform issues. They support and manage high-priority production cases, build customer trust, and collaborate with Engineering, Product, and other internal teams.

In This Role You Will

• Investigate and resolve customer issues across production and non-production environments
• Troubleshoot distributed systems, Apache Kafka, Confluent Platform, customer applications, and integrations.
• Support the analysis and resolution of technical incidents and customer escalations.
• Assist in identifying root causes and implementing solutions to customer problems.
• Communicate effectively with customers, providing timely updates and managing expectations.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Product, and Support teams to resolve issues and improve customer outcomes.
• Document troubleshooting steps, resolutions, and best practices in knowledge base articles.
• Contribute to product feedback and help identify opportunities for improving supportability and customer experience.
• Participate in team projects focused on process, tooling, and workflow improvements.
• Take part in on-call rotations and support activities as required.

Preferred Education

None

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Established experience of troubleshooting mission-critical distributed systems using a logical and methodical approach.
• Experience troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.
• Ability to analyse logs, metrics, configurations, source code, and customer environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex technical concepts clearly.
• Ability to work independently on ambiguous and technically complex problems.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Experience deploying and troubleshooting Apache Kafka services, or similar distributed systems.
• Linux system administration.
• Kubernetes, Docker or containerised environments.
• Observability platforms such as Prometheus, Grafana or OpenTelemetry.