Software Engineering Senior Software Engineer - Confluent Kafka Professional Hursley, GB

IBM; Hursley; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to advance the Realtime Context Engine and Confluent Kafka components. You will develop query execution, ensure high availability, and scale multi-tenant infrastructure powering Lightning tables and the context engine.

You will collaborate with product, design and other engineering teams to integrate storage features with the broader platform, contributing to design decisions and driving reliability and performance across the stack.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Master's degree preferred.
• Experience with database technologies and large-scale systems.
• Excellent collaboration and communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Query Engine Development: design and implement strategies for query execution and caching at massive scale.
• Platform Engineering: build multi-tenant, highly available infrastructure for compute tasks and context engine.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: work with product, design and other teams to integrate storage features.

Skills

C++

Rust

Database technologies

Large-scale systems

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Job description

Job Title

Senior Software Engineer - Confluent Kafka

Responsibilities

As a Senior Software Engineer on the team, you will focus on advancing key layers of the Realtime Context Engine project, including its multi‑tenant, highly available compute infrastructure, and the core components responsible for query execution and background materialization. You will tackle challenges such as developing strategies for efficient execution at massive scale across all of Confluent Cloud, ensuring high availability and scalability.

What You Will Do

• Query Engine Development: Design and implement innovative strategies for query execution, planning, and caching at massive scale.
• Platform Engineering: Build and maintain multi‑tenant, highly available infrastructure that powers computational tasks for Lightning tables and the realtime context engine. Ensure that the platform is optimized for scalability, reliability, and resilience, in alignment with organizational objectives.
• Cross‑Functional Collaboration: Collaborate with product management, design, and other engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of storage features and infrastructure with the broader organization.

Required Education

• Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education

• Master's Degree

Required Technical and Professional Expertise

• Expertise in C++ and/or Rust
• 3-5 years of demonstrated professional work experience building database technologies
• Experience in building and operating large‑scale database systems
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to influence and guide stakeholders at all levels.

Preferred Technical and Professional Experience

• Familiarity with or has experience contributing to the following open‑source technologies: Apache Iceberg, Velox, Substrait
• Experience/knowledge with public clouds (AWS, Azure or GCP)
• Computer Science Degree with Specialization in Database Technologies

Equal Employment Opportunity

IBM 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, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, or other characteristics protected by the applicable law. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.