Sr. Technical Support Engineer - Confluent

IBM; Hursley; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software in the United Kingdom seeks an experienced Senior Technical Support Engineer to diagnose and resolve complex Apache Kafka and Confluent Platform issues. You will own production and non-production cases, lead investigations, and collaborate with Engineering, Product, and other teams to improve product quality.

You will troubleshoot distributed systems, manage resolution plans, and communicate clearly with customers under pressure.

Qualifications

• Must have deep troubleshooting skills across distributed systems and infrastructure.
• Strong written and verbal communication to explain complex concepts.
• Demonstrated customer empathy and incident ownership under pressure.
• Provide technical leadership during complex engagements across the org.
• Ability to work independently on ambiguous, technically complex problems.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage complex customer cases across production and non-production environments.
• Lead investigations for critical escalations and high-severity incidents.
• Troubleshoot distributed systems, Kafka, Confluent Platform, customer applications, and integrations.
• Define and manage resolution plans, including priorities, dependencies, risks, mitigations, and timelines.
• Communicate clearly with customers and set expectations during high-pressure situations.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Product to identify bugs, improve product quality, and provide field feedback.
• Create and review technical documentation, knowledge articles, and training material.
• Mentor and coach other TSEs and provide technical guidance across the team.
• Contribute to process, tooling, workflow, and supportability improvements.
• Participate in on-call and emergency-response activities as required.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Communication skills

Customer empathy

Leadership

Independent problem solving

Incident ownership

On-call experience

Education

Master's Degree

Tools

Apache Kafka

Confluent Platform

Linux

Networking

Cloud platforms

Programming languages

Kubernetes

Docker

CI/CD

SQL

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

About the Role

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

In This Role You Will

• Own and manage complex customer cases across production and non-production environments.
• Lead investigations for critical escalations and high-severity incidents.
• Troubleshoot distributed systems, Kafka, Confluent Platform, customer applications, and integrations.
• Define and manage resolution plans, including priorities, dependencies, risks, mitigations, and timelines.
• Communicate clearly with customers and set expectations during high-pressure situations.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Product to identify bugs, improve product quality, and provide field feedback.
• Create and review technical documentation, knowledge articles, and training material.
• Mentor and coach other TSEs and provide technical guidance across the team.
• Contribute to process, tooling, workflow, and supportability improvements.
• Participate in on-call and emergency-response activities as required.

Preferred Education

Master's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• At least 10 years' recent experience in software development, technical support, site reliability engineering or a similar technical role.
• Deep troubleshooting skills across distributed systems and infrastructure.
• Practical knowledge of Apache Kafka, Confluent Platform, Linux, networking, cloud platforms, and relevant programming or scripting languages.
• 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.
• Demonstrated customer empathy, incident ownership, and ability to remain effective under pressure.
• Provide technical leadership during complex customer engagements, acting as a recognised subject matter expert across the organisation
• Ability to work independently on ambiguous and technically complex problems.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Apache Kafka or other distributed messaging technologies.
• Java development.
• Public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure or Google Cloud).
• Kubernetes, Docker or containerised environments.
• Linux system administration.
• Networking fundamentals (DNS, TLS, load balancing, firewalls).
• CI/CD pipelines and software development lifecycle practices.
• SQL, data analysis or scripting (Python, Bash or similar).
• Observability platforms such as Prometheus, Grafana or OpenTelemetry.
• Experience using AI-assisted tools to improve troubleshooting, automation and knowledge management.