Confluent - Senior Software Engineer - Cloud Compute Platform

IBM Computing; Lowell (MA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software is seeking a senior Software Engineer for the Compute Platform. You will own end-to-end features across multi-cluster orchestration, scheduling, and security, building platform APIs and Kubernetes operators in Go.

You’ll drive architectural decisions, mentor teammates, and ensure reliability and observability for a global compute infrastructure. With 5+ years delivering scalable systems and deep Kubernetes expertise, you will collaborate across product, SRE, and engineering teams to

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience delivering scalable software solutions.
• Proven track record of leading large-scale, highly available, low-latency systems.
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes including controller development and multi-cluster architectures.
• Strong proficiency in Go with production-grade distributed systems.
• Experience with multi-tenant platform architectures and security isolation patterns.
• Track record of cross-team collaboration including product management and SRE.

Responsibilities

• Own features end to end for the Compute Platform, such as multi-cluster orchestration and security architecture.
• Design and implement platform APIs and Kubernetes operators using Go.
• Deliver high-impact initiatives in scheduling, isolation, and cross-cluster management.
• Lead technical design reviews and drive architectural decisions across teams.
• Mentor and grow engineers through code reviews and guidance.
• Own operational aspects: availability, reliability, monitoring, and disaster recovery.

Skills

Kubernetes

Go

Distributed systems

Cloud-native

Security

Tools

Protobuf

gRPC

API design

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.

Your role and responsibilities

About Confluent

Confluent is pioneering a fundamentally new category of data infrastructure focused on data in motion. Have you ever found a new favorite series on Netflix, picked up groceries curbside at Walmart, or paid for something using Square? That's the power of data in motion in action—giving organizations instant access to the massive amounts of data that is constantly flowing throughout their business.At Confluent, we're building the foundational platform for this new paradigm of data infrastructure. Our cloud-native offering is designed to be the intelligent connective tissue enabling real-time data, from multiple sources, to constantly stream across the organization. With Confluent, organizations can create a central nervous system to innovate and win in a digital-first world.We're looking for self-motivated team members who crave a challenge and feel energized to roll up their sleeves and help realize Confluent's enormous potential. Chart your own path and take healthy risks as we solve big problems together. We value having diverse teams and want you to grow as we grow—whether you're just starting out in your career or managing a large team, you'll be amazed at the magnitude of your impact.

About the Role

As a Software Engineer on the Compute Platform team, you will be a key technical leader in building and evolving our next-generation, multi-tenant, cloud-native compute substrate that powers all of Confluent Cloud's diverse workloads. Our platform orchestrates workloads across thousands of Kubernetes clusters globally across all cloud service providers, providing a unified abstraction layer for scheduling, lifecycle management, and operational excellence. You'll work on critical systems including:

• Multi-Cluster Workload Orchestration: Build the control plane that manages workload placement, lifecycle, and state across multiple Kubernetes clusters per region




• Platform APIs & Abstractions: Design and evolve APIs that provide clean abstractions for polyglot workload management across diverse compute needs




• Cloud Platform Integration: Build and optimize deep integrations with the broader Confluent Cloud platform for seamless end-to-end operations




• Multi-Tenancy & Security: Implement and enhance workload isolation, network policies, and secure execution environments




• Observability & Operations: Drive operational excellence through monitoring integration, automated health checks, and self-healing capabilities

As a senior technical leader, you think strategically and help drive end-to-end technical delivery from customer experience to scaling internal operations. You leverage your expertise in cloud-native distributed systems to take our platform to the next level while ensuring high availability, reliability, and security for our largest enterprise customers.

What You Will Do

• Own features end to end for the Compute Platform, such as multi-cluster orchestration, workload placement, and security architecture




• Design and implement platform APIs and Kubernetes operators using Go to support evolving workload requirements




• Deliver high-impact initiatives in areas such as workload scheduling, disruption management, network isolation, rolling update strategies, and cross-cluster resource management




• Lead technical design reviews and drive architectural decisions across organizational boundaries




• Mentor and grow other engineers on the team through code reviews, pairing, and technical guidance




• Own operational aspects including availability, reliability, performance monitoring, emergency response, and disaster recovery for our global compute infrastructure

Required technical and professional expertise

• 5+ years of experience delivering scalable software solutions




• Proven track record of leading the delivery of large-scale, highly available, low-latency systems




• Deep expertise in Kubernetes including controller development, operator patterns, and multi-cluster architectures




• Strong proficiency in Go with experience building production-grade distributed systems




• Experience with multi-tenant platform architectures and security isolation patterns




• Track record of working collaboratively across teams including product management, SRE,

and other engineering teams

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Experience with observability tools and operational excellence practices




• Experience with multi-cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure) and cloud-provider integrations




• Track record of providing technical leadership and mentorship




• A smart, humble, and empathetic attitude with a strong sense of teamwork




• Drive and excitement about the challenges of a fast-paced, innovative software environment




• Familiarity with gRPC, Protobuf, and API design for internal platform services

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.