Confluent - Technical Support Engineer

IBM Computing; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Software is seeking a Technical Support Engineer to help customers optimize Confluent Platform deployments. You’ll work at the intersection of client services and engineering, diagnosing issues and providing hands-on expertise with Kafka and related technologies.

You will interact with customers, contribute to process improvements, and collaborate with core engineering to relay field feedback. Familiarity with Linux, Java apps, and distributed systems will help you succeed.

Qualifications

• Strong interest in streaming data and Apache Kafka domain expertise.
• Experience diagnosing and resolving customer issues.
• Ability to communicate with customers and drive success.
• Experience with Linux troubleshooting and resource issues.
• Experience with Java applications (jstack, jmap, etc.).
• Experience with distributed systems (Kafka, Hadoop, Cassandra).

Responsibilities

• Resolve customer issues in Confluent deployments.
• Contribute to process improvements and knowledge base.
• Provide real-time product feedback to engineering.
• Create and review product demos and internal tooling.
• Collaborate with the team behind Apache Kafka.

Skills

Apache Kafka

Linux troubleshooting

Java applications

Distributed systems

Customer interactions

Tools

jstack

jmap

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

Technical Support Engineers work at the intersection of our client services and engineering teams and drive customer success by helping identify and resolve critical business issues. In this role you’ll interact directly with our customers, hands on fixing issues and providing software development and operations expertise, leveraging deep knowledge of best practices in the use of Apache Kafka, the broader Confluent Platform, as well as complementary systems. Throughout all of these interactions, you’ll build strong relationships with customers, ensuring exemplary support and timely resolution to customer requests.

What You Will Do:

• Working with customers to resolve a wide range of issues with their Confluent deployments
• Contributing to process development - we’re a growing team, so we’re looking for people who want to help us grow efficiently and with a best-in-class culture
• Communicating with our core engineering team to provide real-time product feedback from the field
• Improving product documentation and authoring knowledge base articles
• Creating and reviewing product demos and internal tooling
• Working closely with the team behind Apache Kafka!

Required technical and professional expertise

• Excitement in learning about streaming data and becoming a domain expert in Apache Kafka
• Experience in diagnosing, reproducing, and resolving customer issues
• Desire to make customers successful through direct interaction
• Two out of these three:
• Experience troubleshooting applications running on Linux (resource contention, network bottlenecks, etc.)
• Operational knowledge of Java applications (jstack, jmap, etc.)
• Experience with at least one mainstream distributed system (e.g., Kafka, Hadoop, Cassandra, etc.)

Preferred technical and professional experience

• Familiarity with IT Service Management: Exposure to IT service management principles and practices, including problem management, incident management, and change management, to drive improvements and solutions within IBM.
• Understanding of Cloud-based Solutions: Experience working with cloud-based solutions and technologies to analyze diagnostic information, troubleshoot, and debug client IT environment issues.
• Knowledge of IBM Products: Exposure to IBM products and services, including their features, functionality, and technical requirements, to act as a trusted advisor for successful utilization.

Preferred technical and professional experience

Verify with Hiring Manager

• Familiarity with IT Service Management: Exposure to IT service management principles and practices, including problem management, incident management, and change management, to drive improvements and solutions within IBM.
• Understanding of Cloud-based Solutions: Experience working with cloud-based solutions and technologies to analyze diagnostic information, troubleshoot, and debug client IT environment issues.
• Knowledge of IBM Products: Exposure to IBM products and services, including their features, functionality, and technical requirements, to act as a trusted advisor for successful utilization.

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.