Staff Software Engineer I

Confluent; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Confluent is seeking experienced engineers to design and operate large-scale, high-performance infrastructure for Confluent Cloud. The role involves solving complex distributed systems challenges while improving reliability and efficiency within cloud environments.

The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in distributed systems and cloud infrastructure, with a strong foundation in networking. Applicants should possess proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Scala, C++, or Go.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience.
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and networking.
• Experience in building and operating large-scale, high-availability systems.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and operate large-scale infrastructure that powers Confluent Cloud.
• Optimize infrastructure for real-time data streaming use cases.
• Enhance reliability, scalability, and efficiency across cloud environments.

Skills

Distributed systems fundamentals

Cloud infrastructure knowledge

Networking expertise

Java, Scala, C++, or Go proficiency

Education

BS, MS, or PhD in computer science or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

About the Role:

The Infrastructure team at Confluent is responsible for building and operating the foundation that powers Confluent Cloud. Our mission is to design scalable, reliable, and cost-efficient infrastructure to support mission-critical data streaming workloads. Whether it’s optimizing cloud networking, improving resource efficiency, or scaling distributed systems, our work directly impacts Confluent’s performance, reliability, and business growth.

We are looking for engineers with a passion for building and operating large-scale distributed systems in the cloud. This role provides an opportunity to work on complex infrastructure challenges across multiple domains, including storage, networking, compute, and security.

What You Will Do:

• Design, develop, and operate large-scale, high-performance infrastructure that powers Confluent Cloud.

• Build foundational software to improve reliability, scalability, and efficiency across cloud environments.

• Work on distributed systems challenges such as consensus algorithms, failover strategies, and resource allocation.

• Collaborate with teams across Confluent to optimize and enhance infrastructure for real-time data streaming use cases.

• Troubleshoot and improve system reliability, observability, and performance across multiple cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP).

• Contribute to open-source projects and leverage open-source technologies to drive business impact.

What You Will Bring:

• 10+ years of relevant experience

• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and networking.

• Experience in building and operating large-scale, high-availability systems.

• Deep understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and their services.

• Solid grasp of systems operations (disk, networking, OS-level optimizations).

• Proficiency in Java, Scala, C++, Go, or other statically typed languages.

• A self-starter with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

• BS, MS, or PhD in computer science or a related field, or equivalent work experience.

What Gives You an Edge:

• Experience in one or more of the following domains: storage, compute orchestration, networking, security, or performance engineering.

• Familiarity with Kubernetes, service meshes, and cloud-native architectures.

• Contributions to open-source infrastructure projects.

Come As You Are

Belonging isn’t a perk here. It’s the baseline. We work across time zones and backgrounds, knowing the best ideas come from different perspectives. And we make space for everyone to lead, grow, and challenge what’s possible.

We’re proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. Employment decisions are based on job-related criteria, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by law.