Software Engineer - Kafka

Requirements

• Experience in software development, with strong experience in distributed systems or messaging platforms at scale.
• Proven experience delivering complex, large-scale infrastructure or platform components.
• Proficiency in Java, Scala, or other languages used in Kafka development.
• Strong understanding of algorithms, data structures, fault tolerance, and performance for large-scale messaging systems.
• Hands-on experience designing, building, and operating systems using Apache Kafka.

Nice to Haves

• Solid understanding of Kafka broker internals, including replication, partitioning, and client interaction.
• Familiarity with distributed systems concepts such as consensus, consistency models, and fault tolerance.
• Experience with multi-datacenter deployments, load balancing, quota management, or tenant isolation.
• Experience with testing methodologies such as fault injection, performance benchmarking, or property-based testing.
• Proven ability to maintain strong operational standards, including monitoring, incident response, and remediation.
• Experience contributing to or working with open-source projects, ideally Apache Kafka or related ecosystems.
• Hands-on experience with distributed system design and debugging at scale.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

What You'll Be Doing

• Building and operating Apple-scale Kafka deployments.
• Contributing directly to Kafka internals, including brokers, client libraries, replication, fault tolerance, partitioning, and system-level optimizations.
• Designing and implementing core features, driving performance and reliability improvements.
• Taking ownership of critical components across the Kafka ecosystem.
• Contributing to upstream open-source projects with responsibility for high-quality code.

Perks and Benefits

• Shape the evolution of Apple’s Kafka ecosystem.
• Impact all users of Apple products and services.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and evolution of Apple’s messaging platforms.