Kafka Architect

Position brief:

Kafka/Integration Architect is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing Kafka-based streaming data pipelines and messaging solutions. This role involves configuring, deploying, and monitoring Kafka clusters to ensure the high availability and scalability of data streaming services. The Kafka Architect collaborates with cross-functional teams to integrate Kafka into various applications and ensures optimal performance and reliability of the data infrastructure.

Kafka/Integration Architect play a critical role in driving data-driven decision-making and enabling real-time analytics, contributing directly to the company’s agility, operational efficiency and ability to respond quickly to market changes. Their work supports key business initiatives by ensuring that data flows seamlessly across the organization, empowering teams with timely insights and enhancing the customer experience.

Location:

Primary Role & Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and manage Kafka-based data pipelines and messaging solutions to support critical business operations and enable real-time data processing.
• Configure, deploy, and maintain Kafka clusters, ensuring high availability and scalability to maximize uptime and support business growth.
• Monitor Kafka performance and troubleshoot issues to minimize downtime and ensure uninterrupted data flow, enhancing decision-making and operational efficiency.
• Collaborate with development teams to integrate Kafka into applications and services.
• Develop and maintain Kafka connectors such as JDBC, MongoDB, and S3 connectors, along with topics and schemas, to streamline data ingestion from databases, NoSQL data stores, and cloud storage, enabling faster data insights.
• Implement security measures to protect Kafka clusters and data streams, safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining regulatory compliance.
• Optimize Kafka configurations for performance, reliability, and scalability.
• Automate Kafka cluster operations using infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or Ansible to increase operational efficiency and reduce manual overhead.
• Provide technical support and guidance on Kafka best practices to development and operations teams, enhancing their ability to deliver reliable, high-performance applications.
• Maintain documentation of Kafka environments, configurations, and processes to ensure knowledge transfer, compliance, and smooth team collaboration.
• Stay updated with the latest Kafka features, updates, and industry best practices to continuously improve data infrastructure and stay ahead of industry trends.

Required Soft Skills:

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.

Working Experience and Qualification:

Education:

Experience:

Skills:

• Strong knowledge of Kafka architecture, including brokers, topics, partitions and replicas.
• Experience with Kafka security, including SSL, SASL, and ACLs.
• Proficiency in configuring, deploying, and managing Kafka clusters in cloud and on-premises environments.
• Experience with Kafka stream processing using tools like Kafka Streams, KSQL, or Apache Flink.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems, data streaming and messaging patterns.
• Proficiency in Java, Scala, or Python for Kafka-related development tasks.
• Familiarity with DevOps practices, including CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and logging.
• Experience with tools like Zookeeper, Schema Registry, and Kafka Connect.
• Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to troubleshoot complex issues in a distributed environment.
• Experience with cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, or GCP.

Preferred Skills: (Optional)

Kafka certification or related credentials, such as: Confluent Certified Administrator for Apache Kafka (CCAAK)

Cloudera Certified Administrator for Apache Kafka (CCA-131)

AWS Certified Data Analytics – Specialty (with a focus on streaming data solutions)

Knowledge of containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.

Familiarity with other messaging systems like RabbitMQ or Apache Pulsar.

Experience with data serialization formats like Avro, Protobuf, or JSON.

Company Profile:

WAISL is an ISO 9001:2015, ISO 20000-1:2018, ISO 22301:2019 certified, and CMMI Level 3 Appraised digital transformation partner for businesses across industries with a core focus on aviation and related adjacencies. We transform airports and relative ecosystems through digital interventions with a strong service excellence culture. As a leader in our chosen space, we deliver world-class services focused on airports and their related domains, enabled through outcome-focused next-gen digital/technology solutions.

At present, WAISL is the primary technology solutions partner for Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Hyderabad, Manohar International Airport, Goa, Kannur International Airport, Kerala, and Kuwait International Airport, and we expect to soon provide similar services for other airports in India and globally. WAISL, as a digital transformation partner, brings proven credibility in managing and servicing 135+Mn passengers, 80+ airlines, core integration, deployment, and real-time management experience of 2000+ applications vendor agnostically in highly complex technology converging ecosystems. This excellence in managed services delivered by WAISL has enabled its customer airports to be rated amongst the best-in-class service providers by Skytrax and ACI awards, and to win many innovation and excellence awards