Senior Staff/Principal Engineer, Kafka

Staff Engineer, Kafka Cloudera | Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain Cloudera empowers people to transform complex data into clear and actionable insights. With as much data under management as the hyperscalers, we are the preferred data partner for top companies across almost every industry, powered by the relentless innovation of the open source community. We advance digital transformation for the world’s largest enterprises. Business Area Engineering Seniority Level Mid‑Senior level Job Description The Data Platform Pillar is the bedrock of Cloudera’s technology, where we design and build the core components that allow our customers to store, manage, and process data with unmatched scalability, security, and performance. We are looking for passionate Software Engineers to join our Hungary‑based team focusing on the development of Cloudera's Streams Messaging products, including Apache Kafka and related components (Schema Registry, Cruise Control, Replication Manager, and others). Kafka is a general‑purpose distributed messaging/streaming technology designed for low latency, high throughput, massive scalability, and high reliability. It is used with Apache Flink, Spark, and NiFi to ingest, process, and analyze large‑scale message streams. As a Software Engineer, you will collaborate with engineers and stakeholders across Hungary, the United States, and other global locations. Responsibilities Provide technical leadership for the development of Apache Kafka and the Cloudera products built on this technology. Design, implement, and release new features and enhancements for the Cloudera Streaming Analytics product suite, supporting both on‑premise and cloud deployments. Contribute to a cross‑functional software development team, covering all aspects of software product delivery to ensure high‑quality, secure, and maintainable software. Informally manage technical projects, priorities, and resources, and plan work for other team members to ensure effective project delivery. Collaborate with partner engineering teams to coordinate delivery of projects that span across multiple teams. Collaborate with product management and engineering leadership to build and execute a roadmap for high‑quality products that effectively meet customer needs. Provide support to our field team and customers, facilitating product adoption and smooth implementation of use cases. Qualifications BS/MS in Computer Science or a related field, and/or 8+ years of relevant work experience. Experience in designing scalable, robust distributed software systems and products. Strong Java skills and proficiency across the Java ecosystem. Strong understanding of software design and architecture principles. Experience with delivery pipeline tools, CI/CD solutions, and automated testing. Experience with containerization orchestration technologies: Kubernetes, Docker. Strong track record of complex software development projects, featuring technical leadership and cross‑team collaboration. Self‑driven and motivated, with a strong sense of ownership and craftsmanship. Strong written and verbal English and communication skills. This role is not eligible for immigration sponsorship. Desired Skills Experience with Apache Kafka. Experience with Cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP). Experience with Python and/or JavaScript. Why this role matters You will tackle complex distributed systems challenges, crafting the foundational software for the control and data planes that powers CDP and keeps it running at massive scale. Working at the forefront of hybrid and multi‑cloud technology, you will empower data scientists, engineers, and analysts with the tools and infrastructure they need for advanced analytics and modeling. Collaboration is key—you will work alongside brilliant minds across product, data science, and engineering to drive innovation, standardize best practices, and shape the future of enterprise AI and data platforms. Benefits Generous PTO policy. Unplugged Days to support work‑life balance. Flexible WFH policy. Mental & Physical Wellness programs. Phone and Internet reimbursement program. Access to continued career development. Comprehensive benefits and competitive packages. Paid volunteer time. Employee Resource Groups. EEO/VEVRAA. #J-18808-Ljbffr