Kafka Architect – Pittsburgh, PA

Kafka Architect Job Overview:

Are you a Kafka expert with a passion for building scalable, real-time solutions? We are looking for a Kafka Architect who can design and lead the implementation of event-driven systems tailored for retail and eCommerce platforms. This is a high-impact role for someone who thrives in dynamic environments and understands the complexity of omnichannel operations, customer personalization, and real-time inventory tracking.

As the Kafka Architect, you will be at the forefront of transforming traditional retail ecosystems into agile, event-driven engines. Your experience across multiple Kafka implementations will be critical in shaping robust pipelines, optimizing infrastructure for seasonal spikes, and enabling predictive insights through real-time data streaming.

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Kafka Architect Key Responsibilities:

• Design and implement enterprise-grade event streaming systems using Apache Kafka.

• Architect real-time use cases such as inventory tracking, fraud detection, and personalized marketing.

• Choose appropriate Kafka deployment models like Confluent, AWS MSK, or Azure Event Hubs.

• Build and maintain high-availability Kafka clusters for large-scale retail applications.

• Define standards for schema evolution, topic partitioning, and topic lifecycle management.

• Integrate Kafka with retail systems like POS, WMS, OMS, ERP, CRM, and loyalty programs.

• Build real-time pipelines using Kafka Streams and ksqlDB for data transformation and processing.

• Ensure seamless integration with analytics platforms like Snowflake, Databricks, and BigQuery.

• Optimize Kafka to handle high-volume traffic during peak events like Black Friday.

• Implement disaster recovery, security protocols, and GDPR/CCPA compliance practices.

• Set up monitoring, logging, and alerting via tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk.

• Act as the subject matter expert for Kafka in all cross-functional and digital transformation initiatives.

• Collaborate with data science, marketing, and eCommerce teams to enhance personalization and performance.

• Partner with DevOps and security teams to deploy scalable and secure Kafka environments.

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Kafka Architect Required Skills and Experience:

• Minimum 8 years of experience with event-driven architecture in retail or eCommerce.

• Hands-on expertise in Apache Kafka, Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, and ksqlDB.

• Strong understanding of microservices, CQRS, event sourcing, and stream processing.

• Experience integrating Kafka with retail technology stacks including ERP, POS, and CRM.

• Familiarity with cloud-native Kafka services such as AWS MSK or Azure Event Hubs.

• Solid knowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and CI/CD practices for Kafka deployments.

• Proven ability to tune performance and troubleshoot Kafka infrastructure at scale.

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Kafka Architect Preferred Qualifications:

• Confluent Kafka certification.

• Experience with Flink or Spark Streaming for advanced analytics.

• Retail domain knowledge including demand forecasting, loyalty analytics, and pricing engines.

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Ready to Apply?

If you’re passionate about real-time data architecture and have led Kafka implementations across retail environments, we invite you to apply today. This is your chance to contribute to digital innovation in one of the fastest-evolving industries.

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🔍 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is this a remote role?
Yes, the position can be fully remote or based in Pittsburgh, PA.

2. What industries are preferred for past experience?
Retail, eCommerce, or omnichannel businesses are highly preferred.

3. What kind of Kafka implementation experience is expected?
Candidates should have completed at least 3 Kafka architecture implementations.

4. What tools are used for monitoring Kafka?
Prometheus, Grafana, OpenTelemetry, and Splunk are preferred.

5. Is hands-on coding required for this role?
Yes, particularly in Kafka Streams and stream processing logic.

6. Is cloud experience necessary?
Yes, especially with AWS MSK or Azure Event Hubs.

7. Are certifications mandatory?
Not mandatory but Confluent certifications are a plus.

8. Will I be working with other architecture teams?
Yes, including DevOps, cybersecurity, and cloud architects.

9. What type of projects will I lead?
Projects around real-time inventory, fraud detection, and customer personalization.

10. Is this a client-facing role?
Yes, you may be required to interact with both technical and business stakeholders.

11. Are there on-call expectations?
Not initially, but high availability design knowledge is important.

12. What is the expected start date?
Immediate joiners are preferred.

13. Will I need to mentor junior engineers?
Yes, you will play a mentorship role for Kafka best practices.

14. What compliance experience is needed?
Knowledge of GDPR and PCI-DSS is preferred.

15. How large are the Kafka clusters?
Expect high-scale deployments across multi-region environments.

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