Job Description
Enterprise Architect (Kafka) McLean, VA (Onsite) | Contract | $70/hour Architect, implement, and optimize enterprise-grade data streaming solutions using Apache Kafka and Confluent Platform for large-scale, real-time environments.
A leading technology services organization is seeking an experienced Enterprise Architect (Kafka) to design, deploy, and manage high-performance, event-driven data architectures.
The ideal candidate will bring deep expertise in the Kafka ecosystem, Confluent Cloud, and cloud-based integrations, with a proven ability to lead migration and optimization initiatives across complex enterprise systems.
This is a 100% onsite position based in McLean, VA Position Overview The Enterprise Architect will lead the design and delivery of scalable Kafka-based data solutions that support real-time processing, analytics, and system integration across multiple business platforms.
This role requires extensive hands-on experience in Kafka infrastructure, advanced Confluent components, and collaboration with cross-functional engineering and DevOps teams to ensure security, resilience, and performance.
Key Responsibilities Architect and deploy Kafka-based data streaming solutions using Confluent Platform and Confluent Cloud.
Design Kafka clusters, brokers, topics, and partitions optimized for performance, scalability, and reliability.
Lead migration efforts from legacy messaging systems (e.g., IBM MQ, TIBCO) to Kafka-based frameworks.
Develop and fine-tune Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, ksqlDB, and Flink pipelines.
Implement Kafka security, including RBAC, ACLs, encryption, and multi-cluster access control.
Integrate Kafka with AWS, GCP, and Azure services, as well as CI/CD and data management tools.
Collaborate with engineering, data, and application teams on enterprise integration initiatives.
Monitor and optimize Kafka environments using Grafana, Prometheus, and Confluent Control Center.
Provide architectural governance and best practices for event-driven application design.
Requirements Required Qualifications Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or related field.
10+ years of experience in software or data architecture with deep focus on Kafka and Confluent Platform.
Proficiency in Apache Kafka, Confluent Cloud, Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, ksqlDB, Zookeeper, and KRaft.
Experience integrating Kafka with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and CI/CD pipelines.
Familiarity with scripting (Shell, Python) and Infrastructure-as-Code tools (Terraform).
Understanding of data integration frameworks such as Snowflake, Databricks, and Hadoop.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills with strong communication abilities.
Preferred Experience & Skills Background in financial services or credit union technology environments.
Experience with Salesforce Community Cloud or other enterprise integration tools.
Strong grasp of application integration architecture and distributed data systems.
Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.
4-5 years
Proven expertise in HPC Platform architecture and administration.
Strong proficiency in Linux system administration and Azure Fundamentals.
Hands-on experience with Slurm workload management and Kubernetes orchestration.
Experience managing or supporting Posit Workbench and related tools.
Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills for diagnosing complex technical issues.
Strong communication and collaboration skills to work across multi-functional teams.