Open Source Software Engineer (Apache Kafka)

TL;DR

Open Source Software Engineer (Apache Kafka): Leading upstream initiatives and design for Apache Kafka to enhance reliability and performance for enterprise deployments with an accent on KIP authoring, protocol-aware engineering, and committer-level reviews. Focus on solving complex distributed systems challenges, managing release quality, and translating customer needs into community improvements.

Location: Hybrid (3 days per week in office). Must be based in one of the following locations: US (San Jose, Raleigh, Boston, or Seattle), Netherlands (Schiphol), or Ireland (Cork).

Company

hirify.global is a leader in intelligent data infrastructure providing unified storage and integrated data services across multicloud environments.

What you will do

• Lead end-to-end upstream Apache Kafka initiatives, from KIP authoring and design consensus to implementation and release.
• Provide binding committer reviews on upstream patches and community contributions to ensure technical rigor.
• Manage Apache Kafka release cycles, including blocker triage, test stabilization, and release candidate validation.
• Translate enterprise customer requirements into credible upstream proposals and KIP-level designs.
• Shape the community direction and project decisions on architecture, protocol evolution, and the long-term roadmap.
• Mentor other engineers toward committer standing and raise the overall quality of contributions.

Requirements

• Minimum 12 years of professional software engineering experience.
• Current Apache Kafka committer status with a verifiable track record of patches, reviews, and KIPs.
• Expert Java engineering capability in performance-sensitive and concurrent distributed systems.
• Deep mastery of Kafka internals (e.g., broker storage, KRaft, replication, consumer group coordination, or Streams).
• Proven ability to lead complex technical work through the Apache open source governance model.
• Must be able to work from an office 3 days per week in the supported US, Netherlands, or Ireland locations.

Nice to have

• PMC membership in Apache Kafka or a related Apache project.
• Familiarity with the Kafka ecosystem including Strimzi and Kubernetes-based Kafka operations.
• Experience translating production pain points from enterprise operators into community improvements.
• History of mentoring contributors toward reviewer or committer status in open governance projects.

Culture & Benefits

• High-trust and high-accountability team culture valuing technical judgment and ownership.
• Significant autonomy with direct visibility into strategic bets and product impact.
• Hybrid working environment designed to balance professional ambition with personal life.
• Opportunity to work within a globally distributed team with occasional international travel (up to 10%).