Sr. Open Source Software Engineer (Kafka)

Salary: $220,000 - 265,000 per year Requirements:

• We require at least 12 years of relevant professional software engineering experience.
• We require current Apache Kafka committer status with a sustained, publicly verifiable upstream record spanning patches, reviews, KIPs, and community standing in Kafka core or a closely related area.
• We require expert Java engineering skills in performance-sensitive, concurrent, production-grade distributed systems.
• We require deep expertise in Apache Kafka internals in at least one major area such as broker storage and log replication, KRaft and metadata management, consumer group coordination and rebalancing, protocol and client compatibility, Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, observability, performance, or release management and CI.
• We require demonstrated ability to lead complex technical work through Apache open source governance, including KIP writing or co-sponsorship, design consensus, mailing-list participation, and Jira-driven delivery from proposal to merge.
• We require strong written communication for asynchronous, global, public technical collaboration, including mailing lists, design documents, code reviews, and Jira threads.
• We require proven senior-level technical judgment that resolves most blockers independently, chooses approaches for novel or ambiguous work, identifies systemic risks proactively, and delivers work aligned with project and team goals.
• We require a bachelors degree in engineering or a related technical field, or equivalent additional experience.

• We lead end-to-end upstream initiatives in Apache Kafka, from KIP drafting and design alignment through implementation, review, and release, across areas such as broker internals, storage and log management, replication, KRaft metadata quorum, consumer group coordination, Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, observability, and release quality.
• We provide binding committer reviews on upstream patches and community contributions, using the technical rigor and authority needed to move high-quality work through the Apache Kafka review process.
• We contribute to Apache Kafka release management as part of the committer community, including release planning, blocker triage, test stabilization, release candidate validation, documentation readiness, and post-release follow-through.
• We translate enterprise customer and operator needs into credible upstream proposals, KIP-level designs, and sustained technical engagement, while advising product and field teams on complex Kafka trade-offs.
• We shape community direction through evidence-based participation in relevant Kafka community channels and influence decisions on architecture, compatibility, protocol evolution, release policy, contribution standards, and roadmap direction.
• We mentor engineers toward committer status and improve overall contribution quality through rigorous review habits, test discipline, and clear engineering guidance.
• We improve upstream infrastructure, including CI reliability, test coverage, contributor tooling, benchmarking, release automation, and compatibility validation, to reduce maintenance burden across the project.

• AI
• Support
• JIRA
• Java
• Kafka
• Excel
• Kubernetes
• Security

More:

We are NetApp, a leader in intelligent data infrastructure, delivering unified storage, integrated data services, and solutions that help organizations unlock the full value of their data across AI and multicloud environments. Our managed open source data platform portfolio includes Apache Kafka services for enterprise customers in financial services, retail, and technology. You will join our globally distributed Open Source Engineering team with up to 10% travel, working from a US remote location or from our offices in Cork, Ireland or Schiphol, Netherlands, with additional opportunities available in those markets. We offer a high-trust, high-accountability culture with significant autonomy, close collaboration, and strong visibility into strategic outcomes. Compensation for this Senior Open Source Software Engineer role targets $220,000 to $265,000, depending on location, qualifications, experience, and education, and includes a comprehensive benefits package that may feature health insurance, life insurance, retirement or pension plans, paid time off, leave options, performance-based incentives, employee stock purchase plans, and/or restricted stock units, subject to regional variation. We support a hybrid working environment, and most roles include some in-office and/or in-person expectations shared during the recruitment process.

last updated 38 week of 2026