SRE Engineer (Apache Kafka, Kubernetes)

Quick Facts

• Role: SRE Engineer (Apache Kafka / Kubernetes)

• Work model: Hybrid — at least 6 days per month in the Krakow office

• Max rate: 145 PLN/h

• Start: January 2027

Description

You will maintain, develop, and ensure the reliability of an Apache Kafka platform running in Kubernetes. The role includes end-to-end Kafka administration (brokers, ZooKeeper/KRaft, Kafka Connect, Schema Registry), connector and topic/security management, monitoring and alerting, and operational automation. You will also handle performance analysis, benchmarks, and production incident RCA with documentation and continuous reliability improvements.

Responsibilities

• Administer and operate Apache Kafka: brokers, ZooKeeper/KRaft, Kafka Connect, Schema Registry

• Manage Kafka on Kubernetes (scaling, updates, configuration, troubleshooting)

• Manage topics, permissions, roles, and access control mechanisms

• Configure, deploy, and operate Kafka connectors (e.g., MQ, Splunk, MongoDB, GCP Pub/Sub)

• Operate Kafka Connect workers, tasks, converters, and SMT transformations

• Design monitoring and alerting using Prometheus, Grafana, and Splunk

• Automate operational and maintenance tasks using scripts and automation tools

• Run benchmarks, analyze performance, and optimize platform and data flows

• Perform root cause analysis (RCA), document production incidents, and implement improvements

Requirements

• Experience as an SRE/Kafka Platform Engineer/DevOps Engineer working with Apache Kafka in production

• Very strong knowledge of Kafka components, especially brokers, Kafka Connect, and Schema Registry

• Practical knowledge of ZooKeeper or KRaft architecture

• Kubernetes experience, including deploying and maintaining stateful workloads, scaling, upgrades, and diagnostics

• Experience configuring and maintaining Kafka connectors and Kafka Connect components

• Knowledge of observability/monitoring tools such as Prometheus, Grafana, Splunk (or similar)

• Ability to write scripts and automate operational processes

• Experience with performance analysis, benchmarking, optimization, and incident analysis

• Ability to document technical solutions and collaborate with technical teams

Benefits

• Work on development and operations of high-availability, mission-critical streaming platforms

• Opportunity to gain and grow specialized knowledge in Apache Kafka, Kubernetes, and distributed systems architecture

• Collaboration on international technology projects

• Hybrid work model with office presence in Krakow (minimum 6 days/month)

• A collaborative work environment focused on automation and continuous improvement