Kafka Flink Lead

Job Title: Kafka Flink Lead Job Location: Bolingbrook, IL (Hybrid) Job Type: Contract Job Description: Role Overview: The Kafka Flink Lead will architect, implement, and manage Confluent Cloud Kafka platforms in production, with advanced real-time processing using KSQL DB and Flink. This role requires deep expertise in Kafka governance, Terraform automation, GCP networking, CI/CD, observability, and cloud-native design. Skills Required: • Confluent Kafka • Advanced KSQL DB • Flink • Kafka Connectors configuration and integration • Platform governance (schema registry, RBAC, audit logging, retention, compliance) • Terraform with Confluent Terraform provider • Harness CI/CD pipelines or similar tools • GCP networking (PSC, DNS, Firewalls, enterprise security) • Monitoring, observability, DR, HA, backup/restore, multi-region design • Agile/DevOps methodologies • Production support for streaming platforms Skills that are Nice-To-Have but Not Mandatory: • Cost optimization in Confluent Cloud • Capacity planning, partitioning, scaling of streaming architectures • Offshore/on-site coordination experience Responsibilities: • Design, implement, and administer Confluent Kafka in production environments • Develop and optimize KSQL DB and Flink-based streaming pipelines • Configure Kafka Connectors for cloud integrations • Implement platform governance and compliance measures • Automate infrastructure provisioning using Terraform • Design and manage CI/CD pipelines • Ensure security and networking compliance on GCP • Implement monitoring, alerting, and disaster recovery strategies • Optimize resource usage and costs in cloud environments • Lead offshore coordination and delivery management