📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Kafka Cloud Architect
Company: Leidos
Location: Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Job Type: On-site
Category: Cloud Architecture, Data Engineering
Date Posted: June 18, 2025
Experience Level: 10+ years of experience
Remote Status: On-site

🚀 Role Summary

Lead and mentor a team of Kafka administrators and developers to drive the mission of supporting the Social Security Administration (SSA) through digital modernization.
Collaborate with customers and stakeholders to expand the use of Kafka within the agency and explore new technologies to enhance the Kafka platform.
Design, architect, and implement next-generation data streaming and event-based architecture on Confluent Kafka, ensuring data integrity and performance optimization.
Define Kafka best practices and standards, and provide technical guidance to team members to build a high-performing team in event-driven architecture.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role requires a strong technical leader with a deep understanding of Kafka and related technologies, as well as the ability to collaborate effectively with customers and stakeholders to drive mission success.

💻 Primary Responsibilities

Team Leadership & Collaboration: Lead and organize a team of Kafka administrators and developers, assign tasks, and facilitate weekly Kafka Technical Review meetings. Collaborate with customers to determine expanded use of Kafka within the Agency and strategize with Leidos to explore new technologies for Kafka integration.
Architecture & Design: Architect, design, code, and implement next-generation data streaming and event-based architecture/platform on Confluent Kafka. Define strategy for streaming data to data warehouses and integrating event-based architecture with microservice-based applications.
Mentoring & Knowledge Sharing: Mentor existing team members by imparting expert knowledge to build a high-performing team in event-driven architecture. Assist developers in choosing correct patterns, event modeling, and ensuring data integrity.
Platform Management & Troubleshooting: Establish Kafka best practices and standards for implementing the Kafka platform based on identified use cases and required integration patterns. Triage, investigate, and advise in a hands-on capacity to resolve platform issues, regardless of component.
Communication & Stakeholder Management: Brief management, customers, teams, or vendors using written or oral skills at appropriate technical levels for the audience. Share up-to-date insights on the latest Kafka-based solutions, formulate creative approaches to address business challenges, and present and host workshops with senior leaders, translating technical jargon into layman's language and vice versa.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related field with 12 years of relevant experience, or Master's degree with 10 years of relevant experience.

Experience: 12+ years of experience with modern software development, including systems/application analysis and design. 7+ years of combined experience with Kafka (Confluent Kafka and/or Apache Kafka). 2+ years of combined experience with designing, architecting, and deploying to AWS cloud platform. 1+ years of leading a technical team.

Required Skills:

Expert experience with Confluent Kafka, including hands-on production experience, capacity planning, installation, administration, and a deep understanding of Kafka architecture and internals.
Expert experience in Kafka cluster, security, disaster recovery, data pipeline, data replication, and performance optimization.
Kafka installation & partitioning on OpenShift or Kubernetes, topic management, HA & SLA architecture.
Strong knowledge and application of microservice design principles and best practices, including distributed systems, bounded contexts, service-to-service integration patterns, resiliency, security, networking, and load balancing in large mission-critical infrastructure.
Expert experience with Kafka Connect, KStreams, and KSQL, with the ability to use them effectively for different use cases.
Hands-on experience with scaling Kafka infrastructure, including Broker, Connect, ZooKeeper, Schema Registry, and Control Center.
Hands-on experience in designing, writing, and operationalizing new Kafka Connectors.
Solid experience with data serialization using Avro and JSON and data compression techniques.
Experience with AWS services such as ECS, EKS, Flink, Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL, and/or S3.
Basic knowledge of relational databases (PostgreSQL, DB2, or Oracle), SQL, and ORM technologies (JPA2, Hibernate, and/or Spring JPA).

Preferred Skills:

AWS cloud certifications.
Delivery (CI/CD) best practices and use of DevOps to accelerate quality releases to Production.
PaaS using Red Hat OpenShift/Kubernetes and Docker containers.
Experience with configuration management tools (Ansible, CloudFormation / Terraform).
Solid experience with Spring Framework (Boot, Batch, Cloud, Security, and Data).
Solid knowledge with Java EE, Java generics, and concurrent programming.
Solid experience with automated unit testing, TDD, BDD, and associated technologies (Junit, Mockito, Cucumber, Selenium, and Karma/Jasmine).
Working knowledge of open-source visualization platform Grafana and open-source monitoring system Prometheus and uses with Kafka.

📊 Web Portfolio & Project Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

A comprehensive portfolio showcasing your Kafka architecture and design projects, with a focus on data streaming, event-based architecture, and microservice integration.
Examples of your Kafka best practices and standards documentation, demonstrating your ability to establish and maintain high-quality Kafka platforms.
Case studies highlighting your successful collaboration with customers and stakeholders to expand Kafka use and integrate new technologies.
Live demos of your Kafka projects, showcasing your ability to implement and manage Kafka clusters, connectors, and streaming data pipelines.

Technical Documentation:

Detailed documentation of your Kafka architecture, including data models, integration patterns, and performance optimization strategies.
Code comments and inline documentation demonstrating your commitment to code quality and maintainability.
Version control and deployment processes, including automated testing and continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) pipelines.
Server configuration and management best practices, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery capabilities.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $126,100 - $227,950 per year

Benefits:

Health and Wellness Programs
Income Protection
Paid Leave
Retirement

Working Hours: 40 hours per week, with flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is a general guideline and may vary based on factors such as responsibilities, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.

🎯 Team & Company Context

Company Culture:

Industry: Leidos operates in the defense, intelligence, civil, and health markets, providing a range of solutions and services, including systems integration, IT modernization, and cybersecurity.
Company Size: Leidos is a large company with approximately 38,000 employees worldwide, providing ample opportunities for career growth and development.
Founded: 1969, as a spin-off from RCA, Leidos has a rich history of innovation and technological expertise.

Team Structure:

The Kafka team at Leidos consists of administrators and developers, working collaboratively to support the SSA's digital modernization strategy.
The team is led by the Kafka Cloud Architect, who is responsible for organizing tasks, facilitating technical review meetings, and driving the team's success.
The team works closely with customers and stakeholders to expand Kafka use within the agency and explore new technologies to enhance the Kafka platform.

Development Methodology:

Leidos employs Agile methodologies, including Scrum, to facilitate collaborative development and iterative improvement.
The team follows best practices for code review, testing, and quality assurance to ensure high-quality deliverables.
Leidos utilizes CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment strategies to streamline the development process and ensure consistent, reliable releases.

Company Website: Leidos

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' culture values employee growth, collaboration, and innovation, providing an excellent environment for Kafka professionals to thrive and advance their careers.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Kafka Cloud Architect Career Level: This role is a senior-level position, requiring extensive experience in Kafka and related technologies, as well as strong leadership and mentoring skills. The Kafka Cloud Architect is responsible for driving the team's success and collaborating with customers and stakeholders to expand Kafka use within the agency.

Reporting Structure: The Kafka Cloud Architect reports directly to the management team, working closely with customers, stakeholders, and team members to achieve mission success.

Technical Impact: The Kafka Cloud Architect plays a critical role in designing, implementing, and managing the agency's Kafka platform, ensuring data integrity, performance optimization, and scalability. Their expertise in Kafka and related technologies enables them to make strategic decisions that drive mission success and enhance the agency's digital modernization strategy.

Growth Opportunities:

Technical Specialization: Leidos offers opportunities for Kafka professionals to specialize in specific areas, such as Kafka Connect, KStreams, or KSQL, allowing them to deepen their expertise and become subject matter experts.
Technical Leadership: As the team grows and evolves, there may be opportunities for the Kafka Cloud Architect to transition into a technical leadership role, overseeing multiple teams and driving the agency's Kafka strategy.
Emerging Technologies: Leidos encourages its employees to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and provides opportunities for them to explore and integrate new tools and platforms into the agency's Kafka ecosystem.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' commitment to employee growth and development provides Kafka professionals with ample opportunities to advance their careers and make a significant impact on the agency's digital modernization strategy.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: On-site, with a focus on collaboration and teamwork in a secure, mission-critical environment.

Office Location(s): Woodlawn, MD, with flexibility for remote work during specific circumstances, as approved by management.

Workspace Context:

The Kafka team at Leidos works in a collaborative environment, with dedicated workspaces for each team member, including multiple monitors and testing devices.
The team has access to the latest development tools, ensuring they can efficiently design, implement, and manage the agency's Kafka platform.
Leidos fosters a culture of knowledge sharing and technical mentoring, with regular workshops, training sessions, and brown bag lunches to help team members stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices.

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week, with flexibility for deployment windows, maintenance, and project deadlines. Leidos offers a flexible work arrangement, allowing employees to balance their personal and professional lives while maintaining a strong commitment to mission success.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' on-site work arrangement provides Kafka professionals with the opportunity to collaborate closely with team members, customers, and stakeholders, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.

📄 Application & Technical Interview Process

Interview Process:

Phone Screen: A brief phone call to assess your communication skills and technical background, focusing on your Kafka experience and leadership abilities.
Technical Deep Dive: A comprehensive technical interview, focusing on your Kafka expertise, architecture design, and problem-solving skills. You may be asked to discuss complex Kafka scenarios, data modeling, and integration patterns.
Behavioral & Cultural Fit: An in-depth conversation to assess your cultural fit with Leidos, focusing on your collaboration, communication, and leadership skills. You may be asked to provide examples of your ability to work effectively with customers and stakeholders.
Final Review: A meeting with senior leadership to discuss your career goals, technical expertise, and fit within the team. You may be asked to present your portfolio and discuss your approach to Kafka architecture and design.

Portfolio Review Tips:

Highlight your most relevant Kafka projects, demonstrating your ability to design, implement, and manage complex data streaming and event-based architectures.
Include case studies that showcase your collaboration with customers and stakeholders, driving mission success through expanded Kafka use and technology integration.
Showcase your technical documentation, including best practices, standards, and code quality, demonstrating your commitment to maintaining high-quality Kafka platforms.
Prepare live demos of your Kafka projects, showcasing your ability to implement and manage Kafka clusters, connectors, and streaming data pipelines.

Technical Challenge Preparation:

Brush up on your Kafka fundamentals, including topics, partitions, producers, consumers, and Kafka Streams API.
Familiarize yourself with Kafka best practices, including data modeling, event-driven architecture, and microservice integration patterns.
Practice problem-solving techniques, focusing on data integrity, performance optimization, and scalability.
Prepare for behavioral interview questions, focusing on your collaboration, communication, and leadership skills in a Kafka context.

ATS Keywords: Apache Kafka, Confluent Kafka, Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, KSQL, AWS, AWS ECS, AWS EKS, AWS Flink, AWS RDS, AWS S3, Microservices, Event-Driven Architecture, Data Pipeline, Data Replication, Performance Optimization, Data Serialization, Avro, JSON, SQL, Spring Framework, Java, Python, Team Leadership, Customer Collaboration, Stakeholder Management, Technical Mentoring, Agile Methodologies, CI/CD Pipelines, Server Management, Disaster Recovery, Data Warehouse, Data Integration, Data Modeling, Data Ingestion.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' interview process is designed to assess your technical expertise, cultural fit, and leadership potential, providing you with the opportunity to demonstrate your Kafka skills and drive mission success.

🛠 Technology Stack & Web Infrastructure

Frontend Technologies: N/A (This role focuses on backend and infrastructure technologies)

Backend & Server Technologies:

Kafka Technologies: Confluent Kafka, Apache Kafka, Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, KSQL, ZooKeeper, Schema Registry, Control Center
AWS Services: Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS, Amazon RDS, Amazon S3, AWS CloudFormation, AWS Lambda, AWS Glue, AWS Athena
Programming Languages: Java, Python, Bash
Databases: PostgreSQL, Amazon RDS, AWS Glue, AWS Athena
Messaging Protocols: Apache Kafka, AMQP, MQTT, REST, gRPC
Containerization & Orchestration: Docker, Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift
CI/CD & Deployment: Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeDeploy, AWS CodeBuild, Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation
Monitoring & Logging: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, AWS CloudWatch, AWS X-Ray, AWS CloudTrail
Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Terraform, CloudFormation, AWS CDK, AWS SAM
Cloud Native & Serverless: AWS Lambda, AWS Fargate, AWS Step Functions, AWS EventBridge, AWS SQS, AWS SNS

Development & DevOps Tools:

Version Control: Git, GitLab, GitHub
Code Quality & Static Analysis: SonarQube, Checkstyle, PMD, FindBugs, SpotBugs, ESLint, Prettier
Build & Packaging: Maven, Gradle, Docker, Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD
Container Orchestration: Kubernetes, Red Hat OpenShift, AWS EKS, AWS ECS
Infrastructure Automation: Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation, AWS CDK, AWS SAM
Cloud & Server Management: AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, AWS SDK, AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, AWS SAM, Puppet, Chef, Ansible
Monitoring & Logging: Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack, AWS CloudWatch, AWS X-Ray, AWS CloudTrail, Datadog, New Relic, AppDynamics
CI/CD & Deployment: Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD, AWS CodePipeline, AWS CodeDeploy, AWS CodeBuild, Ansible, Terraform, CloudFormation
Collaboration & Communication: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace, Jira, Confluence, GitLab

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' technology stack is designed to support the agency's digital modernization strategy, providing Kafka professionals with the tools and platforms they need to drive mission success.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Web Development Values:

Customer Focus: Leidos prioritizes customer success, ensuring that all team members understand the mission and work collaboratively to drive mission success.
Innovation: Leidos fosters a culture of innovation, encouraging team members to explore new technologies and integrate them into the agency's Kafka ecosystem.
Collaboration: Leidos values teamwork and collaboration, with regular workshops, training sessions, and brown bag lunches to help team members stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices.
Quality & Excellence: Leidos is committed to delivering high-quality solutions, with a focus on code quality, maintainability, and performance optimization.
Continuous Learning: Leidos encourages its employees to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies and provides opportunities for them to deepen their expertise and advance their careers.

Collaboration Style:

Cross-Functional Integration: Leidos' Kafka team works closely with designers, marketers, and other stakeholders to ensure that the agency's Kafka platform meets the needs of the public and supports the SSA's mission.
Code Review Culture: Leidos emphasizes code review and peer programming practices, ensuring that all team members maintain high-quality code and adhere to best practices and standards.
Knowledge Sharing: Leidos fosters a culture of knowledge sharing, with regular workshops, training sessions, and brown bag lunches to help team members stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' team culture is designed to support the agency's digital modernization strategy, providing Kafka professionals with the opportunity to collaborate, innovate, and drive mission success.

🛡 Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Technical Challenges:

Scalability & Performance Optimization: As the agency's Kafka platform grows and evolves, team members may face challenges related to scalability, performance optimization, and data management.
Emerging Technologies: Leidos encourages its employees to stay up-to-date with emerging technologies, presenting new challenges and opportunities for growth and innovation.
Customer Collaboration: Working closely with customers and stakeholders to expand Kafka use and integrate new technologies may present unique challenges, requiring strong communication, collaboration, and leadership skills.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

Technical Specialization: Leidos offers opportunities for Kafka professionals to specialize in specific areas, such as Kafka Connect, KStreams, or KSQL, allowing them to deepen their expertise and become subject matter experts.
Technical Leadership: As the team grows and evolves, there may be opportunities for the Kafka Cloud Architect to transition into a technical leadership role, overseeing multiple teams and driving the agency's Kafka strategy.
Emerging Technologies: Leidos encourages its employees to explore and integrate new tools and platforms into the agency's Kafka ecosystem, providing opportunities for them to stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and best practices.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' commitment to employee growth and development provides Kafka professionals with ample opportunities to advance their careers and make a significant impact on the agency's digital modernization strategy.

💡 Interview Preparation

Technical Questions:

Kafka Fundamentals: Describe the Kafka architecture, including topics, partitions, producers, consumers, and Kafka Streams API. Explain how Kafka ensures data durability, fault tolerance, and high availability.
Kafka Best Practices: Discuss Kafka best practices, including data modeling, event-driven architecture, and microservice integration patterns. Explain how to optimize Kafka performance, scalability, and data management.
Kafka Connect & KSQL: Describe your experience with Kafka Connect, KStreams, and KSQL. Explain how to design, implement, and manage Kafka connectors, and discuss use cases for Kafka Streams and KSQL.
AWS Services: Explain your experience with AWS services, including ECS, EKS, RDS, S3, CloudFormation, and Lambda. Describe how to design, implement, and manage AWS services in a Kafka context.
Data Serialization & Compression: Discuss your experience with data serialization using Avro and JSON, and explain how to optimize data compression techniques for Kafka.

Company & Culture Questions:

Leidos Culture: Describe what you understand about Leidos' culture and values, and explain how your personal values align with the company's mission and goals.
Customer Collaboration: Discuss your experience working with customers and stakeholders, and explain how you would collaborate with the SSA to expand Kafka use and drive mission success.
Technical Mentoring: Describe your experience with technical mentoring, and explain how you would help Leidos' team members develop their Kafka expertise and advance their careers.

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

Live Demos: Prepare live demos of your Kafka projects, showcasing your ability to implement and manage Kafka clusters, connectors, and streaming data pipelines.
Code Walkthroughs: Practice presenting your code, explaining your design decisions, and demonstrating your commitment to code quality and maintainability.
Architecture Diagrams & Documentation: Prepare architecture diagrams and technical documentation, highlighting your ability to design, implement, and manage complex data streaming and event-based architectures.

📝 Enhancement Note: Leidos' interview process is designed to assess your technical expertise, cultural fit, and leadership potential, providing you with the opportunity to demonstrate your Kafka skills and drive mission success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Kafka Cloud Architect position at Leidos:

Customize Your Resume: Tailor your resume to highlight your Kafka experience, leadership skills, and alignment with Leidos' mission and values.
Prepare Your Portfolio: Curate a portfolio showcasing your Kafka projects, architecture designs, and technical documentation, focusing on data streaming, event-based architecture, and microservice integration.
Research Leidos: Familiarize yourself with Leidos' mission, values, and culture, and prepare thoughtful questions to ask during the interview process.
Practice Technical Interview Questions: Brush up on your Kafka fundamentals, AWS services, and data serialization techniques, and practice answering technical interview questions to build confidence and demonstrate your expertise.
Prepare for Behavioral Interview Questions: Reflect on your experience working with customers and stakeholders, and prepare examples of your collaboration, communication, and leadership skills in a Kafka context.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and web development/server administration industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

Kafka Cloud Architect