Kafka Engineer

Position Title: Kafka Engineer Department: Digital Engineering About Americana Restaurants International PLC Americana Restaurants International PLC is a pioneering force in the MENA region and Kazakhstan's Out-of-Home Dining industry, ranking among the world’s leading operators of Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and casual dining establishments. With an extensive portfolio of iconic global brands and a dominant regional presence, we have been driving growth and innovation for over 60 years. Our expansive network of 2,600+ restaurants spans 12 countries throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Kazakhstan — from Kazakhstan in the east to Morocco in the west — powered by a team of 40,000+ talented individuals committed to delivering exceptional food, superior service, and memorable experiences. In line with our vision for innovation and operational excellence, we have established our Center of Excellence in Mohali, India . This state-of-the-art facility plays a pivotal role in Product Development, IT, Digital, AI, and Analytics, while implementing global IT best practices . Serving as a strategic hub, it strengthens our technology backbone and drives digital transformation across our worldwide operations. Your Role Will Include: Kafka Cluster Deployment and Management: • Design, deploy, and maintain scalable Kafka clusters using Confluent Platform. • Configure and optimize Kafka brokers, topics, partitions, and replication. • Monitor Kafka cluster performance and troubleshoot issues. Data Integration and Stream Processing: • Implement data streaming architectures using Kafka for real-time data integration and processing. • Design and develop Kafka Connect connectors for integrating Kafka with various data sources and sinks. • Develop and deploy Kafka Streams applications for data transformation and analytics. Security and Governance: • Implement and maintain security measures for Kafka clusters (e.g., SSL/TLS encryption, authentication, authorization). • Define and enforce Kafka governance policies and access controls. Monitoring and Optimization: • Set up monitoring and alerting for Kafka clusters using tools such as Confluent Control Center or similar monitoring solutions. • Optimize Kafka configurations and performance tuning to ensure scalability, reliability, and efficiency. Documentation and Collaboration: • Document Kafka architecture, configurations, and operational procedures. • Collaborate with cross-functional teams including developers, data scientists, and operations teams to integrate Kafka into overall system architectures What You Bring: Bachelor’s degree in computer science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent work experience. Proven experience as a Kafka Engineer, Streaming Platform Engineer, or similar role with hands on experience in implementing Kafka solutions. Deep understanding of Apache Kafka architecture, components, and ecosystem, particularly using Confluent Platform. Experience with Kafka cluster setup, configuration, and management in production environments. Proficiency in Kafka Connect, Kafka Streams, and related tools for data integration and stream processing. Strong knowledge of Kafka security principles and best practices. Experience with Kafka monitoring, performance tuning, and troubleshooting. Excellent scripting and automation skills (e.g., Python, Shell scripting). Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Excellent communication and collaboration skills. 5+ years of industry experience in building and managing Kafka streaming services Preferred Qualifications: Confluent Certified Developer or Administrator certification. Experience with cloud platforms and services (e.g., AWS, Azure, Google Cloud). Knowledge of containerization and orchestration tools such as Docker and Kubernetes for Kafka deployment. Familiarity with event-driven architecture and microservices