Staff Software Engineer - Flink Control Plane

Confluent2 months ago

Location

Remote, United States

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 235,700 – 277,000

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Engineer

Posted

Jan 15, 2026

Full TimeRemoteStaff

The role

Summary

Confluent is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to build the control plane for their Flink product, focusing on orchestrating stream processing workloads at scale. This role involves designing and implementing Kubernetes-based infrastructure, control loops, and APIs for managing Apache Flink job lifecycles in a cloud-native environment.

What you'll do

Control Plane Development: Develop control plane services that orchestrate Flink job lifecycles including submission, scaling, and recovery operations

Kubernetes Infrastructure: Build Kubernetes operators and orchestrators for serverless resource management and container orchestration

API Design: Design and implement APIs for job management, multi-tenancy, and workload isolation in distributed environments

Code Quality Assurance: Maintain high standards for code quality, test coverage, documentation, and component maintainability

System Architecture: Draft technical designs, facilitate stakeholder discussions, and moderate architectural decisions for control plane components

Team Leadership: Lead team meetings, drive process improvements, and participate in on-call rotations for production systems

Technical Mentorship: Mentor engineers on control plane architecture and guide junior developers in serverless Apache Flink development

Infrastructure Scaling: Design and implement solutions for high-scale distributed systems orchestration and resource management

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems ExpertiseDeep knowledge of distributed systems orchestration, particularly with Kubernetes and control loops

Control Plane ExperienceProven experience building high-scale control planes, API servers, or cloud-native infrastructure

Containerization KnowledgeStrong understanding of containerization technologies, networking protocols, and resource isolation mechanisms

Stream ProcessingExperience with Apache Flink, Apache Kafka, or similar stream processing frameworks

Cloud-Native ArchitectureExpertise in designing and implementing cloud-native applications and microservices architectures

Education

Bachelor's DegreeBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Advanced DegreeMaster's degree in distributed systems, computer science, or equivalent practical experience

Experience

Software DevelopmentMinimum 10+ years of relevant software development experience in distributed systems

Infrastructure Engineering5+ years of experience building and operating large-scale infrastructure systems

Team LeadershipExperience leading technical teams and mentoring junior engineers in complex software projects

Production SystemsHands-on experience with production systems monitoring, debugging, and incident response

Skills

Required skills

Distributed SystemsExpert-level knowledge of distributed systems design, orchestration, and scaling patterns

KubernetesAdvanced proficiency with Kubernetes, including custom controllers, operators, and CRDs

Control Plane ArchitectureDeep understanding of control plane design patterns, API servers, and orchestration systems

Problem SolvingStrong analytical and problem-solving skills for complex technical challenges

CommunicationExcellent written and verbal communication skills for cross-team collaboration

Software Engineering10+ years of professional software development experience with production systems

Nice to have

Apache FlinkHands-on experience with Apache Flink stream processing framework and ecosystem

Apache KafkaExperience with Kafka streaming platform and event-driven architectures

Cloud PlatformsFamiliarity with AWS, GCP, or Azure cloud infrastructure and services

Service MeshExperience with service mesh technologies like Istio, Linkerd, or Consul Connect

MonitoringProficiency with observability tools including Prometheus, Grafana, and distributed tracing

Infrastructure as CodeExperience with Terraform, Ansible, or similar infrastructure automation tools

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 235,700 – 277,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Stock options and equity participation in company growth and success

Remote Work

Flexible remote work arrangement with distributed team collaboration

Professional Development

Opportunities for technical growth, conference attendance, and skill development

Inclusive Culture

Equal opportunity workplace with focus on diversity, belonging, and professional growth

Health Benefits

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage

Retirement Planning

401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching contributions

Interview process

1
Initial Screen — 30-minute phone/video call with recruiting team to discuss background, experience, and role alignment
2
Technical Phone Screen — 60-minute technical interview covering distributed systems concepts, Kubernetes, and control plane architecture
3
System Design Interview — 90-minute session designing a large-scale control plane system with focus on scalability and reliability
4
Coding Interview — 60-minute coding session focusing on algorithms, data structures, and software engineering best practices
5
Team Match Interview — 45-minute behavioral interview with hiring manager discussing leadership, mentoring, and team collaboration
6
Final Round — Virtual onsite with multiple team members covering technical depth, cultural fit, and domain expertise