Staff Software Engineer II - Kora Storage

Confluent3 months ago

Location

Remote, United States

Workplace

Remote

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 235,700 – 277,000

Level

Staff

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Dec 8, 2025

Full TimeRemoteStaff

The role

Summary

Staff Software Engineer II position at Confluent to design and develop Kora, a highly available storage engine for data streaming. This role combines senior-level backend development expertise with leadership responsibilities, requiring 12+ years of experience in distributed systems and storage technologies.

What you'll do

Storage Engine Architecture: Design and develop highly available, performant, reliable, durable, scalable, and multi-tenant storage engine for Kora from the ground up

Technical Leadership: Set engineering excellence standards and drive end-to-end technical solutions while working closely with stakeholders

Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with product management, design, and engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of storage features with broader organization

Strategic Technical Guidance: Act as trusted advisor providing guidance on complex technical problems and contributing to high-level decision-making processes

Team Development: Mentor junior engineers and help shape the technical direction of the team

System Architecture: Design large-scale distributed systems with focus on fault tolerance, consistency, and scalability

Performance Optimization: Optimize storage systems at the systems level including disk, network, and operating system components

Code Quality Assurance: Conduct comprehensive code reviews and establish best practices for distributed systems development

What we look for

Technical

Backend Development Experience12+ years of relevant backend and/or infrastructure development experience

Programming Language ExpertiseExpert-level proficiency in Java, Scala, C/C++, Go or other statically typed languages

Distributed Storage SystemsProven experience designing and building large-scale, distributed storage systems

Distributed Systems KnowledgeDeep knowledge of distributed systems concepts including fault tolerance, consistency, and scalability

Systems-Level UnderstandingSolid understanding at systems level including disk, network, and operating systems

Education

Computer Science DegreeBS, MS, or PhD in computer science or related field, or equivalent work experience

Experience

Leadership ExperienceStrong leadership skills with demonstrated ability to mentor and guide engineers to success

Stakeholder CommunicationExcellent communication and collaboration skills with ability to influence and guide stakeholders at all levels

Enterprise-Scale SystemsExperience with enterprise-grade systems requiring high availability and performance

Skills

Required skills

Java/Scala/C++/GoExpert-level proficiency in statically typed programming languages

Distributed SystemsDeep knowledge of fault tolerance, consistency, and scalability concepts

Storage SystemsProven experience designing and building large-scale distributed storage systems

Systems ProgrammingUnderstanding of disk, network, and operating system fundamentals

Technical LeadershipAbility to mentor engineers and drive technical solutions end-to-end

Nice to have

Apache KafkaExperience with or contributions to Apache Kafka streaming platform

Apache IcebergFamiliarity with table format for large analytic datasets

Apache FlinkExperience with stream processing framework

Cloud PlatformsExperience developing SaaS services on AWS, Azure, or GCP

Multi-tenant ArchitectureExpertise in building and operating multi-tenant cloud environments

Technical EvangelismInterest in giving tech talks and writing technical blog posts

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 235,700 – 277,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equal Opportunity Employment

Inclusive workplace with employment decisions based on job-related criteria without discrimination

Remote Work Flexibility

Full remote work arrangement with collaboration across time zones

Professional Growth

Opportunities to lead, grow, and challenge what's possible in data streaming technology

Conference Speaking

Opportunities for evangelism including speaking at tech conferences and writing technical blog posts

Equity Compensation

Stock options and equity participation in company growth

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video screening with recruiter to discuss background and role alignment
2
Technical Phone Screen — Technical discussion with engineering team focusing on distributed systems experience
3
System Design Interview — Whiteboard or virtual system design session for large-scale storage architecture
4
Coding Interview — Live coding session in preferred language (Java, Scala, C++, or Go)
5
Leadership Interview — Discussion of mentoring experience and technical leadership examples
6
Final Round — Panel interview with senior engineers and cross-functional stakeholders
7
Reference Check — Verification of experience with previous colleagues and managers