Kafka Engineer

USAJOBS - Job Announcement

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Summary

This job is open to all U.S. citizens. Selections made under this bulletin will be processed as new appointments to the civil service. Current civil service employees would therefore be given new appointments to the civil service. Under the provisions of the Direct Hire Authority Veterans Preference and the Rule of Many do not apply.

Duties

Design, develop, and maintain robust Kafka-based applications and data pipelines that support SSAs business operations, including the real-time or near-real-time data to AIML models. Collaborate with development operations and infrastructure teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-performing Kafka solutions. Ensure the availability, reliability, and performance of Kafka clusters and related systems. Work closely with architects, data engineers, and stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions. Troubleshoot and resolve issues in Kafka applications, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance. Document code design decisions, processes, configurations, and best practices for future reference and team knowledge sharing. Mentor junior developers and share Kafka expertise, fostering a culture of learning and growth. Stay current with the latest Kafka releases, features, and ecosystem advancements.

Requirements

To qualify for the 2210 IT Specialist series, the applicant must demonstrate the following competencies:

• Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
• Customer Service - Works with clients and customers, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government, to assess their needs, provide information, or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations.
• Oral Communication - Expresses information, ideas, or facts to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information.
• Problem Solving - Identifies problems, determines accuracy and relevance of information, uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.

Grade 14

To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level or equivalent, designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, fault-tolerant data pipelines using Apache Kafka, managing and administering Kafka clusters throughout the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including upgrades and patching, leading large-scale projects, serving as a Product Owner or Agile/Scrum team lead, demonstrating strong programming skills in Java with Python experience as a plus, utilizing Kafka APIs, Producer, Consumer, Streams, Connect for event-driven and microservices-based solutions, applying knowledge of serialization formats, Avro, Protobuf, JSON, and schema registry, data governance, including Hackolade, for data modeling, optimizing producer/consumer performance, and handling large-scale data ingestion, implementing unit and integration testing for Kafka applications, configuring and tuning Kafka clusters for performance, reliability, and scalability, monitoring and troubleshooting Kafka clusters using tools such as Prometheus and Grafana, supporting hybrid integration architecture patterns.

Grade 15

To qualify at the GS-15 level, you must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-14 level or equivalent, leading the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-scale fault-tolerant data pipelines using Apache Kafka, providing expert-level management and administration of Kafka clusters throughout the SDLC, including upgrades and patching, overseeing large-scale cross-functional projects, ensuring alignment with organizational goals, demonstrating advanced proficiency in Java programming, with experience in Python as a plus, architecting event-driven and microservices-based solutions, leveraging Kafka APIs, Producer, Consumer, Streams, Connect, establishing and enforcing best practices for serialization formats, Avro, Protobuf, JSON, and schema registry, data governance, including Hackolade, for data modeling, directing the optimization of producer/consumer performance and large-scale data ingestion strategies, leading the implementation of unit and integration testing frameworks for Kafka applications, managing hybrid integration architecture patterns, and ensuring reliability, scalability, and performance of Kafka clusters, overseeing monitoring and troubleshooting activities using tools such as Prometheus and Grafana, providing technical guidance and mentorship to teams on Kafka cluster setup, configuration, and tuning, ensuring compliance with organizational standards and data governance policies.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional Information

See announcement cutoff dates below under How to Apply.

Are you ready to help power the data infrastructure that serves over 330 million Americans?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking passionate Kafka Engineers to join our innovative technology team. Whether youre a seasoned expert in Kafka-based applications and data pipelines or an early-career developer eager to learn and grow, this is your opportunity to work on mission-critical systems that drive the nations most trusted digital services.

As a Kafka Engineer at SSA, youll:

• Work with cutting-edge event streaming technologies to design, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance data pipelines.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to solve complex challenges and deliver reliable, secure, and innovative solutions that support millions of Americans every day.

**If youre ready to take your career to the next level, whether youre a proven Kafka expert or an ambitious learner, apply today and help us build the future of digital government services at SSA.

Recruitment Incentive

Recruitment incentive may be authorized.

Outstationing

Outstationing may be available at the GS-15 level.

Additional Selections

Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement.

Direct Hire

This Direct Hire announcement may be used to fill the same or similar position in another office.

Selective Service

If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.

Probationary Period

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.

Individuals with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities may also call us via Federal Relay using the voice contact telephone provided.

Due to Security Procedures

Due to our security procedures, our office will not accept any applications submitted via email or standard mail. The email address is listed only for inquiries about the position or the How to Apply process.

Agency Contact Information

Careers at SSA Email: Careersssa.gov Address: OCIO Front Office, 6401 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21235, US