About this role
Amazon is hiring a Principal Engineer on the MSK team to define the technical vision and roadmap for Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka. The role spans Kafka broker internals, tiered storage, and MSK Serverless/Connect/Replicator, while driving cross-service integrations across AWS analytics and AI/ML.
Key Responsibilities
- Define multi-year technical roadmap for MSK service portfolio
- Drive distributed systems architectural decisions at hyperscale
- Lead cross-service integration initiatives across AWS analytics, AI/ML, and data services
- Represent MSK in the Apache Kafka community through contributions and governance
- Mentor and develop senior engineers and establish engineering standards
Technical Overview
You will lead architecture for hyperscale distributed systems focusing on durability, availability, performance, and cost optimization. You will also represent MSK in the Apache Kafka community through open-source contributions and governance participation, while establishing engineering standards for testing and performance benchmarking.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a Principal Engineer with deep expertise in Apache Kafka internals and large-scale distributed systems, specifically Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache Kafka (MSK) across Provisioned, Serverless, Connect, and Replicator. They set long-term technical vision, lead architectural decisions at hyperscale, mentor senior engineers, and actively engage with the Apache Kafka open-source community.
Must-Have Skills
Define the technical vision for MSK across its full stackDefine multi-year technical roadmap for MSK service portfolio (ProvisionedServerlessConnectReplicator)Drive architectural decisions for distributed systems operating at hyperscale (durabilityavailabilityperformancecost optimization)Lead cross-service integration initiatives for MSK across AWS analyticsAI/MLand data servicesRepresent MSK in the Apache Kafka community through contributionsgovernance participationand technical evangelismMentor and develop senior engineers through design reviewstechnical guidanceand raising the bar on system design and operational excellenceWork directly with strategic customers to understand requirements and ensure MSK meets mission-critical use casesEstablish engineering standards for testing strategies and performance benchmarkingDrive innovation in streaming data infrastructure
Nice-to-Have Skills
Open-source leadershipActive contributions to Apache Kafka or other Apache streaming and data processing
Tools & Platforms
Apache KafkaAmazon Managed Streaming for Apache KafkaMSK ServerlessMSK ConnectMSK ReplicatorAmazon Web Services
Required Skills
Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache KafkaMSK ServerlessMSK ConnectMSK ReplicatorApache Kafkadistributed systemsdurabilityavailabilityperformancecost optimizationcross-service integrationsystem designtesting strategiesperformance benchmarkingopen-source contributionsgovernancetechnical evangelism
Hard Skills
Apache KafkaKafka broker internalstiered storage architectureKafka Serverless (MSK Serverless)Amazon Managed Streaming for Apache KafkaAmazon MSKMSK ServerlessMSK ConnectMSK Replicatormulti-year technical roadmapdistributed systemsdurabilityavailabilityperformancecost optimizationcross-service integrationAWS analyticsAWS AI/MLAWS data servicesopen-source contributionsApache Kafka community governancetechnical evangelismsystem designoperational excellencetesting strategiesperformance benchmarkingstreaming data infrastructurereal-time data infrastructuresub-millisecond event pipelinesmulti-regionzero-downtimeenterprise-grade security
Soft Skills
defining technical visionmentoring senior engineersraising the engineering bartechnical guidancecross-functional collaborationcustomer-facing communicationrequirements discoveryleadershiporganizational breadthinnovation leadership
Keywords for Your Resume
Principal EngineerAmazon Managed Streaming for Apache KafkaMSKMSK ServerlessMSK ConnectMSK ReplicatorProvisionedApache KafkaKafka broker internalstiered storage architecturedistributed systemsdurabilityavailabilityperformancecost optimizationcross-service integrationAWS analyticsAWS AI/MLdata servicesopen-source leadershiptechnical evangelismApache Kafka communitygovernancetesting strategiesperformance benchmarkingsystem designoperational excellencereal-time data infrastructure
Deal Breakers
Must have deep technical expertise with Apache Kafka (Kafka broker internals) and MSK service components, Must be able to lead distributed systems architecture decisions for durability, availability, performance, and cost optimization
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