Wells Fargo

Lead Kafka Platform Engineer

Wells Fargo • $119K — $224K *
Iselin, NJ 08830In-Person
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years in distributed systems or platform engineering focused on event streaming
  • Hands-on expertise with Apache Kafka and Confluent Platform components
  • Strong familiarity with OpenShift or Kubernetes including operators and integration
  • Experience designing and operating highly available distributed systems
  • Proficient in automation and Infrastructure-as-Code with CI/CD practices
  • Solid understanding of networking and security in container environments
  • Strong skills in troubleshooting complex platform issues and implementing solutions

Responsibilities

  • Lead design and delivery of Confluent Kafka platforms on OpenShift
  • Build and maintain Kafka infrastructure using operator-based frameworks
  • Drive modernization efforts, including upgrades and performance optimization
  • Evaluate and integrate Kafka ecosystem tools with enterprise architecture
  • Develop automation frameworks for standardized Kafka cluster management
  • Architect high availability and disaster recovery solutions
  • Collaborate with application teams to enable self-service Kafka adoption

Benefits

  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Paid time off
  • Disability benefits
  • Life insurance and critical illness insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Scholarships for dependent children
  • Adoption reimbursement
Full Job Description

About this role:

Seeking a highly skilled Lead Platform Engineer with deep expertise in Confluent Kafka and OpenShift (OCP) to design, build, and operate scalable, resilient, and secure event streaming platforms. The ideal candidate will bring strong experience in distributed systems, automation, and enterprise platform engineering, with a proven ability to drive architecture decisions, optimize performance, and enable large-scale application adoption through standardized, self-service solutions


In this role, you will:

  • Lead complex initiatives to design and deliver Confluent Kafka platforms on OpenShift (OCP), enabling scalable, resilient, and secure event streaming solutions for enterprise applications.
  • Design, build, deploy, and maintain Kafka infrastructure on OCP using operator-based frameworks, supporting components such as brokers, KRaft controllers, Schema Registry, Kafka Connect, Fink and Control Center.
  • Drive continuous improvement and modernization efforts, including platform upgrades, automation, and performance optimization across Kafka and OCP environments.
  • Evaluate and integrate Kafka ecosystem tools and OCP-native capabilities, ensuring alignment with enterprise architecture standards and target-state platform design.
  • Develop and maintain automation frameworks using CI/CD pipelines and Infrastructure-as-Code to standardize Kafka cluster provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
  • Architect and implement high availability and disaster recovery solutions, including cross–data center deployments, replication strategies, and cluster linking for multi-region resilience.
  • Define and enforce platform governance standards, including naming conventions, topic management, schema governance, security policies, and data isolation strategies.
  • Analyze and resolve high-impact incidents, performing root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions to improve reliability and prevent recurrence.
  • Make key technical decisions on Kafka architecture and OCP deployment models, including cluster topology, storage integration, networking, and workload placement.
  • Establish and manage operational risk and control processes, ensuring compliance with enterprise security, regulatory, and audit requirements.
  • Optimize platform performance and cost through capacity planning, resource utilization tuning, and workload distribution strategies.
  • Collaborate with application teams to support onboarding, migration, and adoption of Kafka, enabling self-service capabilities and best practices.
  • Partner with internal platform teams (OCP, networking, security) and external vendors to drive platform delivery, resolve issues, and influence roadmap priorities.


Required Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience in distributed systems, platform engineering, or infrastructure engineering, with a strong focus on event streaming platforms

  • Hands-on experience with Apache Kafka / Confluent Platform, including brokers, KRaft/Zookeeper, Schema Registry, Kafka Connect, and related ecosystem components

  • Strong experience working with container platforms such as OpenShift (OCP) or Kubernetes, including operators, namespaces, networking, and storage integration

  • Proven experience designing and operating highly available, multi-node or multi-data-center distributed systems, including replication, fault tolerance, and disaster recovery strategies

  • Experience with automation and Infrastructure-as-Code, including CI/CD pipelines, configuration management tools, and declarative deployment models

  • Solid understanding of networking, DNS, load balancing, and secure service exposure in containerized environments

  • Strong knowledge of security practices, including TLS/mTLS, authentication, authorization (RBAC), and certificate lifecycle management in enterprise environments

  • Experience with observability and monitoring tools, including metrics, logging, alerting, and performance tuning of distributed platforms

  • Proven ability to troubleshoot complex platform issues, perform root cause analysis, and implement long-term solutions

  • Strong understanding of capacity planning, performance optimization, and resource utilization for large-scale platforms

  • Experience working in regulated enterprise environments, with knowledge of risk management, controls, and compliance requirements

  • Excellent collaboration and communication skills, with the ability to work across engineering teams, infrastructure teams, and external vendors

Desired Qualifications:

  • Experience deploying and managing operator-based Kafka platforms in Kubernetes/OpenShift environments

  • Familiarity with multi-region or neighborhood-aligned Kafka architectures and platform isolation strategies

  • Experience with streaming integrations and connectors, including database CDC and event-driven architectures

  • Knowledge of GitOps tools, CI/CD platforms, or similar automation frameworks

  • Exposure to large-scale platform modernization or migration programs, especially transitioning from legacy messaging systems to Kafka


Job Expectations:

  • Telecommuting is not an option for this position

  • This position offers a hybrid work schedule

  • Relocation assistance in not available for this position

  • This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship

Pay Range

Reflected is the base pay range offered for this position. Pay may vary depending on factors including but not limited to demonstrated examples of prior performance, skills, experience, or work location. Employees may also be eligible for incentive opportunities.

$119,000.00 - $224,000.00

Benefits

Wells Fargo provides eligible employees with a comprehensive set of benefits, many of which are listed below. Visit for an overview of the following benefit plans and programs offered to employees.

  • Health benefits
  • 401(k) Plan
  • Paid time off
  • Disability benefits
  • Life insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance
  • Parental leave
  • Critical caregiving leave
  • Discounts and savings
  • Commuter benefits
  • Tuition reimbursement
  • Scholarships for dependent children
  • Adoption reimbursement

Posting End Date:

19 Jun 2026

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo Careers

Joining Wells Fargo means becoming part of a distinguished financial institution that has been a cornerstone of innovation and leadership in the banking industry. At Wells Fargo, we offer a plethora of job opportunities designed to empower your career growth and development in a diverse and inclusive environment.

Work You’ll Do

At Wells Fargo, you will be part of a team that values diversity and is committed to fostering an inclusive culture. We are looking for professionals who are eager to drive innovation and lead with integrity. Our employees are our greatest asset, and we invest in their professional growth through comprehensive leadership and diversity training programs that are recognized industry-wide.

Explore a Multitude of Career Paths

Whether you're interested in a position in finance, IT, customer service, or management, Wells Fargo has career opportunities in various fields. Our team members benefit from job stability, competitive benefits, and a culture that values and rewards performance and dedication.

Internship Programs

Kickstart your career with a Wells Fargo internship. Our programs provide invaluable industry exposure, professional skills development, and networking opportunities that often lead to full-time employment offers. Interns at Wells Fargo work on real projects, solve actual challenges, and gain the mentorship of seasoned professionals.

Professional Growth and Development

We believe in nurturing the potential of our employees. Wells Fargo offers robust training programs and resources to help every team member excel in their current roles and prepare for future challenges. Growth at Wells Fargo is not just about climbing the career ladder but expanding your skills and expertise to add value to our team and customers.

Benefits and Rewards

Wells Fargo is committed to the well-being of our team members. We offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes health care, retirement plans, and generous paid time off. Additionally, we provide unique perks like employee discounts, adoption assistance, and tuition reimbursement.

Join Our Team

Discover the opportunities waiting for you at Wells Fargo by exploring open positions that match your skills and interests. We are continuously hiring and looking for individuals who bring creativity, passion, and a drive to serve our customers.

Stay Connected

Keep up to date with the latest from Wells Fargo Careers by subscribing to our job alert emails. Tailor your subscription to receive updates that align with your career preferences and get insider tips on crafting the perfect resume and acing your interview.

Networking and Innovation

At Wells Fargo, networking and innovation go hand in hand. We encourage our employees to connect across departments and roles to foster new ideas and strategies that lead to groundbreaking solutions.

Empower Your Career

Step into a role at Wells Fargo where your skills will be honed, your achievements recognized, and your career can flourish. We're not just filling positions; we're building leaders who are equipped to navigate the complexities of the financial world. Join Wells Fargo today and be part of a team that’s redefining the future of banking.
Learn more about Wells Fargo
Size
246,577 employees
Market Cap
$155.2 billion
Industry
Finance & Insurance
Net Income
$3.3 billion
Founded
1852
5 Year Trend
-5.9%
NASDAQ
WFC
* Ladders Estimates

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