Senior Software Engineer - Networking Traffic Team (United Kingdom)

We are looking for a senior software engineer to help us build the next-generation network data plane to enable our Confluent Cloud platform to achieve 10x the current scale. This role blends strong independent software development with hands-on operational ownership. Cloud networking is a strategic investment area with significant potential to impact the company's growth. The Traffic team is responsible for the network platform of Confluent Cloud with a focus on performance, security, reliability, and cost optimizations for all network traffic that ingresses and egresses a customer's Kafka and DSP deployments as well as all internal service to service traffic on Confluent Cloud. You will design and build highly scalable, cost efficient, networking data plane solutions, while ensuring these systems are reliable, observable, and resilient in production. You'll independently drive complex projects from design through production, working closely with engineers across the Traffic team, and help grow more junior engineers along the way. Key Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and operationalize high-performance, scalable, reliable, and resilient systems for the Confluent Cloud network data plane platform.
• Independently drive the execution of software projects, delivering complex work in production with a focus on quality.
• Leverage cloud providers and open-source software to deliver impactful business solutions.
• Troubleshoot and improve operations for a complex technical stack that spans across AWS, Azure, and GCP, including microservices, containers, and virtualization.
• Mentor junior engineers on the team, helping them grow their technical skills and engineering judgment.
  
  2+ years of software engineering industry experience.
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems design and development.
• Experience in building and operating large-scale systems.
• Solid understanding at a systems level (disk, network, operating systems, etc.).
• Solid understanding of networking primitives and protocols.
• Practical experience with Kubernetes and containerization technologies.
• Experience/knowledge with public clouds (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Self-starter with the ability to work effectively in teams.
• Proficiency in C++, Go, Python, or other programming languages.
Preferred technical and professional experience
• Experience with network proxies and/or load balancers.
• Strong networking background combined with software engineering experience
IBM is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, caste, genetics, pregnancy, disability, neurodivergence, age, veteran status, or other characteristics. IBM is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status.

At IBM Software, we transform client challenges into solutions. Building the world's leading AI-powered, cloud-native products that shape the future of business and society. Our legacy of innovation creates endless opportunities for IBMers to learn, grow, and make an impact on a global scale. Working in Software means joining a team fueled by curiosity and collaboration. You'll work with diverse technologies, partners, and industries to design, develop, and deliver solutions that power digital transformation. With a culture that values innovation, growth, and continuous learning, IBM Software places you at the heart of IBM's product and technology landscape. Here, you'll have the tools and opportunities to advance your career while creating software that changes the world. Your role and responsibilities We're not just building better tech. We're rewriting how data moves and what the world can do with it. With Confluent, data doesn't sit still. Our platform puts information in motion, streaming in near real-time so companies can react faster, build smarter, and deliver experiences as dynamic as the world around them. It takes a certain kind of person to join this team. Those who ask hard questions, give honest feedback, and show up for each other. No egos, no solo acts. Just smart, curious humans pushing toward something bigger, together. One Confluent. One Team. One Data Streaming Platform.