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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Staff Software Engineer - Confluent Cloud Traffic Engineering - **Company:** IBM - **Location:** Poughkeepsie, NY, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Amazon Web Services, Application Layers, Microsoft Azure, C++ (Programming Language), Cloud Computing, Cloud Engineering, Distributed Systems, Python (Programming Language), Open Source Technology, Software Engineering, Containerization, Kubernetes, Information Technology, Apache Kafka, Confluent, Golang - **Published:** July 8, 2026 - **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/0F924E2908494BAEBFBC4171B9C3EB22/job/ ## About the Role 8+ years of relevant cloud infrastructure/cloud networking experience * Strong fundamentals in distributed systems design and development * Experience building and operating large-scale systems * Solid understanding of basic systems operations (storage, network, operating systems, etc.) * Proficiency in C++, Go, Python, or other statically typed languages * Experience/knowledge with public clouds (AWS, Azure, or GCP) * Experience building and managing Layer 7 proxies, especially cloud-native proxies such as Envoy Preferred technical and professional experience * Open source contributions to CNCF projects * Experience with Kubernetes Networking * Strong networking background combined with your software engineering experience * Education in computer science or a related field, or equivalent work 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. ## Description To realize Confluent's enormous potential, we are looking for software engineers, at various levels, to grow our Traffic team which is responsible for building and managing the networking fabric of Confluent Cloud. Cloud networking is a strategic investment area for Confluent with the potential to impact the company's top and bottom line. The data plane area in the Traffic team focuses on the performance, security, reliability, and cost optimizations for all traffic that ingresses and egresses a customer's Kafka cluster on Confluent Cloud. We are looking for someone with an interest in building large-scale distributed systems, with a focus on building and managing network data planes for containerized workloads in the cloud. The ideal candidate would be passionate about network data plane performance, scale, cost optimizations, and building robust software. What you will do: * Build the software underpinning the mission-critical Confluent Cloud network data plane platform. You will play a crucial role in architecting, designing, developing and operationalizing high performance, scalable, reliable and resilient systems. * Deliver high impact to the business by driving important technical initiatives in areas comprising (but not limited to) networking, cloud infrastructure, and multi-tenancy. * Independently drive execution of software projects as well as technically lead a team of engineers to deliver impact in production with a focus on quality. ## Related Videos - [Let's Get Started With Apache Kafka® for Python Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/565-let-s-get-started-with-apache-kafka-for-python-developers) - [Go with the Flow: Stop the Leaks Before Your Memory's a Waterfall!](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100073-go-with-the-flow-stop-the-leaks-before-your-memory-s-a-waterfall) - [Understanding Kubernetes in a visual way](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100085-understanding-kubernetes-in-a-visual-way) - [Shipping Faster with Less: Render on Cloud Hosting, AI Workloads, and the Future of DevOps](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1894-shipping-faster-with-less-render-on-cloud-hosting-ai-workloads-and-the-future-of-devops) - [Inside Bitpanda's Tech Stack: Scaling a European Fintech Leader - Markus Dorner](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1979-inside-bitpanda-s-tech-stack-scaling-a-european-fintech-leader-markus-dorner) - [Scoring 2000 Products per Request: Performance Pitfalls in Golang](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2073-scoring-2000-products-per-request-performance-pitfalls-in-golang) ## Related Articles - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [7 Cloud Computing Trends Coming in 2025 for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/412-7-cloud-computing-trends-coming-in-2025-for-developers) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [How Much FAANG Companies Actually Pay Software Engineers in 2025](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/230-how-much-faang-companies-actually-pay-software-engineers-in-2025) - [Where To Find Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/396-where-to-find-software-engineering-jobs) - [Fully Remote Software Engineer Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/447-fully-remote-software-engineer-jobs)