> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/2139368-software-developer-ii](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/2139368-software-developer-ii). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md).

---

# Software Developer II

- **Company:** IBM Deutschland GmbH
- **Location:** Ehningen, Germany
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), Adobe InDesign, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Amazon Web Services, Apache HTTP Server, Microsoft Azure, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Software Quality, Code Review, Databases, Data Infrastructure, Serialization, Data Structures, Distributed Systems, Protocol Buffers, Apache Hive, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), Open Source Technology, Parsing, SQL Databases, Database Engines, Data Processing, Technical Debt, Backend, Kubernetes, Apache Flink, Avro, Apache Kafka, Stream Processing
- **Published:** August 20, 2026
- **Apply:** https://dejobs.org/x/x/656BB1EE23A54E078DD50384916C5F0B/job/

## About the Role

maintainability, scalability, and performance of our cloud-native SQL stack for both batch and streaming workloads * Write clear design docs and contribute to technical discussions that help the team make practical, well-informed decisions * Strengthen production readiness through better observability, automation, tooling, and incident follow-up * Reduce technical debt and improve the long-term health of the systems and developer workflows owned by the team * Work closely with product and peer engineering teams to turn customer and product needs into practical technical solutions * Contribute to open source Apache Flink where it makes sense and collaborate with the broader community on overlapping work * Help other engineers through thoughtful code reviews, design feedback, knowledge sharing, and day-to-day mentoring **Required technical and professional expertise** Experience and fundamentals: · 5 - 7+ years of industry experience building backend services, data infrastructure, or
distributed systems. · Strong computer science fundamentals, including data structures, algorithms, and a solid understanding of concurrency and distributed systems basics. · Expertise in Java (preferred for this role) or another JVM language (for example, Scala), with the ability to contribute to a large, existing codebase. SQL and data processing: · A solid understanding of SQL and relational concepts, and genuine interest in how query engines work (parsing, planning, optimization, execution). · Familiarity with data processing systems such as databases, query engines, or stream processors - through work experience, open source, or advanced coursework/projects. Cloud and operations: · Experience running or operating services on at least one major public cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure); exposure to Kubernetes-based environments is a plus. · Willingness to own your code in production, including metrics, dashboards, alerts, and on-call participation. Ways of
working: · Ability to deliver well-scoped features end-to-end with high quality: clarify requirements, implement, test, and roll out safely, seeking input from senior engineers where needed. · Clear, pragmatic communication and constructive participation in design discussions and code reviews. · High bar for code quality and testing, and a willingness to iterate based on feedback. **Preferred technical and professional experience** · Experience with Apache Flink SQL or the Table API, or with another SQL engine or large-scale data processing system (for example, Spark SQL, Trino, or a database engine). · Familiarity with query planners and optimizers, or compiler construction (Apache Calcite is a plus). · Understanding of streaming semantics such as event time, watermarks, and CDC handling. · Experience with Apache Kafka, Schema Registry, or serialization formats like Avro and Protobuf. · Contributions to open-source projects in streaming, databases, or
distributed systems, ideally including Flink or related components. 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

will work on areas such as query planning, optimization, type systems, runtime behavior, and developer productivity for streaming SQL workloads. This is a hands-on senior engineering role for someone who can independently drive complex work end to end. You will own meaningful technical problems, ship production-quality solutions, and help improve the reliability, performance, and usability of the systems you work on. You will collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, and partner teams while growing your expertise in distributed systems and stream processing. What you will do * Design and implement improvements to Flink SQL components such as the planner, parser, optimizer, type system, and runtime * Own projects from design through rollout, including implementation, testing, documentation, operational readiness, and follow-up * Break down complex problems into clear milestones and deliver high-quality results with strong engineering judgment * Improve the reliability


## Related Videos

- [Next Level Enterprise Architecture: Modular, Flexible, Scalable, Multichannel and AI-Ready?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1017-next-level-enterprise-architecture-modular-flexible-scalable-multichannel-and-ai-ready)
- [Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock)
- [Tips and Tricks for Working with JSON](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1229-tips-and-tricks-for-working-with-json)
- [From event streaming to event sourcing 101](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/91-from-event-streaming-to-event-sourcing-101)
- [Nest.js - TypeScript in the backend can also be clean](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1033-nest-js-typescript-in-the-backend-can-also-be-clean)
- [Building a Compiler with C#](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/116-building-a-compiler-with-c)

## Related Articles

- [Top-Paying Tech Jobs (with Salaries)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/372-top-paying-tech-jobs-with-salaries)
- [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again)
- [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated)
- [The Most Popular IT Jobs on the Market](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/376-the-most-popular-it-jobs-on-the-market)
- [Backend Developer Salary in Germany [2023]](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/196-backend-developer-salary-in-germany-2023)
- [The Biggest German Tech Companies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/424-the-biggest-german-tech-companies)