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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Staff Data Platform Engineer - Kafka - Apache Iceberg - Apache Spark - **Company:** ServiceNow - **Location:** San Diego, CA, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $181,200.0 - $317,100.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Java (Programming Language), Computer-Aided Design, Artificial Intelligence, Apache HTTP Server, Unit Testing, Profiling, Code Reuse, Code Review, Computer Programming, Data Infrastructure, Data Integration, Data Systems, Relational Databases, Software Design Patterns, DevOps, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), PostgreSQL, Enterprise Messaging Systems, Meta-Data Management, MySQL, Oracle (Applications), Performance Tuning, Azure Machine Learning, Software Engineering, Data Streaming, Parquet, Data Ingestion, Concurrency, Apache Spark, Data Lakes, Apache Flink, Avro, Apache Kafka, Stream Processing, Data Pipelines, Servicenow - **Published:** August 28, 2026 - **Apply:** https://jobs.smartrecruiters.com/ServiceNow/744000146075679-senior-staff-data-platform-engineer-kafka-apache-iceberg-apache-spark ## About the Role * Experience leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into engineering work - whether using AI-powered coding and operational tooling, automating workflows, or reasoning about how AI changes the way software and infrastructure are built. * 10+ years of software development experience with a Bachelor's degree; OR 8+ years with a Master's degree; OR 6+ years with a PhD OR equivalent work experience. Core Distributed Systems Expertise * Strong fundamentals in distributed systems architecture, design patterns, and algorithms. * Deep programming expertise in Java, including JVM internals, memory models, and garbage collection. * Proven experience in JVM performance tuning, profiling, and diagnosing performance bottlenecks. * Strong understanding of concurrency, networking, sockets, OS internals, and performance optimization. * Hands-on experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems. * Experience with relational databases such as Oracle, MySQL, or PostgreSQL. Streaming & Messaging Systems * Experience with large-scale deployments of Kafka, or similar streaming platforms. * Deep knowledge of stream processing, topic design, partitioning, replication, and HA strategies. * Experience working within DevOps environments for operationalizing distributed platforms. * Demonstrated experience architecting and delivering full-stack Data Lake solutions. * Strong expertise in designing and operating data ingestion pipelines using: * + Apache Iceberg (tables, catalogs, schema evolution, metadata management) + Kafka Connect (source/sink connectors, distributed mode) + Apache Kafka (high-scale clusters, topic/partition strategies, HA) + Apache Flink (stateful stream processing, exactly-once semantics) + Apache Spark (batch & streaming jobs, optimization, partitioning) * Expertise in data formats such as Parquet, ORC, and Avro, along with compaction and governance strategies. * Ability to build scalable, fault-tolerant ingestion and transformation workflows. * Experience integrating Data Lakes with analytics engines, query services, or ML platforms. ## Description As an IC5 Senior Staff Engineer, you will architect and deliver large-scale distributed platform components, lead complex technical initiatives, and define engineering best practices. You will bring strong leadership, hands-on engineering depth, and the ability to design and operate reliable, scalable, and high-performance data systems. What you get to do in this role: * Architect, design, and build high-performance distributed systems and platform components. * Build distributed systems data ingestion solutions with strong emphasis on scalability, quality, and operational excellence. * Design software that is easy to use, extend, and customize for customer-specific environments. * Deliver high-quality, clean, modular, and reusable code while enforcing engineering best practices (code reviews, unit testing, automation, design reviews). * Build foundational libraries, frameworks, and tools focused on modularity, extensibility, configurability, and maintainability. * Collaborate across engineering teams to refine requirements and deliver end-to-end solutions. * Provide technical leadership for projects with significant complexity and risk. * Research, evaluate, and adopt new technologies that enhance platform capabilities. * Troubleshoot and diagnose complex production issues across distributed systems., We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service. ## Related Videos - [Alibaba Big Data and Machine Learning Technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/37-alibaba-big-data-and-machine-learning-technology) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [From event streaming to event sourcing 101](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/91-from-event-streaming-to-event-sourcing-101) - [MySQL Protocol Features You Should Be Aware Of](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100267-mysql-protocol-features-you-should-be-aware-of) - [From Messy Queries to Scalable Systems - How Data Engineering actually works](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100203-from-messy-queries-to-scalable-systems-how-data-engineering-actually-works) - [DevOps Maturity Check – a way to balance autonomy and alignment](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/58-devops-maturity-check-a-way-to-balance-autonomy-and-alignment) ## Related Articles - [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) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Top Big Data Technologies That You Need to Know](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/108-top-big-data-technologies-that-you-need-to-know) - [Coffee with Developers - Maria Apazoglou - Making AI understandable for all in production](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/475-coffee-with-developers-maria-apazoglou-making-ai-understandable-for-all-in-production) - [Making Data Warehouses Fast: A Developer’s Story](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/107-making-data-warehouses-fast-a-developer-s-story) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift)