Cloud Kafka Engineer

About the role

At Bitpanda, we simplify wealth creation to help people build financial freedom for today and the future. Founded in 2014 in Vienna, Austria, we operate as one of Europe's safest and most secure platforms, serving more than 7 million customers globally. We invest in technologies and talent that enable first-time investors and seasoned experts to trade cryptocurrencies, crypto indices, stocks*, precious metals, and commodities* with any budget, 24/7. Our cloud-based messaging infrastructure plays a critical role in this mission, ensuring reliable, scalable, and secure communication across our platform.

The Cloud Kafka Engineer role is focused on designing, developing, and evolving our cloud-based messaging systems with a primary emphasis on scaling and automation for high-availability environments. You will take full ownership of the Confluent Kafka deployment, proactively identifying bottlenecks, optimizing configurations, and collaborating closely with cross-functional engineering teams to tune applications for performance and reliability. You will design, develop, and rigorously test backup and disaster recovery processes to ensure they are robust, reproducible, and aligned with business continuity objectives. You will build scalable, robust solutions for complex technical challenges, ensuring infrastructure design aligns with best practices and long-term platform goals while supporting the broader product vision. You will actively promote engineering excellence by contributing to team knowledge sharing, mentoring peers, and driving continuous process improvements across the Kafka ecosystem.

What you'll do

• Design, develop and evolve our cloud-based messaging systems with a focus on scaling and automation.
• Take ownership of the Confluent Kafka deployment - proactively identify bottlenecks, improve configurations, and work with other engineering teams to tune applications.
• Design, develop and test backup and disaster recovery processes to ensure they are robust and reproducible.
• Build scalable, robust solutions for complex technical challenges, ensuring infrastructure design aligns with best practices and long-term platform goals.
• Promote engineering excellence and contribute to team knowledge sharing and process improvements.
• Implement infrastructure monitoring and alerting strategies to ensure end-to-end visibility of Kafka clusters and dependent services.
• Collaborate with product and data engineering teams to define integration patterns and ensure reliable message delivery across microservices.
• Optimize cloud resource utilization and cost efficiency for Kafka workloads without compromising performance or resilience.
• Participate in on-call rotations to support production incidents and ensure rapid resolution of critical issues.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and propose enhancements to the Kafka ecosystem that align with platform scalability and security requirements.
• Partner with security and compliance teams to ensure infrastructure designs meet regulatory and organizational standards.
• Document architectural decisions, operational procedures, and troubleshooting guides to support maintainability and handovers.

Requirements

• 3+ years of hands-on experience building and managing Kafka deployments; experience with Confluent Kafka is a plus.
• Solid experience in AWS-based infrastructure (EC2, VPC, IAM, RDS, KMS, etc.).
• Expertise in Docker, Kubernetes, and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• (Nice to have) Experience with other messaging solutions.
• Proven experience deploying, maintaining, and scaling critical cloud infrastructure components in production environments.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems principles, messaging patterns, and event-driven architectures.
• Demonstrated ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment with cross-functional stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to translate technical concepts to diverse audiences.
• Commitment to following best practices for security, observability, and reliability in cloud-native environments.
• Willingness to engage in continuous learning and share insights with the engineering community.

What's in it for you

• Flexibility to work where you thrive - Enjoy the freedom of our Hybrid working model, combining onsite collaboration and remote work, with an additional 25 days per year to work from a city or country of your choice.
• Reward for your impact - Receive a competitive total compensation package aligned with Bitpanda's pay-for-impact policy, including participation in our stock option plan.
• Support for your mental wellbeing - Access confidential coaching, counselling, and mental health resources whenever you need them through OpenUP.
• Time to recharge - On top of your standard annual leave, prioritize your wellbeing with 3 additional days of paid time off to rest, reset, and recharge, available once you've been with us for 6 months.
• Comprehensive benefits including private health insurance, subscription to the Bitpanda Pass, and access to our People Academy for continuous development.
• A global, diverse team environment with opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration and career growth within a rapidly scaling fintech company.

Nice to have

• (Nice to have) Experience with other messaging solutions.

Practical notes

This role is based in Vienna, Austria, and operates within a hybrid working model that combines onsite collaboration and remote work. Candidates will have access to an additional 25 days per year to work from a city or country of their choice, subject to business needs. The position may require participation in on-call rotations and availability to respond to production incidents outside standard working hours. Travel requirements are limited to internal team meetings, partner engagements, or occasional industry events, as determined by business needs. Visa sponsorship may be considered for eligible candidates in accordance with local regulations and company policies.