At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and implement a distributed control plane for Confluent Cloud offerings.
- Company: Join IBM Software, a leader in AI-powered, cloud-native solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, health benefits, and opportunities for continuous learning.
- Other info: Collaborative environment with a focus on innovation and career growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on digital transformation with cutting-edge technologies.
- Qualifications: Strong software design skills and experience with Kubernetes and programming languages.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
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.
As a Software Engineer, Cloud Control Plane, you will be designing and implementing a distributed control plane used by product teams to manage the lifecycle of their Confluent Cloud offerings. We are a tightly knit group with a fairly mature Agile process running a very mild version of the XP playbook - we care a lot about clear communication, a good degree of task breakdown and a whole lot of pairing with other engineers. We pride ourselves in how we get stuff done - our process is light on red tape and heavy on collaboration - we will give you the authority and autonomy to make decisions.
What You Will Do
- Delve deep into the Kubernetes framework - we have K8S contributors working with us internally
- Provision infrastructure using a mixture of Terraform and internal tooling and deploy your changes using Helm
- Thrive working iteratively in a fast-paced Scrum environment where you'll use our product and be very much DevOps driven
- You’ll be expected to not only ship code but also operate and support it before and after release - that includes having a deep understanding of what your code will run on
Required Technical And Professional Expertise
- Strong software design and implementation skills in building infrastructure frameworks
- Deep expertise in building distributed systems
- Experience with one or more of these programming languages - Go, C++, Java, or Python
- Experience in a full project lifecycle starting from zero lines of code to operating, observing and supporting a product as part of an on-call rota
- Solid understanding of Kubernetes and Docker
Preferred Technical And Professional Experience
- Experience in building control planes (virtualization, software-defined networking/storage)
- Experience building APIs - both RESTful and gRPC-based
- Familiarity with infra such as networking, storage, and security in data centres
- Hands-on experience with Kubernetes operators, Helm, or StatefulSets
- Open source contributions to Kubernetes sigs or adjacent projects
- Experience with PBT, TDD, and pair programming.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Software Engineer - Confluent
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at IBM or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to IBM.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like IBM.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like IBM that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Software Engineer - Confluent
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at IBM.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at IBM and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at IBM
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If IBM uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
