Software Engineer I

About The Company
Confluent is a pioneering technology company dedicated to transforming how data moves and is utilized across organizations. Our platform enables real-time data streaming, allowing businesses to react swiftly, innovate continuously, and deliver dynamic experiences in an increasingly digital world. With a focus on building reliable, scalable, and secure data infrastructure, Confluent empowers enterprises to harness the full potential of their data assets. Our culture fosters collaboration, curiosity, and a commitment to excellence, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of data streaming technology.
About The Role
We are seeking a highly skilled Staff Software Engineer to lead the architectural vision and implementation of Internal Access Management at Confluent. This critical role involves defining and maintaining secure, scalable, and policy-driven access controls across our multi-cloud and Kubernetes environments. As a domain owner, you will collaborate closely with Security, Product, and Engineering teams to establish a robust, least-privilege access framework that supports our zero-trust security principles. Your expertise will help shape how Confluent manages workload identity, enforces access boundaries, and ensures comprehensive security auditing across all engineering systems.
Qualifications

• 10+ years of engineering experience, with at least 4 years focused on security, IAM, or distributed systems
• Deep expertise in Kubernetes, workload identity, cloud IAM (AWS, GCP, Azure), and zero-trust architectures
• Strong understanding of authentication technologies: IAM, OAuth2, OIDC, policy engines, and zero-trust principles
• Proven experience leading multi-team technical initiatives at a Staff or Senior Staff level
• Extensive knowledge of distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, container orchestration, and service mesh
• Excellent communication skills and ability to influence stakeholders across engineering and security domains

Responsibilities

• Define and drive the long-term architecture and strategic roadmap for Internal Access Management within Kubernetes and multi-cloud environments
• Design and implement least privilege, just-in-time access, and zero-trust models across Confluent services
• Develop scalable access-authorization workflows and lifecycle management systems utilizing technologies such as OPA, cloud IAM policies, workload identity, and internal enforcement engines
• Enhance security boundaries through threat modeling, defense-in-depth practices, and comprehensive access auditing capabilities
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—including Platform, Kafka, Observability, Developer Productivity, Release Engineering, and SRE—to promote secure identity and access patterns
• Mentor senior engineers, promote engineering standards, and influence architectural decisions organization-wide
• Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to stakeholders and ensure alignment across teams

Benefits

• Competitive salary range of CA$225.1K – CA$264.5K, with equity options
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Flexible remote work environment and work-from-home support
• Generous paid time off and holiday policies
• Professional development opportunities and continuous learning programs
• Employee wellness programs and work-life balance initiatives
• Participation in a forward-thinking, innovative company shaping the future of data streaming

Equal Opportunity
Confluent is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all employees and applicants are treated with respect and fairness. Employment decisions are made based on job-related criteria without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We celebrate diversity and are dedicated to creating a workplace that reflects the communities we serve.