Azure Kafka SME / Azure Confluent Architect

Experience: 8+ Years

Location: Remote

Employment Type: Contract / C2H

Role Type: SME / Solution Architect

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced Azure Kafka SME / Solution Architect with strong hands-on expertise in Apache Kafka and proven experience designing and migrating Kafka environments to Microsoft Azure . The resource will assess the existing on-premises Kafka landscape and define the most suitable Azure-based target architecture and migration strategy for DHL.

Key Responsibilities

- Review the existing on-premises Apache Kafka environment , including brokers, topics, partitions, replication, producers, consumers, integrations, and dependencies.
- Assess and recommend the most appropriate Azure-based Kafka platform, including:
- Confluent Cloud on Azure
- Apache Kafka on Azure IaaS/VMs
- Azure Event Hubs with Kafka protocol
- Other suitable migration approaches where applicable.
- Define a comprehensive Kafka-to-Azure migration strategy , covering connectivity, data replication/mirroring, coexistence, cutover, and rollback.
- Evaluate security, networking, high availability, disaster recovery, performance, scalability, and monitoring requirements.
- Analyze and compare the cost, operational model, scalability, and support requirements of shortlisted Azure solutions.
- Recommend the best-fit target solution based on technical, operational, and business requirements.
- Develop target architecture, migration roadmap, implementation approach, effort estimates, and scope .
- Support presales and solutioning teams with technical discussions, architecture presentations, estimations,



and customer engagements.
- Identify migration risks, dependencies, technical challenges, and mitigation strategies.

Must-Have Skills
- Strong hands-on experience with Apache Kafka administration, architecture, troubleshooting, and migration.
- Proven experience with Microsoft Azure architecture and cloud migration projects .
- Strong understanding of Kafka components including brokers, topics, partitions, replication, producers, consumers, Kafka Connect, and integrations .
- Experience designing Kafka migration and modernization strategies from on-premises to Azure.
- Strong knowledge of Azure networking, security, HA/DR, monitoring, scalability, and connectivity .
- Ability to evaluate and compare different Kafka deployment models and provide architecture recommendations.
- Strong experience in solution architecture, technical assessment, effort estimation, and presales support .

Positive to Have
- Experience with Confluent Cloud on Azure .
- Experience with Azure Event Hubs and Kafka protocol support .
- Knowledge of Kafka MirrorMaker / data replication and migration tools .
- Experience with hybrid/on-premises-to-Azure connectivity and coexistence architectures.
- Relevant Azure or Confluent certifications .
- Strong stakeholder communication and customer-facing experience.

Key Deliverables
- Current-state Kafka assessment.
- Azure target architecture recommendation.
- Migration strategy and roadmap.
- Architecture and solution design.
- Cost and operational comparison.
- Migration effort estimation and implementation scope.
- Risk, dependency, cutover, and rollback strategy.
- Presales/customer solutioning support.

📌 Azure Kafka SME Architect (14+Years) (India)
🏢 MindBrain
📍 India