Requirements
Conditions of employment
- U.S. Citizenship required
- Selective Service Registration, if applicable (www.sss.gov)
- Fingerprinting and background and/or security investigation may be required
- Job offers are contingent on fingerprinting and background / security investigation results
- Selectees may be required to serve a 1 year probationary period
- Relocation expenses will not be paid
- All qualification requirements must be met by the closing date of the announcement
- Candidates will not be hired based on their race, sex, color, religion, or national origin.
Qualifications
Resumes exceeding two pages in length will not be considered, please visit the new resume guidance for more information.
Duties
- Design, develop, and maintain robust Kafka-based applications and data pipelines that support SSA's business operations, including the real-time or near-real-time data to AI/ML models.
- Collaborate with development, operations, and infrastructure teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-performing Kafka solutions.
- Ensure the availability, reliability, and performance of Kafka clusters and related systems.
- Work closely with architects, data engineers, and stakeholders to define requirements and deliver solutions.
- Troubleshoot and resolve issues in Kafka applications, ensuring minimal downtime and optimal performance.
- Document code, design decisions, processes, configurations, and best practices for future reference and team knowledge sharing.
- Mentor junior developers and share Kafka expertise, fostering a culture of learning and growth.
- Stay current with the latest Kafka releases, features, and ecosystem advancements.
- Perform statistical analysis to monitor team performance, improve processes, and ensure customer satisfaction.
- Define and set SLAs for projects, ensuring high standards of service delivery.
READ ALL SECTIONS OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IN ITS ENTIRETY. THIS INFORMATION IS CRUCIAL TO SUBMITTING A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION.
Applicants must qualify for the series and grade of the posted position. Experience must be IT related; the experience may be demonstrated by paid or unpaid experience and/or completion of specific, intensive training (for example, IT certification), as appropriate. Your resume must provide sufficient experience and/or education, knowledge, skills, abilities, and proficiency of any required competencies to perform the specific position for which you are applying.
To qualify for the 2210 IT Specialist series, the applicant must demonstrate the following competencies:
- Attention to Detail - Is thorough when performing work and conscientious about attending to detail.
- Customer Service - Works with clients and customers (that is, any individuals who use or receive the services or products that your work unit produces, including the general public, individuals who work in the agency, other agencies, or organizations outside the Government) to assess their needs, provide information or assistance, resolve their problems, or satisfy their expectations; know about available products and services; and is committed to providing quality products and services.
- Oral Communication - Expresses information (for example, ideas or facts) to individuals or groups effectively, taking into account the audience and nature of the information (for example, technical, sensitive, controversial); makes clear and convincing oral presentations; listens to others, attends to nonverbal cues, and responds appropriately.
- Problem Solving - Identifies problems; determines accuracy and relevance of information; uses sound judgment to generate and evaluate alternatives, and to make recommendations.
Minimum Qualifications: Grade 14 To qualify at the GS-14 level, you must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-13 level, or equivalent,
designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, fault-tolerant data pipelines using Apache Kafka; managing and administering Kafka clusters throughout the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including upgrades and patching; leading large-scale projects, serving as a Product Owner or Agile/Scrum team lead; demonstrating strong programming skills in Java, with Python experience as a plus; utilizing Kafka APIs (Producer, Consumer, Streams, Connect) for event-driven and microservices-based solutions; applying knowledge of serialization formats (Avro, Protobuf, JSON) and schema registry/data governance, including Hackolade for data modeling; optimizing producer/consumer performance and handling large-scale data ingestion; implementing unit and integration testing for Kafka applications; configuring and tuning Kafka clusters for performance, reliability, and scalability; monitoring and troubleshooting Kafka clusters using tools such as Prometheus and Grafana; supporting hybrid integration architecture patterns.
Minimum Qualifications: Grade 15 To qualify at the GS-15 level, you must have at least 52 weeks of specialized experience at the GS-14 level, or equivalent,
leading the design, development, and implementation of enterprise-scale, fault-tolerant data pipelines using Apache Kafka; providing expert-level management and administration of Kafka clusters throughout the Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including upgrades and patching; overseeing large-scale, cross-functional projects as a senior Product Owner or Agile/Scrum leader, ensuring alignment with organizational goals; demonstrating advanced proficiency in Java programming, with experience in Python as a plus; architecting event-driven and microservices-based solutions leveraging Kafka APIs (Producer, Consumer, Streams, Connect); establishing and enforcing best practices for serialization formats (Avro, Protobuf, JSON) and schema registry/data governance, including Hackolade for data modeling; directing the optimization of producer/consumer performance and large-scale data ingestion strategies; leading the implementation of unit and integration testing frameworks for Kafka applications; managing hybrid integration architecture patterns and ensuring reliability, scalability, and performance of Kafka clusters; overseeing monitoring and troubleshooting activities using tools such as Prometheus and Grafana; providing technical guidance and mentorship to teams on Kafka cluster setup, configuration, and tuning; ensuring compliance with organizational standards and data governance policies.
PLEASE NOTE: This specialized experience is
REQUIRED and must be explicitly documented/described in your resume, or you will be disqualified from further consideration.
Qualification standards and additional information for this position can be found here:
http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/2200/information-technology-it-management-series-2210-alternative-a/
Education
This job does not have an education qualification requirement.
Additional information
See announcement cutoff dates below under How to Apply.
Are you ready to help power the data infrastructure that serves over 330 million Americans? The Social Security Administration (SSA) is seeking passionate Kafka Engineers to join our innovative technology team. Whether you're a seasoned expert in Kafka-based applications and data pipelines or an early-career developer eager to learn and grow, this is your opportunity to work on mission-critical systems that drive the nation's most trusted digital services.
As a Kafka Engineer at SSA, you'll work with cutting-edge event streaming technologies to design, build, and maintain scalable, high-performance data pipelines. You'll collaborate with cross-functional teams, solve complex challenges, and help deliver reliable, secure, and innovative solutions that support millions of Americans every day.
If you're ready to take your career to the next level-whether you're a proven Kafka expert or an ambitious learner-apply today and help us build the future of digital government services at SSA!
Recruitment incentive may be authorized.
Outstationing may be available at the GS15 level.
Additional selections may be made for this vacancy six months from the closing date of this announcement. This Direct Hire announcement may be used to fill the same or similar position in another office.
Selective Service: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov.
As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:
- your performance and conduct;
- the needs and interests of the agency;
- whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
- whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.
Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
Review our benefits
Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
The evaluation you receive is based on your responses to the online assessment questions completed during the application process.
Please make sure you answer all questions and follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your evaluation.
Information not specifically stated in your resume cannot be assumed. Information that is copied or restated language from the vacancy announcement or rating criteria will not be considered. If this occurs, you may be found ineligible.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must submit a complete Application Package which includes:
- Your resume showing work schedule, hours worked per week, dates of employment and duties performed.
- Other documents supporting qualifications and/or preference, if applicable.
You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference.
Resumes exceeding two pages will not be considered. To be considered, your resume must:
- Clearly demonstrate your qualifications for the position
- Include your contact information
We recommend using a clear, easy-to-read format and focusing on information most relevant to the job announcement
You must also submit ALL supporting documentation by the closing date of the vacancy announcement to claim certain types of preference.
INTERAGENCY CAREER TRANSITION ASSISTANCE PLAN (ICTAP): ICTAP provides eligible displaced Federal competitive service employees with selection priority for competitive service vacancies. To receive selection priority, candidates must meet the requirements for the Well Qualified. Well-qualified is defined as having knowledge, skills, and abilities that clearly exceed the minimum qualification requirements for the position. Candidates must also provide:
- proof of eligibility with your application. Such proof may include a copy of your written notification of ICTAP eligibility or a copy of your separation Notice of Personnel Action, (SF-50); and
- proof of your most recent performance rating of at least "fully successful" (Level III) or equivalent.
For more information visit
http://www.opm.gov/rif/employee_guides/career_transition.asp.
Veteran's preference does not apply under this Direct Hire Authority for these positions.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.