Associate Principal Engineer (Integration Lead- ESB & Kafka)

Requirements Experience : 9+ years Strong experience in enterprise integration, with strong hands-on expertise in Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and Apache Kafka. Strong understanding of integration architecture, messaging patterns, event-driven integration, and enterprise integration best practices. Proven experience leading technical teams, providing hands-on technical guidance, and managing day-to-day delivery execution. Experience partnering closely with client management, including Deputy Managers and Managers, to drive delivery quality and operational alignment. Strong expertise in code reviews, technical specification reviews, documentation standards, and integration quality assurance. Demonstrated ability to manage project timelines, track deliverables, identify risks, resolve technical blockers, and drive issue escalation. Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present status updates and communicate risks effectively to client stakeholders. Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, and stakeholder management skills. Ability to take ownership of integration workstreams and maintain transparency, accountability, and delivery discipline. Experience with Workato integration technology is a significant advantage. Responsibilities Lead integration workstreams involving Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) and Apache Kafka, ensuring high-quality delivery across development, build, and support activities. Work closely with the clients Deputy Manager to align daily priorities, project objectives, delivery plans, and operational expectations. Maintain complete visibility of ongoing tasks, track action items, follow up on deliverables, and ensure timely completion within agreed project timelines. Act as the technical subject matter expert, providing hands-on guidance to developers, resolving technical challenges, and preventing delivery bottlenecks. Establish and enforce high standards for code quality, technical documentation, integration reliability, and development best practices. Review technical specification documents to ensure compliance with client’s quality standards and project requirements. Monitor daily execution, track milestones, identify delivery risks, and implement proactive mitigation measures. Serve as the primary communication bridge between the integration delivery team and client management. Provide accurate and structured daily status updates covering task progress, milestones, dependencies, blockers, and risks. Maintain transparent communication with stakeholders by promptly highlighting technical challenges, bottlenecks, and potential delivery issues. Proactively escalate critical issues with recommended solutions to facilitate timely decision-making and stakeholder alignment. Lead and support technical teams, ensuring effective collaboration, accountability, and adherence to delivery commitments. Contribute to integration development, build, maintenance, and production support activities as required. Build strong working relationships with client stakeholders and internal teams to ensure smooth execution and continuous improvement. Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, Information Technology, or a related field.