Integration Architect – Kafka

About the role

We are seeking an Integration Architect with deep expertise in Kafka to lead the design and delivery of an enterprise‑wide integration strategy for a major transformation programme. The role is hands‑on, shaping a modern event‑driven ecosystem while mentoring a high‑performing integration engineering team.

Key responsibilities

• Define and own the enterprise integration strategy across multiple business domains.
• Design a scalable, event‑driven architecture with Kafka as the core messaging platform.
• Establish integration patterns, architectural standards and governance frameworks.
• Build and scale an integration engineering capability, providing technical leadership and mentorship.
• Design resilient micro‑services using domain‑driven design principles.
• Lead architecture for APIs, messaging, streaming and asynchronous communication.
• Drive adoption of API‑first and event‑first development practices.
• Produce architecture artefacts such as target‑state diagrams, roadmaps and technical standards.

Required profile

• Proven experience creating and delivering enterprise integration strategies.
• Extensive background in event‑driven architectures and Kafka.
• Strong commercial experience with Java and Spring Boot.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams and manage senior stakeholders.

Required skills

• Kafka
• Java
• Spring Boot
• Microservices architecture
• Domain‑driven design
• REST / API‑first design
• AWS cloud platform
• CI/CD pipelines
• Cloud‑native development
• Event sourcing and messaging patterns

What we offer

• Competitive daily rate of £600 (outside IR35).
• Six‑month contract with potential extension.
• Hybrid working – four days onsite in London.