Integration Engineer - IoT Java

Nihilent is seeking an experienced Azure IoT Integration Engineer to develop and implement a containerised Java application that bridges Azure Event Grid MQTT Broker with client-specific MQTT brokers. This role is critical to our global Azure IIoT Platform initiative, enabling secure, scalable telemetry data distribution to enterprise clients.

The core responsibilities for the job include the following:

Application Development:

• Design and develop a containerised Java application that subscribes to Azure Event Grid.
• The MQTT broker consumes IoT telemetry messages and publishes them to client-specific MQTT brokers.
• Implement flexible configuration management using environment variables to support multiple client deployments without code rebuilding.
• Develop functionality to optionally strip client aliases from MQTT topic names before republishing to client brokers.
• Ensure the application handles high-volume message processing (25M+ messages per month) with sub-minute latency requirements.
• Implement robust error handling, retry logic, and graceful degradation strategies.

Security and Authentication:

• Integrate X. 509 certificate-based authentication for secure MQTT connections.
• Implement Azure Key Vault integration to retrieve SSL certificates and connection credentials dynamically.
• Follow Azure Managed Identity and RBAC best practices for secure access to Azure resources.

CI/CD and DevOps:

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions or Azure DevOps.
• Implement automated build, test, and deployment processes using Maven or Gradle.
• Create and manage Docker containers with proper versioning and tagging strategies.
• Configure Azure Container Registry (ACR) integration for secure image storage and deployment.
• Develop automated unit and integration tests as part of the build pipeline.

Monitoring and Operations:

• Implement comprehensive logging to Azure Log Analytics for all application events, errors, and performance metrics.
• Develop health check endpoints and monitoring integration with Azure Monitor.
• Create alerting mechanisms for critical failures, connection issues, and message processing degradation.
• Support operational troubleshooting and performance optimisation.

Documentation and Knowledge Transfer:

• Create detailed technical documentation including architecture diagrams, configuration guides, and operational procedures.
• Document scaling strategies and capacity planning recommendations.
• Develop runbooks for common operational scenarios and incident response.
• Provide training to operations and support staff.

Requirements:

• Java Development: 5+ years of professional Java development experience with strong knowledge of Java 11 or higher.
• MQTT Protocol: Hands-on experience with MQTT (preferably MQTTv5), including publish/subscribe patterns, QoS levels, and topic filtering.
• Azure Services: Proven experience with Azure Event Grid (MQTT Broker), Azure Container Apps or Azure Web Apps for Containers, Azure Key Vault, Azure Monitor and Log Analytics, and Azure Container Registry.
• Containerisation: Strong Docker experience, including multi-stage builds, optimisation, and security best practices.
• CI/CD: Experience with GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or similar CI/CD platforms.
• Infrastructure as Code: Familiarity with ARM templates or Bicep for Azure resource deployment.

Additional Technical Competencies:

• Experience with SSL/TLS and X. 509 certificate-based authentication.
• Knowledge of Azure Managed Identities and RBAC.
• Proficiency with Git version control and branching strategies.
• Experience with Maven or Gradle build tools.
• Understanding of microservices architecture and cloud-native design patterns.
• Familiarity with time-series data and IoT telemetry processing.

Soft Skills:

• Strong problem-solving and analytical abilities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a global team environment.
• Detail-orientated with a commitment to code quality and documentation.
• Adaptable to changing requirements and emerging technologies.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Azure certifications (Azure Developer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect).
• Experience with data centre operations or SCADA systems.
• Knowledge of Ignition SCADA platform.
• Experience with Azure Data Explorer or Azure Fabric Real-Time Intelligence.
• Familiarity with Splunk or other enterprise logging platforms.
• Background in industrial IoT or building management systems (BMS/EPMS).
• Experience with multi-region cloud deployments.