diff --git a/misc/python/materialize/mzcompose/__init__.py b/misc/python/materialize/mzcompose/__init__.py
index bc6526c8bb0c0..23c835975efcc 100644
--- a/misc/python/materialize/mzcompose/__init__.py
+++ b/misc/python/materialize/mzcompose/__init__.py
@@ -575,6 +575,10 @@ def get_default_system_parameters(
     "storage_statistics_retention_duration",
     "enable_paused_cluster_readhold_downgrade",
     "enable_builtin_migration_schema_evolution",
+    "kafka_retry_backoff",
+    "kafka_retry_backoff_max",
+    "kafka_reconnect_backoff",
+    "kafka_reconnect_backoff_max",
 ]
 
 
diff --git a/misc/python/materialize/parallel_workload/action.py b/misc/python/materialize/parallel_workload/action.py
index 1f7f0406bf0fe..15df2ddabb8f8 100644
--- a/misc/python/materialize/parallel_workload/action.py
+++ b/misc/python/materialize/parallel_workload/action.py
@@ -1517,6 +1517,10 @@ def __init__(
             "enable_paused_cluster_readhold_downgrade",
             "enable_with_ordinality_legacy_fallback",
             "enable_builtin_migration_schema_evolution",
+            "kafka_retry_backoff",
+            "kafka_retry_backoff_max",
+            "kafka_reconnect_backoff",
+            "kafka_reconnect_backoff_max",
         ]
 
     def run(self, exe: Executor) -> bool:
diff --git a/src/storage-types/src/connections.rs b/src/storage-types/src/connections.rs
index fc82d2602c0fa..241968b49c606 100644
--- a/src/storage-types/src/connections.rs
+++ b/src/storage-types/src/connections.rs
@@ -60,7 +60,8 @@ use crate::connections::string_or_secret::StringOrSecret;
 use crate::controller::AlterError;
 use crate::dyncfgs::{
     ENFORCE_EXTERNAL_ADDRESSES, KAFKA_CLIENT_ID_ENRICHMENT_RULES,
-    KAFKA_DEFAULT_AWS_PRIVATELINK_ENDPOINT_IDENTIFICATION_ALGORITHM,
+    KAFKA_DEFAULT_AWS_PRIVATELINK_ENDPOINT_IDENTIFICATION_ALGORITHM, KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF,
+    KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF_MAX, KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF, KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX,
 };
 use crate::errors::{ContextCreationError, CsrConnectError};
 
@@ -852,6 +853,35 @@ impl KafkaConnection {
             }
         }
 
+        options.insert(
+            "retry.backoff.ms".into(),
+            KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF
+                .get(storage_configuration.config_set())
+                .as_millis()
+                .into(),
+        );
+        options.insert(
+            "retry.backoff.max.ms".into(),
+            KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX
+                .get(storage_configuration.config_set())
+                .as_millis()
+                .into(),
+        );
+        options.insert(
+            "reconnect.backoff.ms".into(),
+            KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF
+                .get(storage_configuration.config_set())
+                .as_millis()
+                .into(),
+        );
+        options.insert(
+            "reconnect.backoff.max.ms".into(),
+            KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF_MAX
+                .get(storage_configuration.config_set())
+                .as_millis()
+                .into(),
+        );
+
         let mut config = mz_kafka_util::client::create_new_client_config(
             storage_configuration
                 .connection_context
diff --git a/src/storage-types/src/dyncfgs.rs b/src/storage-types/src/dyncfgs.rs
index 058aeeea15ebd..c78c9aabe3086 100644
--- a/src/storage-types/src/dyncfgs.rs
+++ b/src/storage-types/src/dyncfgs.rs
@@ -129,6 +129,40 @@ pub const KAFKA_BUFFERED_EVENT_RESIZE_THRESHOLD_ELEMENTS: Config<usize> = Config
         most this number of elements.",
 );
 
+/// Sets retry.backoff.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.
+/// See <https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/clients/librdkafka/html/md_CONFIGURATION.html>
+pub const KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF: Config<Duration> = Config::new(
+    "kafka_retry_backoff",
+    Duration::from_millis(100),
+    "Sets retry.backoff.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.",
+);
+
+/// Sets retry.backoff.max.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.
+/// See <https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/clients/librdkafka/html/md_CONFIGURATION.html>
+pub const KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX: Config<Duration> = Config::new(
+    "kafka_retry_backoff_max",
+    Duration::from_secs(1),
+    "Sets retry.backoff.max.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.",
+);
+
+/// Sets reconnect.backoff.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.
+/// See <https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/clients/librdkafka/html/md_CONFIGURATION.html>
+pub const KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF: Config<Duration> = Config::new(
+    "kafka_reconnect_backoff",
+    Duration::from_millis(100),
+    "Sets reconnect.backoff.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.",
+);
+
+/// Sets reconnect.backoff.max.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.
+/// We default to 30s instead of 10s to avoid constant reconnection attempts in the event of
+/// auth changes or unavailability.
+/// See <https://docs.confluent.io/platform/current/clients/librdkafka/html/md_CONFIGURATION.html>
+pub const KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF_MAX: Config<Duration> = Config::new(
+    "kafka_reconnect_backoff_max",
+    Duration::from_secs(30),
+    "Sets reconnect.backoff.max.ms in librdkafka for sources and sinks.",
+);
+
 // MySQL
 
 /// Replication heartbeat interval requested from the MySQL server.
@@ -301,6 +335,10 @@ pub fn all_dyncfgs(configs: ConfigSet) -> ConfigSet {
         .add(&KAFKA_DEFAULT_AWS_PRIVATELINK_ENDPOINT_IDENTIFICATION_ALGORITHM)
         .add(&KAFKA_METADATA_FETCH_INTERVAL)
         .add(&KAFKA_POLL_MAX_WAIT)
+        .add(&KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF)
+        .add(&KAFKA_RETRY_BACKOFF_MAX)
+        .add(&KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF)
+        .add(&KAFKA_RECONNECT_BACKOFF_MAX)
         .add(&MYSQL_OFFSET_KNOWN_INTERVAL)
         .add(&MYSQL_REPLICATION_HEARTBEAT_INTERVAL)
         .add(&ORE_OVERFLOWING_BEHAVIOR)