Senior Software Engineer - Search Relevance in ES|QL - Elasticsearch

Stack

Responsibilities

• ▹Lead initiatives within Elasticsearch to deliver an industry-leading search engine with unmatched speed and relevance
• ▹Build new search features and fix bugs full-time within the Elasticsearch codebase
• ▹Invent or implement new algorithms and data structures, sometimes working close to the operating system and hardware
• ▹Collaborate with a globally distributed team of engineers focused on vector search capabilities
• ▹Become an expert on Elasticsearch search relevance and drive improvements based on your own instincts and findings
• ▹Work with community members on issues and pull requests, triaging or resolving them directly
• ▹Write modern, idiomatic Java (Elasticsearch is 99.8% Java)

Requirements

• ▹Professional experience with search or vector databases, including HNSW, IVF, or similar algorithms and libraries at scale
• ▹Strong core Java skills, familiar with the standard library's data structures, concurrency constructs, and features like lambdas
• ▹Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, taking projects from design through delivery in collaboration with other engineers
• ▹Comfortable with collaborative development, including giving and receiving feedback on code, approaches, and APIs, ideally in asynchronous, remote settings
• ▹Experience with several data storage technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra
• ▹Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimize code while owning the final outcomes
• ▹Ability to move fluidly across projects, codebases, or teams based on business priorities
• ▹Able to work autonomously and drive decisions in a distributed team through asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication

Nice to have

• ▹Prior experience building things with Elasticsearch
• ▹Experience with open source projects and familiarity with different source control and CI workflows
• ▹Experience with data storage technology
• ▹Experience designing, leading, and owning cross-functional initiatives

Soft skills

What we offer

• ▹Competitive pay based on the work you do here, not your previous salary
• ▹Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
• ▹Flexible locations and schedules for many roles
• ▹Generous number of vacation days each year
• ▹Company matches financial donations and volunteer service dollar-for-dollar, up to $2000
• ▹Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects
• ▹Minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave

About the company

Elastic, the Search AI Company, builds the Elastic Search AI Platform used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, offering cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability. The company operates as a distributed, globally remote team collaborating over email, GitHub, Zoom, and Slack.