Principal Software Engineer - Search Infra - Elasticsearch

About the Position

Principal Software Engineer - Search Infra - Elasticsearch

Elastic, the Search AI Company, empowers everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale. We bring together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By leveraging all structured and unstructured data - securing and protecting private information more effectively - Elastic’s complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.

Responsibilities

As a Principal Software Engineer, you will define, lead, and contribute to the evolution of core search and indexing capabilities. Your responsibilities will include:

• Researching advances in search infrastructure, data structures, and retrieval algorithms.
• Collaborating with partners and product teams to understand their needs and shape the long-term technical vision for search at Elastic.
• Driving an innovative roadmap for Elasticsearch’s indexing, query execution, and relevance layers.
• Serving as the go-to expert in several areas of Elasticsearch, continuously improving them through insights and instincts.

Requirements

• Experience leading technical projects in search infrastructure and distributed systems.
• Proven knowledge in building and operating sophisticated search platforms and engineering robust, high-performance software systems.
• Experience mentoring expert engineers, providing both technical and professional guidance.
• Defining a long-term technical vision for a core search or retrieval system, working across teams and organizations.
• Hands-on experience with search and indexing technologies such as Elasticsearch, Lucene, or Solr.
• Strong skills in core Java and familiarity with advanced data structures and concurrency constructs.
• Ability to work with a high level of autonomy, tackling projects from concept to completion.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience building things with Elasticsearch and understanding the constructs and theory behind search and information retrieval.
• Experience working with open source projects and familiar with different styles of source control workflow and continuous integration.

We Offer

• Competitive pay based on the work you do here and not your previous salary.
• Health coverage for you and your family in many locations.
• Ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles.
• Generous number of vacation days each year.
• Increase your impact - We match up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent) for financial donations and service.
• Up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects you love.
• Embracing parenthood with a minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.

About the Company

At Elastic, diversity drives our identity. We strive to have parity of benefits across regions and believe in taking care of our people. Elastic is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.

We welcome individuals with disabilities and strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals. To request an accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email [email protected]. We will reply to your request within 24 business hours of submission.

Elasticsearch develops and distributes technology and information that is subject to U.S. and other countries’ export controls and licensing requirements for individuals who are located in or are nationals of the following sanctioned countries and regions: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Russia, including the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia (The Crimea region of Ukraine, The Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), The Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), Kherson or Zaporizhzhia). If you are located in or are a national of one of the listed countries or regions, an export license may be required as a condition of your employment in this role. Please note that national origin and/or nationality do not affect eligibility for employment with Elastic.

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