Principal Software Engineer – Search Infrastructure (Elasticsearch)

About the role

Elastic is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the Search Infra team for Elasticsearch. The role focuses on defining, directing, and building the next generation of core search capabilities in a globally distributed environment.

Key responsibilities

• Define, lead, and contribute to the evolution of core search and indexing capabilities.
• Research advances in search infrastructure, data structures, and retrieval algorithms.
• Collaborate with partners and product teams to shape the long‑term technical vision for search at Elastic.
• Drive the roadmap for Elasticsearch’s indexing, query execution, and relevance layers.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading technical projects in search infrastructure and distributed systems.
• Experience mentoring expert engineers and providing technical guidance.
• Ability to define a long‑term technical vision for core search or retrieval systems across teams.

Required skills

• Search and indexing technologies such as Elasticsearch, Lucene, or Solr.
• Strong core Java skills, including advanced data structures, concurrency, and lambda expressions.
• Experience with large‑scale search systems and distributed storage engines.

What we offer

• Competitive pay based on the work you do.
• Health coverage for you and your family in many locations.
• Flexible location and schedule options.
• Generous vacation days each year.
• Matching donations up to $2000 and up to 40 hours of volunteer time annually.
• Minimum 16 weeks of parental leave.