Senior Software Engineer – Search Algorithms

About the role

Elastic is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the globally‑distributed Elasticsearch Search Relevance team. You will help shape the technical direction of our search engine, building new features, improving relevance, and tackling challenging bugs.

Key responsibilities

• Lead initiatives to deliver industry‑leading speed and relevance in Elasticsearch.
• Design and implement new search algorithms, data structures, and enhancements to vector search capabilities.
• Collaborate with a worldwide team on pull requests, issue triage, and community interactions.
• Write idiomatic modern Java code and contribute to the Lucene codebase.

Required profile

• Professional experience with search or vector databases and algorithms such as HNSW or IVF.
• Strong core Java skills, including concurrency constructs and lambda expressions.
• Ability to work autonomously, drive projects from design to delivery, and collaborate asynchronously across time zones.
• Experience with multiple data storage technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra).

Required skills

• Java
• Elasticsearch
• Lucene
• Vector search algorithms (HNSW, IVF)
• Core Java concurrency and lambda features
• Solr
• PostgreSQL
• MongoDB
• Cassandra

What we offer

• Competitive pay based on performance
• Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
• Flexible location and schedule
• Generous vacation days
• Up to $2,000 matching for charitable donations
• Volunteer time off and parental leave benefits