Principal Software Engineer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch @Elastic

Overview

Elastic, the Search AI Company, is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join the Elasticsearch - Search team. This globally distributed team focuses on delivering a robust and feature-rich search experience, with a particular emphasis on enhancing vector similarity search functionality within Elasticsearch.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead initiatives within Elasticsearch to produce an industry-leading vector database offering, ensuring unparalleled speed and relevance in search.
• Contribute to Elasticsearch by building new search features and resolving intriguing bugs while improving code maintainability.
• Collaborate with a globally distributed team of experienced engineers on vector search capabilities.
• Serve as an expert on vector similarity support for search relevance, providing guidance and improvements in this domain.
• Engage with community members on various issues and pull requests, either triaging or directly handling them.
• Write idiomatic modern Java, as Elasticsearch is predominantly developed in Java.

Requirements

• Professional experience with vector similarity, vector databases, and relevant algorithms such as HNSW or IVF.
• Strong skills in core Java and familiarity with data structures and concurrency constructs.
• Ability to work autonomously, guiding projects from conception to completion.
• Experience in collaborative development, including giving and receiving code feedback, especially in asynchronous environments.
• Familiarity with various data storage technologies like Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Proven ability to leverage AI for development acceleration and code optimization.
• Capability to collaborate across functions and manage transitions between different projects effectively.

Benefits

• Competitive pay based on work contributions.
• Health coverage for employees and families in many locations.
• Flexible work locations and schedules for many roles.
• Generous vacation days each year.
• Financial matching for donations and service projects up to $2000.
• Up to 40 hours each year for volunteering activities.
• A minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.

Location

This role can be performed remotely from Switzerland.

How to Apply

Please submit your application through the company’s careers page.