Principal Software Engineer, Vector Search, Elasticsearch

Elastic

Confirmed live 2 days ago Low trust

Remote

Quick summary

Work type: Remote
Location: Remote
Salary: $159,800–$252,800 / yr
Posted: 127 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live 2 days ago

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $202k

This role $206k

$130k most similar roles pay here $266k

This role pays more than 50% of similar roles. Most pay $172,225–$231,000 — the shaded band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $206k versus about $202k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About Elastic

Elastic is the company behind Elasticsearch and the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, and Logstash). It sells search, observability, and security products built on that search engine, primarily through its Elastic Cloud managed service.

Elastic currently has 240 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $133,100–$210,600 across 91 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Principal Software Engineer, Vector Search, Elasticsearch

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Principal Software Engineer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch joins the Elasticsearch search team to enhance vector similarity search functionality. This role involves designing and implementing new features, improving existing capabilities, and resolving bugs within the Lucene-based search experience. The engineer will lead initiatives to build a premier vector database offering, potentially inventing new algorithms or data structures while working closely with hardware and operating systems. Key technical requirements include expert proficiency in Java, including its standard library of data structures and concurrency constructs, alongside experience with HNSW and IVF algorithms. Candidates should have a background in vector similarity on large-scale search platforms and familiarity with technologies like Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra. The role focuses on solving complex problems regarding search relevance and performance within the specialized domain of vector similarity information retrieval for high-scale data.

What does a Software Engineer earn in Remote?

Median $204500 from 415 postings across 57 companies.

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Skills

Elasticsearch Java Vector Similarity Lucene HNSW IVF PostgreSQL MongoDB Cassandra Solr GitHub Data Structures Algorithms Open Source

What you'll do

Lead initiatives to develop an industry-leading vector database offering with high speed and relevance.
Design and implement new vector search features and improvements to existing functionality within Elasticsearch.
Develop and optimize core Java code while creating new algorithms or data structures as needed.
Serve as a subject matter expert on vector similarity implementation for the internal engineering team.
Manage community interactions by triaging, resolving, and handling pull requests from global users.
Resolve complex bugs and improve code maintainability within the Elasticsearch codebase.
Drive technical designs and project lifecycles independently while collaborating with distributed teams.

What we're looking for

You must have implemented novel techniques in vector similarity on a search platform or progressed academic research in the field.
You must have professional experience with vector similarity and vector databases using HNSW, IVF, or other relevant algorithms at scale.
You must possess strong skills in core Java, including the standard library of data structures and concurrency constructs.
You must be able to work autonomously to lead projects from technical design through completion in a distributed team.
You must have excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaborating across functions and teams.
You must have a proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debug systems, and optimize code.
Experience with Elasticsearch, open source projects, or designing cross-functional initiatives is preferred.
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