Principal Software Engineer, Vector Search, Elasticsearch

Elastic

Confirmed live 2 days ago Low trust

Remote

Quick summary

Work type: Remote
Location: Remote
Posted: 15 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live 2 days ago

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Salary context

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $201k

$130k most similar roles pay here $266k

This listing doesn't post a salary. Most similar roles pay $172,225–$230,625.

Based on 240 similar postings.

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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 an industry-leading vector database offering by developing new algorithms or data structures and managing community pull requests. Key technical requirements include proficiency in modern Java, including standard libraries for concurrency and data structures, alongside experience with HNSW and IVF algorithms. Candidates should possess expertise in vector similarity on large-scale search platforms and familiarity with technologies like Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra. The role focuses on solving the challenge of providing high speed and relevance in search results by optimizing how Elasticsearch implements vector similarity for diverse data types.

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 Open Source GitHub Data Structures Algorithms

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, optimize, and debug core Java code for the Elasticsearch platform.
Create or implement novel algorithms and data structures to improve search performance.
Serve as a subject matter expert on vector similarity implementation for internal teams.
Manage community interactions by triaging and resolving issues and pull requests from global users.
Drive technical designs and project lifecycles autonomously from inception to completion.

What we're looking for

Experience implementing novel techniques in vector similarity on search platforms or advancing academic research in the field.
Professional experience with vector similarity and vector databases using algorithms like HNSW or IVF at scale.
Proficiency in core Java, including standard libraries for data structures, concurrency constructs, and lambdas.
Ability to work autonomously to lead projects from technical design through implementation in a distributed team.
Experience using various data storage technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra.
Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debug systems, and optimize code.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaborating across functions and teams.
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