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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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 expert knowledge of Java, including its standard library for concurrency and data structures, as well as familiarity with HNSW and IVF algorithms. Candidates should have experience with data storage technologies like Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra. The role focuses on the specific domain of vector similarity information retrieval to provide high speed and relevance in search results while collaborating within a globally distributed team environment.

What does a Software Engineer earn in Remote?

Median $204500 from 415 postings across 57 companies.

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Skills

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

What you'll do

Lead initiatives to develop and improve the Elasticsearch vector database offering for speed and relevance.
Design and implement new vector search features while enhancing existing functionality.
Develop, debug, and optimize core Java code for the Elasticsearch platform.
Create or implement novel algorithms and data structures to solve complex technical challenges.
Serve as a subject matter expert on vector similarity implementation for internal teams.
Manage community interactions by triaging and resolving issues and pull requests.
Drive projects from inception to completion, including both technical design and component development.

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, vector databases, and algorithms like HNSW or IVF at scale.
Strong skills in core Java, including standard library data structures, concurrency constructs, and lambdas.
Proven ability to work autonomously and lead projects from technical design through completion.
Experience using various data storage technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra.
Demonstrated track record of using AI tools to accelerate development, debug systems, and optimize code.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills for collaborating in a distributed team environment.
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