Senior Software Developer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch

ABOUT THE ROLE Elastic is the Search AI Company that powers the real‑time discovery of information for more than half of the Fortune 500. As a Senior Software Developer on the Search Relevance team, you will shape the next generation of Elasticsearch, driving both speed and relevance for millions of users worldwide. You will work with a globally distributed group of engineers to design, implement, and refine algorithms that power vector search, ranking, and ranking‑based ranking signals, ensuring that Elastic remains the industry leader in search technology. WHAT YOU'LL DO You will lead initiatives that deliver industry‑leading search performance, from low‑latency query execution to advanced relevance modeling. You will design and implement new search features, refactor legacy components, and resolve complex bugs while maintaining clean, well‑documented code. You will experiment with novel data structures and algorithms, sometimes pushing close to the operating system to achieve critical performance gains. You will collaborate with cross‑functional teams—product, data science, and infrastructure—to translate business goals into technical solutions. You will mentor junior engineers, conduct rigorous code reviews, and champion best practices across the distributed team. You will own the technical direction for vector search capabilities, continuously evaluating and integrating state‑of‑the‑art techniques. WHAT YOU'LL NEED You have at least five years of professional software development experience, with deep expertise in search technologies such as Lucene or Elasticsearch. You are proficient in one or more of Java, C++, or Go, and you have a strong grasp of distributed systems, concurrency, and performance tuning. You can design and implement efficient algorithms and data structures for large‑scale data processing. You have a proven track record of delivering high‑quality, production‑grade code in a fast‑paced environment. You are comfortable writing unit, integration, and performance tests, and you value code clarity and maintainability. Excellent communication skills enable you to articulate complex ideas to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders. You thrive in an async, globally distributed culture and are self‑motivated, proactive, and collaborative. WHY REMOTE Elastic’s distributed culture is intentional: we hire the best talent regardless of location and empower engineers to work independently while staying connected through email, GitHub, Zoom, and Slack. Our asynchronous workflows and flexible schedules allow you to balance personal commitments with professional excellence. You will contribute to a product that serves customers around the world, and you will have the autonomy to schedule your work around your own peak productivity times. The remote model also fosters a diverse, inclusive environment where ideas can flourish without geographic constraints. BENEFITS Elastic offers comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents. You receive generous paid time off, a remote work stipend, and a learning budget to support continuous growth. Equity participation aligns your success with the company’s long‑term vision. Additional perks include wellness programs, mental health resources, and a culture that values work‑life balance.