Senior Software Engineer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch

ABOUT THE ROLE Elastic is building the world’s most powerful search and AI platform, used by more than half of the Fortune 500 to unlock insights from structured and unstructured data at scale. The Senior Software Engineer – Vector Search will join the Elasticsearch – Search Relevance team, a globally distributed group of experts focused on delivering an industry‑leading search experience. In this role you will shape the technical direction of vector‑based search capabilities, influence product strategy, and help bring cutting‑edge relevance features to millions of customers around the world. WHAT YOU’LL DO You will lead the design and implementation of new vector search features, from algorithm research to production‑grade code. You will collaborate closely with data scientists, product managers, and other core Elasticsearch teams to define feature requirements, prototype solutions, and iterate on performance and scalability. You will own the end‑to‑end lifecycle of high‑impact search features, including writing tests, conducting code reviews, and ensuring robust documentation. You will investigate and resolve complex bugs that affect search relevance and latency, often requiring low‑level optimizations and deep knowledge of Lucene internals. You will mentor junior engineers, share best practices, and contribute to the open‑source community by reviewing and merging pull requests. You will also participate in architecture discussions, helping to set the roadmap for future vector‑search enhancements and ensuring alignment with Elastic’s overall search strategy. WHAT YOU’LL NEED You have 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 3 years focused on search, information retrieval, or large‑scale data processing. You are proficient in Java and familiar with the Lucene codebase, and you have a strong background in algorithm design, data structures, and performance tuning. Experience building or optimizing vector‑search engines, similarity metrics, or ANN libraries is essential. You possess excellent problem‑solving skills, a deep understanding of distributed systems, and the ability to write clean, maintainable, and well‑tested code. You are comfortable working asynchronously across time zones, communicating clearly through written documentation, code reviews, and video calls. You thrive in a culture of ownership, continuous improvement, and open collaboration, and you enjoy contributing to open‑source projects. WHY REMOTE Elastic’s distributed culture is intentional and deliberate. Teams collaborate across continents using email, GitHub, Zoom, and Slack, enabling a flexible, asynchronous workflow that respects personal schedules while delivering rapid, high‑quality software. Remote work empowers engineers to choose environments that maximize focus and creativity, whether that means a home office, a co‑working space, or a café. The company provides the tools and support necessary to stay connected, including high‑speed VPN, collaboration software, and a culture that values clear communication and shared ownership of outcomes. BENEFITS Elastic offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes competitive health, dental, and vision coverage; a generous paid time off policy; a remote work stipend for home‑office equipment; and a learning budget for courses, conferences, and certifications. Additional perks include flexible work hours, parental leave, wellness programs, and a culture of continuous learning and career growth.