Overview As a Principal Software Engineer on the Elasticsearch - Search team, you drive the vector search capabilities that power fast, relevance-driven results. You will design and implement new vector features, improve existing functionality, and resolve complex bugs within a globally distributed team. You’ll work closely with engineers, contribute to performance and scalability, and influence the direction of vector search in Elasticsearch. This is a high-impact role that combines algorithmic innovation with practical systems work. Compensaciones / Ventajas * competitive pay * health coverage * flexible locations and schedules * generous vacation days * donation matching * volunteer hours Responsabilidades * Lead initiatives to deliver a leading vector database experience with fast, relevant search * Contribute to Elasticsearch features and bug fixes,
designing new algorithms or data structures when needed * Collaborate with a globally distributed team focused on vector search capabilities * Serve as a subject-matter expert on vector similarity in Elasticsearch and support the wider team * Triage and handle community issues and pull requests, sometimes independently * Write idiomatic Java focused on performance and maintainability Requisitos principales * Experience with vector similarity and vector databases; hands-on use of HNSW, IVF, or similar algorithms at scale * Strong Java skills and familiarity with standard data structures, concurrency, and modern features like lambdas * Ability to own projects end-to-end, from technical design to collaboration with engineers * Experience with distributed collaboration and asynchronous communication * Experience with data storage technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra * Excellent verbal and written communication; collaborative and respectful working style * Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development and optimize code, while owning outcomes * Ability to navigate multiple projects and teams based on priorities * collaborative * autonomous * strong communication * vector similarity * vector databases * HNSW