Overview As a Principal Software Engineer on the Elasticsearch - Search team, you’ll lead the development of vector search capabilities at scale. You’ll shape a high-performance vector database experience, contribute to core search features, and drive architectural innovations. You’ll collaborate with a global team, mentor peers, and engage with the community to deliver fast, reliable search powered by AI. This role offers meaningful impact by advancing vector similarity technology in a widely used platform. Compensaciones / Ventajas * competitive pay * health coverage for you and family * flexible locations and schedules * generous vacation days * donation matching * parental leave Responsabilidades * Lead initiatives to deliver an industry-leading vector database with fast, relevant search * Contribute to Elasticsearch features, implement new search capabilities,
and fix complex bugs * Invent or adapt algorithms and data structures; optimize near hardware and OS boundaries * Collaborate with a globally distributed team on vector search capabilities * Become the go-to expert on vector similarity within Elasticsearch and drive improvements * Triager and manage community issues and PRs, sometimes handling tasks independently * Write idiomatic Java to maintain and evolve the codebase Requisitos principales * Experience implementing novel vector similarity techniques on large-scale search platforms * Proficiency in vector similarity and vector databases; exposure to HNSW, IVF, or related algorithms * Strong core Java skills, data structures, concurrency, and modern features like lambdas * Autonomous with end-to-end project ownership and cross-functional collaboration * Experience with distributed collaboration and open source practices * Familiarity with multiple data storage technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra) * Excellent verbal and written communication; collaborative and respectful working style * Proven track record applying AI to accelerate development and optimize systems * collaborative * effective communicator * adaptable to asynchronous work * vector similarity * vector databases * HNSW