Principal Software Engineer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch

About the Role

Elastic is looking for a Principal Software Engineer to join our globally-distributed Elasticsearch Search team. This role focuses on enhancing vector similarity search functionality, including the design and implementation of new features, performance optimizations, and bug resolution within Elasticsearch and Lucene.

What You Will Be Doing

• Lead Initiatives: Drive the development of an industry-leading vector database offering within Elasticsearch.
• Core Development: Contribute to the Elasticsearch codebase (99.8% Java), including inventing or implementing new algorithms and data structures.
• Technical Expertise: Serve as the subject matter expert on vector similarity and search relevance.
• Collaboration: Work with a distributed team and the open-source community to triage issues and manage pull requests.
• Performance Optimization: Work close to the hardware and operating system to ensure unparalleled speed and relevance.

What You Bring Along

• Deep Expertise: Proven experience with vector similarity, vector databases, and algorithms like HNSW or IVF on large-scale platforms.
• Java Proficiency: Strong skills in modern Java, including concurrency constructs and standard library data structures.
• Autonomy: Ability to lead projects from technical design to implementation in a distributed environment.
• Collaborative Mindset: Experience with asynchronous, distributed collaboration (GitHub, Slack, Zoom).
• System Knowledge: Familiarity with data storage technologies (e.g., PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra).
• Communication: Excellent verbal and written skills, with a focus on empathy and transparency.

Benefits

• Competitive pay based on role responsibilities.
• Flexible locations and schedules.
• Generous annual vacation policy.
• Health coverage for you and your family.
• Financial matching for donations and service.
• 40 hours of volunteer time per year.
• Minimum 16 weeks of parental leave.