Principal Software Engineer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch

Elastic
Switzerland
Full timeFunction: Software EngineeringSkills: ["Autonomy","Collaboration","Communication","Code review","Cross-functional collaboration"]

Lead initiatives to enhance Elasticsearch’s vector similarity search and deliver an industry-leading vector database experience. Build and improve vector search features, resolve complex bugs, and make the codebase easier to understand while collaborating with a globally distributed team. You’ll own technical direction in vector similarity, design algorithms/data structures when needed, and contribute to modern Java implementations at large scale with community involvement.

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FursaFursa
Elastic
Elastic
2 days ago

Principal Software Engineer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch

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Source: Company careers pageValidated by: Fursa AI
Last checked: 5 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead initiatives to enhance Elasticsearch’s vector similarity search and deliver an industry-leading vector database experience. Build and improve vector search features, resolve complex bugs, and make the codebase easier to understand while collaborating with a globally distributed team. You’ll own technical direction in vector similarity, design algorithms/data structures when needed, and contribute to modern Java implementations at large scale with community involvement.
Location: Switzerland
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: Software Engineering
Seniority: Mid level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Lead initiatives to deliver an industry-leading vector database and improve speed and relevance in Elasticsearch search.
  • •Build new vector search features and enhance existing functionality, including resolving complex bugs.
  • •Collaborate with a globally distributed team focused on vector search capabilities and Elasticsearch relevance.
  • •Act as an expert for vector similarity implementation in Elasticsearch, driving improvements based on questions and instincts.
  • •Engage with community members on issues and pull requests, sometimes triaging and sometimes handling directly, and contribute idiomatic modern Java code.

Pay and Benefits

Perks:Health InsurancePaid LeaveParental LeaveVolunteer Time

Key Requirements

  • •Implement novel techniques in vector similarity for a search platform with a large user base or contribute to academic vector similarity research.
  • •Use vector similarity and vector databases at scale, including algorithms/libraries such as HNSW or IVF.
  • •Strong core Java skills, including data structures and concurrency constructs (e.g., lambdas).
  • •Ability to take projects end-to-end, combining technical design with collaboration to develop needed components.
  • •Work with data storage technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra) and understand how/why they work.
Experience:Vector searchVector databasesSearch platformsAI
Skills:AutonomyCollaborationCommunicationCode reviewCross-functional collaboration
Languages:English
Tech Stack:ElasticsearchLuceneJavaHNSWIVFSolrPostgreSQLMongoDBCassandraGitHubZoomSlack

Company Brief

Elastic
Builds the Elastic Stack (Elasticsearch, Kibana, Beats, Logstash) and provides search, observability, and security solutions that enable organizations to search, analyze, and protect data in real time across applications, infrastructure, and enterprises.
Industry: Data Infrastructure
Company Size: Enterprise (1,001+ employees)
Revenue: USD 1B+
Growth: Public Company
Valuation: Public Company (Market Cap in USD)
Funding: IPO / Publicly Listed
Headquarters: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Founded: 2012
WebsiteLinkedIn