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Senior Software Developer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch

Elastic· Platform - Elasticsearch
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Hybrid (Canada)CA$128.3k - CA$203kfull-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Senior Software Developer on the Elasticsearch - Search Relevance team, focusing on delivering a robust and feature-rich search experience, including improvements to Lucene-related search capabilities and vector search features.

Responsibilities

  • Lead initiatives within Elasticsearch to produce an industry-leading search engine offering, supplying unparalleled speed and relevance in search.
  • Contribute to Elasticsearch full time, building new search features and fixing intriguing bugs, including designing new algorithms or data structures when needed.
  • Work with a globally distributed team focused on the vector search capabilities of Elasticsearch.
  • Be an expert on Elasticsearch search relevance, identifying and driving improvements based on questions and instincts.
  • Collaborate with community members on issues and pull requests, triaging or handling them where appropriate.
  • Write idiomatic modern Java; Elasticsearch is 99.8% Java.

Qualifications

  • Professional experience with search or vector databases, and experience with HNSW, IVF, or other relevant algorithms and libraries at scale.
  • Solid skills in core Java and familiarity with standard data structures, concurrency constructs, and features like lambdas.
  • Ability to work autonomously and guide projects from conception through delivery, including technical design and cross-team collaboration.
  • Experience developing collaboratively and providing/receiving feedback on code, APIs, and approaches (asynchronous collaboration is a plus).
  • Experience with multiple data storage technologies (e.g., Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra) and understanding how they work.
  • Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debugging complex systems, and optimizing code while owning the final outcomes.
  • Ability to collaborate across functions and transition between projects, codebases, or teams based on business priorities.
  • Autonomy in driving decisions and results in a distributed team via asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication.

Skills

Required:Search relevanceJavaAlgorithm designVector databasesCollaboration/communication

Benefits

  • Stock program eligibility
  • Company-matched RRSP with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings
  • Competitive pay
  • Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
  • Flexible locations and schedules for many roles
  • Generous vacation days
  • Donations matching up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent)
  • Up to 40 hours per year for volunteer projects
  • Parental leave with a minimum of 16 weeks
Last updated Sep 3, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.
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