Principal Software Engineer – Search Infrastructure

About the role

Elastic is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join the Elasticsearch Search Infra team. You will shape the next generation of core search and indexing capabilities, providing technical vision for Elasticsearch’s indexing, retrieval, and relevance layers.

Key responsibilities

• Define, lead, and contribute to the evolution of core search and indexing capabilities.
• Research advances in search infrastructure, data structures, and retrieval algorithms.
• Collaborate with product and partner teams to shape long‑term technical vision.
• Drive the roadmap for indexing, query execution, and relevance layers.
• Act as the go‑to expert for key Elasticsearch domains, continuously improving them.

Required profile

• Proven experience leading technical projects in search infrastructure and distributed systems.
• Mentoring experience, providing technical and professional guidance to senior engineers.
• Ability to define long‑term technical vision and work across multiple teams.
• Strong communication skills for collaboration across distributed teams.
• Hands‑on experience building and operating large‑scale search platforms.

Required skills

• Search and indexing technologies such as Elasticsearch, Lucene, or Solr.
• Core Java programming, including advanced data structures, concurrency constructs, and lambda expressions.
• Experience with distributed storage engines and large‑scale data systems.

What we offer

• Competitive base salary ranging from 949,500 kr to 1,502,000 kr NOK per year.
• Health coverage for you and your family in many locations.
• Flexible work locations and schedules.
• Generous vacation allowance and parental leave of at least 16 weeks.
• Donation matching up to $2,000 (or local equivalent) and up to 40 volunteer hours per year.