Principal Search Engineer (Elasticsearch)

TL;DR

Principal Search Engineer (Elasticsearch/Lucene): Designing and implementing complex search and retrieval systems for a global research data platform with an accent on scalable retrieval and knowledge graphs. Focus on improving search relevance via vector and lexical search techniques and building high-throughput distributed services.

Location: Pennsylvania, USA

Salary: $115,400 - $192,300

Company

A mission-driven global organization unlocking knowledge through a rich data platform for researchers and clinicians worldwide.

What you will do

• Lead architectural design and ensure technical consistency across search systems.
• Expand content search and improve relevance using vector and lexical search techniques.
• Design and develop scalable data processing workflows using Spark, Spark Streaming, and Airflow.
• Build high-performance retrieval systems and microservices in Python, Java, or Scala.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to translate product requirements into engineering solutions.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to less-senior engineers.

Requirements

• Expertise with Lucene, Elasticsearch, Solr, and industry experience with Semantic Search.
• Proven track record of building search systems at scale.
• Proficiency in Spark, Spark Streaming, and Airflow.
• Expertise in Java, Python, or Scala.
• Deep understanding of distributed system design, data modeling, and performance tuning.
• Must be based in the US

Culture & Benefits

• Work on critical research and innovation workflows used in over 180 countries.
• Culture valuing engineering quality, autonomy, and deep technical exploration.
• Opportunity to transform legacy systems into modern data and knowledge representations.
• Country-specific benefits provided.
• Annual incentive bonus eligibility.