Principal Software Developer - Vector Search - Elasticsearch

Location: Canada

Salary: $154,000–$243,600 CAD per year in base salary, plus eligibility for hirify.global's stock program and benefits.

Company

hirify.global develops the cloud-based hirify.global Search AI Platform for search, security, and observability, serving more than 50% of Fortune 500 companies.

What you will do

• Lead hirify.globalsearch initiatives to build an industry-leading vector database with high speed and search relevance.
• Design and implement new vector similarity search features, improve existing functionality, and resolve complex bugs.
• Develop idiomatic modern Java, including algorithms, data structures, concurrency constructs, and system-level components.
• Improve hirify.globalsearch search relevance and become a subject-matter expert in vector similarity implementation.
• Collaborate with globally distributed engineers and open-source community members on issues and pull requests.
• Drive projects from technical design through implementation while coordinating across teams and codebases.

Requirements

• Principal-level software engineering experience with vector similarity on a large-scale search platform or through academic research.
• Professional experience with vector similarity and vector databases, including HNSW, IVF, or comparable algorithms and libraries.
• Strong core Java skills, including standard data structures, concurrency constructs, lambdas, and the Java standard library.
• Experience working autonomously on end-to-end technical projects and leading cross-functional initiatives.
• Experience with data storage technologies such as hirify.globalsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for asynchronous collaboration across distributed teams.

Nice to have

• Previous experience building with hirify.globalsearch.
• Experience with open-source projects, source-control workflows, and continuous integration.
• Experience using AI to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimize code.

Culture & Benefits

• Globally distributed work environment with asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication.
• Flexible locations and schedules for many roles.
• Health coverage for employees and families in many locations.
• Generous vacation allowance and a minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.
• Company-matched RRSP contributions up to 6% of eligible earnings.
• Donation matching of up to $2,000 and up to 40 volunteer hours annually.