Principal Software Engineer – Query Engine, Database Internals, Elasticsearch

Elastic

. Define, lead, and contribute to data-intensive enhancements for Elasticsearch .

Posted 11/3/2026full-timeRemote • United StatesLead💰 $159,800 - $252,800 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in Elasticsearch and data-intensive applications, with a strong focus on building technical roadmaps and mentoring engineering teams. Proven ability to optimize data structures and algorithms while collaborating across functions to drive technical vision and results.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Elasticsearch ExpertiseCore Java ProficiencyTechnical Project LeadershipSearch And Analytics APIs ExperienceData Storage Technologies Knowledge

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Core JavaData StructuresAlgorithmsConcurrency ConstructsElasticsearchSolrPostgreSQLMongoDBCassandraAI Development

Soft Skills

MentoringCommunicationCollaborationAutonomyDecision-Making

Tools & Technologies

Splunk SPLDatadogDynatraceNew RelicSearch APIsObservability APIsContinuous IntegrationSource Control Workflows

Industry Keywords

Data ArchitectureTechnical InfrastructureTechnical RoadmapOpen Source ProjectsInformation Retrieval

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CassandraElasticSearchJavaMongoDBOpen SourcePostgresSplunk

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Define, lead, and contribute to data-intensive enhancements for Elasticsearch
Research industry features, data structures, and algorithms to guide product capabilities
Work with partners and product teams to understand needs and develop a long-term strategic vision
Build and drive the technical roadmap for ES|QL and the compute engine
Provide technical vision and direction for customer interfaces, language syntax, and compute infrastructure
Serve as an authority on areas of Elasticsearch and improve those areas
Collaborate with user experience teams and customer-focused teams building solutions on Search, Security, and Observability APIs
Contribute to Elasticsearch using modern, idiomatic Java
Mentor engineers and provide technical and professional guidance

Requirements

What you’ll need

Experience leading technical projects in data and enterprise architecture
Proven knowledge of building and running sophisticated technical infrastructures and engineering sound software systems
Experience mentoring expert engineers and providing technical and professional guidance
Experience defining long-term technical vision for data-intensive applications and building technical roadmaps across teams and organizations
Hands-on experience with search and analytics APIs, such as Splunk SPL, Elasticsearch, Datadog, Dynatrace, and New Relic
Strong skills in core Java, standard-library data structures, concurrency constructs, and lambdas
Ability to optimize and use efficient data structures and algorithms
Ability to work autonomously and guide projects from beginning to end
Experience with data storage technologies such as Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Cassandra
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Proven track record using AI to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimize code while owning final outcomes
Ability to collaborate across functions and teams and transition between projects, codebases, or teams based on business priorities
Ability to drive decisions and results in a distributed team through asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication
Bonus: Experience with Elasticsearch, search and information retrieval, open source projects, source control workflows, and continuous integration

Benefits

Comp & perks

Stock program eligibility
Company-matched 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings
Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
Flexible locations and schedules for many roles
Generous number of vacation days each year
Donation and service matching up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent)
Up to 40 hours each year for volunteer projects
Minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave
Competitive pay based on the work performed
Inclusive and accessible workplace accommodations