Opportunity at
ElasticPrincipal Software Engineer - Security - Elasticsearch
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role works on the Elasticsearch Security team. The posting does not state a location, and the listing marks the role as…
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About This Role
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role works on the Elasticsearch Security team. The posting does not state a location, and the listing marks the role as on-site. The job is to lead the design of Elasticsearch's primary security features, which include authentication, authorisation and tenant isolation. The engineer owns security initiatives from design through to production, leads technical planning for major security components in the core engine and builds the…
Job Description
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role works on the Elasticsearch Security team. The posting does not state a location, and the listing marks the role as on-site. The job is to lead the design of Elasticsearch's primary security features, which include authentication, authorisation and tenant isolation.
The engineer owns security initiatives from design through to production, leads technical planning for major security components in the core engine and builds the models that complex features rely on. Other duties include tuning security performance in distributed systems, applying cryptography to real customer needs, and keeping data isolated across customers who share infrastructure. The role works closely with InfoSec on vulnerability management and uses AI-driven tools to help triage and investigate risks.
Engineers in this role also mentor colleagues and build a culture focused on technical quality and security from the start of development. Collaboration with engineering and product leaders across the company is part of the job.
The posting asks for a thorough grasp of the JVM and how it manages memory, an understanding of concurrency, and experience writing high-performance, thread-safe code. It also asks for experience designing scalable RBAC and ABAC models, token validation and distributed cache invalidation, along with knowledge of node-to-node trust, zero-trust transport and OAuth 2.0 and SAML. Compensation is base salary only, with no variable component. The posting lists a typical starting range of $159,800 to $252,800 USD, or $191,900 to $303,500 USD in select locations, and describes eligibility for Elastic's stock program and a company-matched 401k.
Responsibilities
- Own security projects from architecture through to production delivery
- Lead technical design, planning and delivery of major security components in the core engine
- Build foundational security models for complex features
- Improve security performance in distributed systems at scale
- Apply cryptographic methods to genuine customer use cases
- Maintain data isolation for customers who share infrastructure
- Work with InfoSec to find, assess and fix security risks, using AI tools for triage
- Mentor engineers and promote security-first development
Requirements
- A thorough grasp of the JVM and how it manages memory
- Understanding of concurrency models and ability to write thread-safe, high-performance code
- Experience with large open-source or enterprise codebases
- Experience designing scalable authorisation systems, including RBAC and ABAC models
- Knowledge of token validation pipelines, permission pre-compilation and cache invalidation across nodes
- Understanding of distributed security, including node-to-node trust, zero-trust transport and partition tolerance
- Knowledge of OAuth 2.0 and SAML
- Demonstrated use of AI to speed up development while owning final outcomes
Qualifications
- Familiarity with cipher suites, TLS handshakes and certificate lifecycle work in PKI environments
- Understanding of post-quantum cryptography migration
- Hands-on experience mapping engine controls to FedRAMP, FIPS 140 and SOC 2
- Hands-on time inside the core code of a database or search product
Core Skills
Benefits
- Eligibility for Elastic's stock program
- Company 401k match, dollar for dollar on eligible earnings up to 6 percent
- Competitive pay set by the work performed, not by previous salary
- Health coverage for employees and their families in many locations
- Scheduling and location flexibility for many roles
- Generous annual vacation allowance
- Company match of up to $2,000 (or local equivalent) for donations and service
- Up to 40 hours a year available for volunteer work
- At least 16 weeks of parental leave
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers are based only on the employer’s listing; where it doesn’t say, neither do we.
Where is this role based?
The posting does not specify a location. The listing marks the role as on-site.
What is the employment type?
The role is listed as full-time.
What is the salary range?
The posting gives a typical starting base salary range of $159,800 to $252,800 USD, or $191,900 to $303,500 USD in select locations, with no variable pay component.
What core skills does the role need?
Deep Java internals knowledge, concurrency expertise and experience with scalable authorisation design, along with OAuth 2.0 and SAML knowledge, are required.
Is a retirement plan offered?
The posting describes a 401k plan the company matches dollar for dollar on eligible earnings up to 6 percent.
Sample Interview Questions
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