Remote opportunity at
ElasticPrincipal Software Engineer - Storage Engine - Elasticsearch
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role is on the Elasticsearch Storage Engine team and is fully remote in the United States. The team is globally distributed…
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About This Role
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role is on the Elasticsearch Storage Engine team and is fully remote in the United States. The team is globally distributed and builds core storage and query technology for observability workloads. Its work covers storage efficiency, performance of ES|QL query processing and data layouts for object storage. The engineer sets the technical direction for the core storage and query engine inside Elasticsearch. Responsibilities include reshaping…
Job Description
This full-time Principal Software Engineer role is on the Elasticsearch Storage Engine team and is fully remote in the United States. The team is globally distributed and builds core storage and query technology for observability workloads. Its work covers storage efficiency, performance of ES|QL query processing and data layouts for object storage.
The engineer sets the technical direction for the core storage and query engine inside Elasticsearch. Responsibilities include reshaping the architecture of storage components, finding and fixing slow spots in index layout, serialization format and resource use, and leading cross-team work on observability. The role also acts as a subject matter expert and adviser to the wider engineering organisation, and helps work through, fix and check issues and pull requests from the global community. The codebase is primarily Java, and the engineer is expected to write modern, idiomatic Java.
The job suits an engineer with a record of designing high-performance database or search technology, strong core Java skills including concurrency, and experience with time-series or log data. Work in this team happens largely asynchronously across time zones, so clear written communication and the ability to work independently are essential. Using AI tools to speed up development and debugging, while still checking results, is also listed.
Base salary is the only form of pay for this role, 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. Eligibility for Elastic's stock program and a company-matched 401k are also described.
Responsibilities
- Set the architecture direction for core storage engine components
- Find and resolve slow spots in index layout, serialization format and resource consumption
- Lead cross-organisation initiatives for observability solutions
- Support clean coding standards and make complex system behaviour easier to understand
- Act as subject matter expert and mentor for the wider engineering organisation
- Work through, fix and check issues and pull requests with the global community
- Write idiomatic modern Java
Requirements
- Proven record designing high-performance database or search engine technology
- Ability to work autonomously and drive decisions in a distributed team
- Proven use of AI to speed up development and debugging, with sound checks on results
- Experience with novel techniques for indexing, storing and querying time-series or log data
- Experience with working knowledge of storage systems such as postgresql, prometheus, mongodb, solr or elasticsearch
- Strong core Java skills, including concurrency primitives and efficient data structures
- Excellent verbal and written communication across distributed teams
Qualifications
- Experience building with Elasticsearch
- Experience with open source projects and common source control and CI workflows
- Experience working on data storage technology
- A track record of driving multi-team initiatives from design through ownership
- Past work on database, search engine, operating system or cloud service development
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.
Is this role remote?
Yes. The listing marks the role as remote and the posting describes a fully remote team in the United States.
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. It has no variable pay component.
What technical skills are required?
Strong core Java skills, including concurrency, and a proven record in high-performance database or search engine design are required.
Are benefits such as equity included?
The posting says the role is eligible for Elastic's stock program and a company-matched 401k.
Sample Interview Questions
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