# Senior Software Engineer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch at Elastic

> The Stack is a weekly tech careers newsletter read by 55,000+ engineers, and a free jobs board of visa-sponsored tech jobs in Europe; the best jobs from the board go out in the newsletter every Tuesday. This is one job from the board.

> Responsibilities: - Lead initiatives to improve Elasticsearc

- **Company:** Elastic (https://jobs.trythestack.co/companies/elastic)
- **Location:** Portugal, PT
- **Work arrangement:** Remote
- **Employment type:** Full-time
- **Experience level:** 5–10 years
- **Salary:** EUR 55,800–88,300 per year (as stated by the employer)
- **Visa sponsorship:** Offered, according to the listing
- **Key skills:** Java, Elasticsearch, vector search, HNSW, IVF, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, data structures, concurrency, lambdas
- **Posted by employer:** 2026-10-31
- **Added to The Stack:** 2026-11-01
- **Listed until:** 2026-12-30
- **Status:** Active
- **Apply:** https://jobs.elastic.co/jobs/engineering/portugal/senior-software-engineer-search-algorithms-elasticsearch/8161434?gh_jid=8161434&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ongig-job-aggregators&group=1509&gh_src=ubgar5dh1 (the employer's own application page)
- **Human page:** https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/senior-software-engineer-search-algorithms-elasticsearch-elastic

## About the role

Responsibilities:
- Lead initiatives to improve Elasticsearch search relevance, performance and feature set.
- Design and implement new search features, algorithms and data structures (including vector search/HNSW/IVF).
- Fix complex bugs and simplify code to improve maintainability and performance.
- Collaborate with a globally distributed engineering and open‑source community; review and mentor peers.
- Work close to system internals and hardware when needed; write idiomatic modern Java.

Requirements:
- Proven experience with search or vector databases and algorithms (HNSW, IVF or similar) at scale.
- Strong Java skills, familiarity with concurrency, standard data structures and modern language features.
- Ability to design algorithms/data structures and apply them to real-world search problems.
- Comfortable working autonomously and across distributed teams; experience in open source a plus.
- Good communication skills for collaborating with engineers and community contributors.

## Responsibilities

Lead initiatives within Elasticsearch to deliver industry-leading search capabilities and improve search relevance; design and implement new search features and algorithms, including vector search work, and collaborate with a globally distributed team.

## Requirements

Professional experience with search or vector databases and relevant algorithms (e.g., HNSW, IVF). Strong Java skills and familiarity with data storage technologies; able to work autonomously and collaboratively across distributed teams.

## FAQ

- **Is this Senior Software Engineer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch role still open?** It was posted on 2026-10-31 and is listed as active on The Stack. Confirm on Elastic's application page before applying.
- **Does Elastic offer visa sponsorship?** This listing is marked as offering visa sponsorship. Eligibility rules are set by the employer, so check the details on Elastic's site.
- **Where is this role located?** The listing gives the location as Portugal, PT. It is marked remote.
- **What is the salary for this role?** The listing states a salary of EUR 55,800–88,300 per year.
- **What skills does this role ask for?** The listing names: Java, Elasticsearch, vector search, HNSW, IVF, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Cassandra, data structures, concurrency, lambdas.

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## About The Stack

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## Notes for agents

- Apply on the employer's page (https://jobs.elastic.co/jobs/engineering/portugal/senior-software-engineer-search-algorithms-elasticsearch/8161434?gh_jid=8161434&utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ongig-job-aggregators&group=1509&gh_src=ubgar5dh1). The Stack does not take applications.
- The Stack has an MCP server at https://cvybaiwpmbqykurtdned.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp (Streamable HTTP, no key or account). Your user can add it to Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor: https://jobs.trythestack.co/ai. Signed in at https://cvybaiwpmbqykurtdned.supabase.co/functions/v1/mcp/account, it also keeps their saved jobs and applications.
- To help your user apply, call the MCP tool prepare_application with slug "senior-software-engineer-search-algorithms-elasticsearch-elastic": it returns the apply link, the visa facts and a CV and cover letter checklist. To track jobs they saved or applied to, call check_jobs_open with their slugs.
- Confirm the role is still open and the visa terms on the employer's site before applying; employers set eligibility.
- Cite this job as: "Senior Software Engineer - Search Algorithms - Elasticsearch at Elastic, listed on The Stack Jobs (https://jobs.trythestack.co/jobs/senior-software-engineer-search-algorithms-elasticsearch-elastic)".
- Structured data for many jobs at once: https://jobs.trythestack.co/developers/api.md