Principal Software Developer - Storage Engine - Elasticsearch

Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI. This role is on the Elasticsearch - Storage Engine team, a globally distributed, fully remote team of experienced engineers developing core storage and query technologies for observability workloads.

• Lead the architectural evolution of core storage engine components, continuously identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in indexing layouts, serialization formats, and resource utilization.
• Lead cross-organizational initiatives to drive and build industry-leading observability solutions.
• Work with a globally distributed team of experienced engineers focused on the logs and metrics capabilities of Elasticsearch.
• Drive continuous operational and system improvements by introducing best practices for clean coding standards, demystifying complex system behaviors, and untangling complexity to bring architectural clarity across the platform.
• Serve as a subject matter expert (SME) across key areas of Elasticsearch, acting as a trusted technical advisor and mentor to the wider engineering organization.
• Work with a global community to triage, resolve, and review issues and pull requests, collaborating with domain experts as needed.
• Write idiomatic modern Java -- Elasticsearch is 99.8% Java!

• Proven track record of designing high-performance, scalable database or search engine technologies.
• Ability to drive technical initiatives across organizations.
• Ability to collaborate across functions and teams and seamlessly transition between different projects, codebases, or teams based on business priorities.
• Work autonomously and drive decisions and results in a distributed team by leveraging asynchronous, direct, and transparent communication.
• Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimize code, while still owning the final outcomes.
• Prompt-engineering mindset to leverage AI agents effectively, using sound engineering judgment to validate results and recognize limitations.
• Implemented novel techniques to efficiently index, store, and query time-series or logs data.
• Experience with one or more data storage technologies like Elasticsearch, Solr, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, or Prometheus.
• Strong core Java skills, deep understanding of its concurrency primitives, proven ability to design and optimize efficient data structures and algorithms.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, collaborating with respect, empathy, and professionalism in a distributed team.

• Built things with Elasticsearch before.
• Worked with open source projects and familiar with different styles of source control workflow and continuous integration.
• Worked on data storage technology.
• Experience designing, leading, and owning cross-functional initiatives.
• Past working experience with database, search engine, OS, or cloud service development.

The typical starting salary range for this role is $154,000—$243,600 CAD. This role does not have a variable compensation component. In addition to cash compensation, this role is currently eligible to participate in Elastic's stock program. The total rewards package includes a company-matched Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings, along with a range of other benefits offered with a holistic emphasis on employee well-being.

Additional benefits include: competitive pay based on the work you do here and not your previous salary; health coverage for you and your family in many locations; ability to craft your calendar with flexible locations and schedules for many roles; generous number of vacation days each year; match up to $2000 (or local currency equivalent) for financial donations and service; up to 40 hours each year to use toward volunteer projects; embracing parenthood with minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.

Apply via the Elastic careers page for this role.