Senior Software Engineer

Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find answers 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 search and AI. Elastic's cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join the Elasticsearch Security team. In this role, you will contribute to the architecture and design of Elasticsearch's main features, including authentication, authorization, and tenant isolation. You will work with engineering and product leaders at Elastic, providing high-performance security at all levels, ensuring our distributed data store has top-quality security at scale.

• Contributing to core security initiatives from architecture to production, focusing on delivery of new critical features.
• Participating in technical design, planning, and execution for major security components inside the Elasticsearch core engine.
• Developing foundational security models for features.
• Optimizing security performance at scale in distributed systems environments.
• Applying cryptographic solutions to address genuine customer use cases.
• Ensuring robust data isolation within shared infrastructure supporting disparate customers.
• Monitoring and applying latest advancements in security, including authentication, identity management, cryptography, and data access management.
• Collaborating with peers to embed security into new customer features from the outset.
• Driving vulnerability management efforts by collaborating with InfoSec to proactively identify, assess, and remediate security risks.
• Leveraging AI-driven tools to automate vulnerability triage, prioritization, and preliminary investigation.

• Deep knowledge of Java internals and JVM memory management.
• Understanding of concurrency models; ability to write high-performance, thread-safe, lock-free code.
• Experience with large open-source and enterprise codebases.
• Experience building scalable authorization systems under high concurrency and large permission sets, including access models, credential/token validation, and consistent authorization decisions across distributed systems.
• Solid comprehension of distributed systems security: node-to-node mutual trust, zero-trust transport, partition tolerance, cluster state propagation.
• Deep knowledge of edge identity protocols (OAuth 2.0, SAML).
• Proven track record of using AI to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimize code.
• Ability to collaborate across functions and teams, and transition between projects.
• Ability to work autonomously in a distributed team with asynchronous, direct, transparent communication.

• Knowledge of cipher suites, TLS handshakes, PKI/certificate lifecycle management.
• Cryptographic methods considering memory usage and delays.
• Familiarity with Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) and readiness to support migration to quantum-resistant algorithms.
• Hands-on experience mapping engine-level technical controls to FedRAMP (Moderate/High), FIPS 140, and SOC 2 requirements.
• Experience working on internals of a data store or search engine.

Compensation is base salary only; no variable component. Typical starting salary range: $133,100—$210,600 USD. In select locations (Seattle WA, Los Angeles CA, San Francisco Bay Area CA, New York City Metro Area), alternate range: $159,900—$252,900 USD. Eligible for Elastic's stock program. Company-matched 401k with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings. Other benefits include health coverage, flexible locations/schedules for many roles, generous vacation days, up to $2000 match for donations, up to 40 hours volunteer time, and minimum 16 weeks parental leave.

Apply via the provided link. For accommodation requests, email candidate_accessibility@elastic.co.