Search Software Engineer

Job Title: Search Software Engineer

Location: Remote

Duration: Long Term Contract

Technical Skills: Years/Level of Experience

Amazon Web Services (AWS)                      (7-10 yrs experience)

Large Language Models (LLMs)                   (7-10 yrs experience)

Apache Lucene                                               (10+ yrs experience)

OpenSearch                                                    (10+ yrs experience)

Java (Programming Language)                    (7-10 yrs experience)

Required Skills

• Search & Indexing Fundamentals

• Hands-on experience with Lucene-based search platforms (Solr, OpenSearch, or Elasticsearch
• Understanding of index schemas/mappings: field types, stored vs. indexed, doc values, multi-valued fields
• Familiarity with text analysis pipelines: tokenizers, filters, analyzers (index-time vs. query-time)
• Ability to inspect an index directly — querying fields, checking term vectors, using analysis APIs

• Data & Transformation

• Ability to trace raw source data through an ingestion pipeline into indexed fields
• Comfort reading structured/semi-structured data formats (XML, JSON)
• Understanding of data normalization and transformation patterns

• Query & Testing

• Skill in crafting targeted test queries to expose behavioral differences
• Experience with structured or Boolean query languages (experience with custom parsers a plus)
• Ability to design and execute parity/regression test cases at multiple levels: index content, query results, ranking, facets, highlighting

• Development

• Java proficiency — able to read, debug, and make targeted changes to Java codebases
• Familiarity with Maven or Gradle build systems

• AI-Assisted Analysis & Development

• Proficiency using AI coding assistants (e.g. Claude Code) to investigate complex problems, generate hypotheses, and draft code changes
• Ability to formulate precise, context-rich prompts that produce actionable results from an AI assistant
• Comfort working in an AI-augmented development workflow: reading and critically evaluating AI-generated output before applying it

• Analysis & Communication

• Ability to identify root cause of parity differences and attribute them to a specific layer (ingestion, schema, analyzer, query parser)
• Able to produce clear, actionable defect reports for developers

Preferred skills:

• Experience with custom Lucene analyzers or codec plugins
• Python scripting (data inspection, test automation, reporting)
• Familiarity with OpenSearch REST API and index management
• Experience with SQLite or other lightweight databases for test result storage
• Search engine certifications (Elastic, OpenSearch)
• Experience with parallel/comparative testing frameworks
• Background in a domain with complex structured data (legal, scientific, patent, medical)

Education Level : Bachelors Degree

Special Requirements  

Work Authorization: s

Clearance Required: Public Trust