Principal Java Security Architect – Elasticsearch Core

Elasticsearch B.V.; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive pay

Health coverage

Flexible location

Vacation days

Donation matching

Volunteer hours

Parental leave

Job summary

Elastic is seeking a Principal Software Developer to lead the Elasticsearch Security team, architecting core features such as authentication, authorization, and tenant isolation. You will guide the design, planning, and execution of security components inside the Elasticsearch core engine and collaborate with engineers and product leaders to ensure high-performance security at scale.

You will mentor engineers, drive security initiatives end-to-end, and apply AI-enabled tools to streamline

Qualifications

• Deep knowledge of Java internals and JVM memory management.
• Con advanced design for scalable authorization systems (RBAC/ABAC).
• Experience with token validation pipelines and cache invalidation strategies.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems security concepts (zero-trust, node-to-node trust).
• Familiar with OAuth 2.0 and SAML identity protocols.

Responsibilities

• Own core security initiatives from architecture to production; lead design of major security components.
• Develop foundational security models for complex features.
• Optimize security performance in distributed systems environments.
• Apply cryptographic solutions to real customer use cases.
• Ensure data isolation within shared infrastructure across customers.
• Monitor and implement up-to-date security practices (auth, IAM, cryptography).
• Collaborate across functions to embed security from the start of new features.
• Drive vulnerability management with InfoSec to identify and remediate risks.
• Leverage AI to automate vulnerability triage and security workflows.
• Mentor engineers and promote a security‑first development culture.

Skills

Java & JVM

Concurrency

Security design

RBAC/ABAC

Token validation

Distributed cache

OAuth/SAML

AI acceleration

Collaboration

Leadership

Job description

Elastic is seeking a Principal Software Developer to lead the Elasticsearch Security team, architecting core features such as authentication, authorization, and tenant isolation. You will guide the design, planning, and execution of security components inside the Elasticsearch core engine and collaborate with engineers and product leaders to ensure high-performance security at scale.

You will mentor engineers, drive security initiatives end-to-end, and apply AI-enabled tools to streamline