Search Engineer

Elsevier; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global information leader in London is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II to develop scalable search systems and enhance retrieval-augmented generation capabilities. The ideal candidate will have substantial experience in distributed systems, proficiency in Python and Java, and a strong background in Elasticsearch or OpenSearch. This role offers a flexible working environment and generous benefits, contributing to advancements in research and healthcare.

Benefits

Generous holiday allowance

Health screening and private medical benefits

Wellbeing programs

Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme

Long service awards

Maternity and paternity leave

Access to extensive learning resources

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering focusing on search infrastructures.
• Experience developing production-ready code independently.
• Familiarity with semantic search and AI integration.

Responsibilities

• Designing and implementing scalable search systems.
• Developing retrieval-augmented generation pipelines.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams.
• Mentoring less-experienced engineers.

Skills

Experience in distributed systems

Proficiency in Python

Proficiency in Java

Elasticsearch/OpenSearch experience

Kubernetes and EKS knowledge

Performance optimization skills

Test-driven development

Agile methodologies

Job description

About the team

Our team is dedicated to unlocking the rich knowledge embedded within Elsevier’s content through our semantic data platform; this empowers researchers, clinicians, and innovators worldwide to gain new insights, make informed decisions, and accelerate progress across research, healthcare, and life sciences. We lead the ongoing transformation of Elsevier’s vast, unstructured information into richly interconnected knowledge graphs that capture the full depth and nuance of scientific meaning. Through our dynamic knowledge discovery platform, we combine graph-powered agentic AI with advanced search technologies to deliver contextually relevant, trustworthy, and precise answers to research questions.

As part of the Search Engineering team, you will help build the next generation of retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) capabilities that integrate traditional search with generative AI. The team focuses on improving relevance, retrieval performance, and platform scalability across complex document corpora.

About the role

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer II with deep expertise in search infrastructure and modern retrieval systems. You will design, build, and optimise high-performance search services using technologies like OpenSearch and ElasticSearch, deployed at scale on EKS. You will contribute to the development of new RAG-based search workflows and ensure our platform delivers fast, relevant, and reliable results.

Responsibilities

• Designing and implementing scalable search systems leveraging ElasticSearch/OpenSearch and container orchestration via EKS.
• Developing retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) pipelines that integrate search with generative AI tools.
• Writing clean, modular, and testable code in Python and Java.
• Diagnosing and resolving complex issues across the distributed search infrastructure.
• Collaborating with cross-functional teams to align engineering efforts with product goals.
• Mentoring less-experienced engineers and participate in code reviews and technical design discussions.
• Supporting CI/CD pipelines and implementing observability for search performance and reliability.
• Staying up to date on advancements in retrieval models, semantic search, and generative AI integration.

Requirements

• Good years of experience in software engineering with a focus on distributed systems or search technologies
• Expertise in Python and Java
• Strong experience with Elasticsearch or OpenSearch in production environments
• Familiarity with Kubernetes and EKS deployments
• Deep understanding of performance optimisation in large-scale search systems
• Solid grasp of test-driven development and CI/CD practices
• Ability to work independently on complex problems and deliver production-ready code.
• Comfortable working in Agile or iterative environments

Nice to Have

• Experience building or integrating RAG pipelines
• Familiarity with semantic search, embeddings, or vector databases
• Knowledge of logging, alerting, and observability in search infrastructure

Why join us?

Are you ready to help us progress science and health? Our technology leads to innovation, so join a forward-thinking digital business that is tackling world-scale challenges and align your ambitions with our passion for driving global knowledge-sharing.

Work in a way that works for you

We promote a healthy work/life balance across the organisation. We offer an appealing working prospect for our people. With numerous wellbeing initiatives, shared parental leave, study assistance and sabbaticals, we will help you meet your immediate responsibilities and your long-term goals.

• Flexible hours - flex the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.

Working for you

We know that your well-being and happiness are key to a long and successful career. These are some of the benefits we are delighted to offer:

• Generous holiday allowance with the option to buy additional days.
• Health screening, eye care vouchers and private medical benefits.
• Wellbeing programs.
• Life assurance.
• Access to a competitive contributory pension scheme.
• Long service awards.
• Save As You Earn share option scheme.
• Travel Season ticket loan.
• Maternity, paternity, and shared parental leave.
• Access to emergency care for both the elderly and children.
• RECARES days, giving you time to support the charities and causes that matter to you.
• Access to employee resource groups with dedicated time to volunteer.
• Access to extensive learning and development resources.
• Access to employee discounts via Perks at Work.

About Elsevier

A global leader in information and analytics, we help researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. Building on our publishing heritage, we combine quality information and vast data sets with analytics to support visionary science and research, health education and interactive learning, as well as exceptional healthcare and clinical practice. At Elsevier, your work contributes to the world’s grand challenges and a more sustainable future. We harness innovative technologies to support science and healthcare to partner for a better world.

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