Backend Engineer, Search

Shopee; Singapore; On-site; SGD 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading e-commerce platform in Singapore is looking for an Entry Level Engineer to contribute to their core search backend development. The ideal candidate is currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science or AI and possesses strong coding skills in Go, C++, or Python. Responsibilities include optimizing search engine performance and contributing to scalable solutions. This role is a unique opportunity to explore cutting-edge technologies in AI and distributed systems while working in a collaborative environment.

Qualifications

• Currently pursuing relevant Computer Science or AI degree.
• Strong understanding of data structures and algorithms.
• Interest in LLMs, Vector Search, and AI Agents.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the design and development of core search backend systems.
• Enhance performance of online search engines and data indexing.
• Contribute to development of reusable system components.

Skills

Go

C++

Python

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI, or related field

Job description

Department: Engineering and Technology | Level: Entry Level | Location: Singapore

Our Engineering and Technology team is at the core of the Shopee platform development. The team is made up of passionate engineers from all over the world, striving to build the best systems with the most suitable technologies. We build foundations for a long‑lasting future and take on challenges that turn “innocent” problems into huge technical challenges.

About the Team

Shopee will prioritize applicants who have a current right to work in Singapore and do not require Shopee sponsorship of a visa. The Shopee Search Team is at the heart of the user journey, building and maintaining a massive‑scale search engine that helps millions of users find exactly what they need among billions of products every single day. As a campus hire you will gain hands‑on experience in distributed indexing, query processing, and cutting‑edge Information Retrieval (IR) technologies.

Job Description

• Architect the Core: Participate in the design and development of Shopee’s core search backend systems, ensuring they can iterate quickly to meet evolving business needs.
• Optimize for Speed & Scale: Enhance the performance of our online search engines, including query understanding, recall, and ranking modules, as well as high‑throughput data indexing pipelines.
• Build Global Solutions: Contribute to developing reusable system components and microservices that power Shopee’s centralized search platform across multiple markets.
• Innovate & Apply: Stay ahead of industry trends in search engine technology and distributed systems, work on Retrieval‑Augmented Generation (RAG) applications and provide highly relevant, context‑aware search results. Design and develop the backend infrastructure for Agentic Search, enabling complex reasoning and multi‑step query processing at scale.

Requirements

• Academic Background: Currently pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, AI, or a related field.
• Technical Foundation: Rock‑solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems.
• Coding Proficiency: Strong skills in Go, C++, or Python. (Experience with AI frameworks such as PyTorch or LangChain is a plus but not required—we will teach you!).
• AI Curiosity: A deep interest in how LLMs, Vector Search, and AI Agents are reshaping the software landscape.
• System Mindset: You enjoy solving “The Scale Problem” – how to make complex AI reasoning happen in milliseconds for millions of concurrent users.
• Soft Skills: Excellent problem‑solving skills, a collaborative spirit, and a “can‑do” attitude toward unexplored technical frontiers.