Senior Software Engineer

EPAM Systems; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 130,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global digital services provider is seeking a Senior Engineer with expertise in Apache Solr to design and optimize scalable search solutions. This role involves improving search performance and managing indexing pipelines in a cloud environment. Candidates should have strong skills in backend development and experience with AWS. Competitive salary range of $130,000 - $135,000 is offered, along with other benefits expected from the position.

Qualifications

• Strong experience with Apache Solr and backend development (Java or similar).
• Experience working with AWS.
• Solid understanding of search architecture, indexing, and performance optimization.
• Experience designing and tuning search relevance strategies.
• Hands-on experience with SolrCloud in production environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Solr-based search platforms.
• Optimize search relevancy, ranking, and query performance.
• Build and manage indexing pipelines for large datasets.
• Deploy and operate services in AWS.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on search features.

Skills

Apache Solr

Backend Development (Java or similar)

AWS

Search Architecture

Performance Optimization

Tools

SolrCloud

Elasticsearch

OpenSearch

Job description

We are seeking a Senior Engineer with deep expertise in Apache Solr to design, build, and optimize scalable search solutions. This role focuses on improving search performance, relevancy, and indexing pipelines in a cloud-based environment. You will own search relevance across both traditional keyword-based and modern semantic (vector-based) retrieval.

Req.#989600929

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain Solr-based search platforms
• Optimize search relevancy, ranking, and query performance
• Build and manage indexing pipelines for large datasets
• Deploy and operate services in AWS
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams on search and recommendation features
• Explore and implement ML-driven enhancements for search
• Define and implement hybrid search strategies combining keyword and vector-based retrieval
• Build and operate vector search pipelines within Solr/Lucene
• Measure and improve search relevance using evaluation metrics and experimentation
• Maintain Solr in production (SolrCloud), including collections, sharding, replication, and scaling
• Establish monitoring, SLOs, runbooks, and participate in incident response and root cause analysis

Requirements

• Strong experience with Apache Solr and backend development (Java or similar)
• Experience working with AWS
• Solid understanding of search architecture, indexing, and performance optimization
• Experience designing and tuning search relevance strategies
• Hands-on experience with SolrCloud in production environments
• Familiarity with vector search and modern retrieval techniques

Nice to have

• Experience with machine learning in search or recommendation systems
• Familiarity with Elasticsearch or OpenSearch
• Experience with distributed systems and large-scale data processing
• Exposure to embedding-based retrieval and approximate nearest neighbor (ANN) algorithms
• Experience with re-ranking or learning-to-rank approaches

EPAM is a leading global provider of digital platform engineering and development services. We are committed to having a positive impact on our clients, our employees, and our communities. We embrace a dynamic and inclusive culture. Here you will collaborate with multi-national teams, contribute to a myriad of innovative projects that deliver the most creative and cutting-edge solutions, and have an opportunity to continuously learn and grow. No matter where you are located, you will join a dedicated, creative, and diverse community that will help you discover your fullest potential.
Engineer the Future with a Career at EPAM

This posting includes a good faith range of the salary EPAM would reasonably expect to pay the selected candidate. The range provided reflects base salary only. Individual compensation offers within the range are based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: geographic location, experience, credentials, education, training; the demand for the role; and overall business and labor market considerations. Most candidates are hired at a salary within the range disclosed. Salary range: $130,000 - $135,000. In addition, the details highlighted in this job posting above are a general description of all other expected benefits and compensation for the position.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis.

EPAM will not provide new H-1B visa sponsorship for this position. Candidates with existing transferable H-1B status may be considered.