Principal Software Engineer - Performance Tuning - Elasticsearch

Posted 29 days ago

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Is this posting real?

This role has been open: 29 days
Reposted: No
Salary listed: No
Ghost-job risk at Referral Board: high
Hiring momentum: 138 roles opened in the last 90 days
Last confirmed on the employer's board: 2026-09-17

Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Referral Board's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Referral Board.

About this role

As a Principal Software Engineer on the Elasticsearch Performance team, you will lead initiatives focused on optimizing the performance of Elasticsearch. Your responsibilities will include developing performance models, driving optimization strategies, profiling system behavior, and collaborating with various teams to embed performance considerations into new features. Additionally, you will mentor other engineers and drive automation efforts to enhance performance testing and benchmarking workflows.

Our read on this posting3.4out of 5

benefits: 4/5
freshness: 4/5
career value: 4/5
role clarity: 5/5
pay transparency: 0/5

Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Referral Board as an employer.

What you need

Deep knowledge of Java internals and JVM memory management
Experience in profiling and optimizing distributed systems
Solid comprehension of distributed systems architecture
Proven track record of using AI or advanced tooling for optimization
Ability to collaborate across functions and teams
Ability to work autonomously and drive decisions in a distributed team

Nice to have

Experience integrating high-performance native libraries (e.g., C++, Rust, SIMD-accelerated code) into Java applications
Deep knowledge of modern storage engine performance, index modes, or vector search optimizations
Experience defining and managing Performance SLAs and success criteria for distributed systems
Experience working on the internals of a large-scale data store or search engine

What you get

Eligible to participate in Elastic's stock program
Company-matched 401k with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings
Health coverage for you and your family in many locations
Flexible locations and schedules for many roles
Generous number of vacation days each year
Up to $2000 matching for financial donations and service

Worth weighing

No specific mention of technology stack beyond Java and distributed systems
Salary range provided but may vary based on multiple factors
Role involves significant collaboration and mentoring, which may require strong interpersonal skills

Summarised from Referral Board's posting. Read the full original.

Listed by Referral Board on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-09-17. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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