Senior Backend Engineer, Search
ClickUp · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $250,000 / year
- United States
Tailored resume — keyword-matched to this role.
Hiring manager — we find who's hiring.
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Job highlights
- Design and scale search infrastructure.
- Optimize search relevance, accuracy, and speed.
- Enhance real-time indexing and vector search.
- Collaborate on AI and new feature integration.
- Troubleshoot complex search issues.
About the role
About ClickUp
At ClickUp, we're building the future of work: the first truly converged AI workspace unifying tasks, docs, chat, calendar, and enterprise search, all supercharged by context-driven AI. We are an AI-native company. Every team member is expected to leverage AI daily, and we evaluate AI fluency as part of our hiring process. Join us and help redefine what's possible. 🚀 ClickUp is seeking a talented and experienced Senior Search Engineer to join our team and help revolutionize our search capabilities. As a key member of our engineering team, you'll be responsible for optimizing and enhancing our search functionality, which is a critical feature of our platform and underpins our AI efforts.Your impact at ClickUp
As a Senior Engineer on the Search squad, you'll be responsible for designing, optimizing, and scaling our search infrastructure. You'll work with OpenSearch / ElasticSearch technologies to ensure users can instantly find exactly what they need across their workspace. Your expertise will directly contribute to making ClickUp the most intuitive and responsive productivity platform available.Core Responsibilities
- Design and implement robust search solutions that scale with our rapidly growing user base
- Improve search relevance, accuracy, and speed to deliver the most relevant results to users at blazing fast speeds
- Improve out real-time indexing pipelines to ensure search results remain up-to-date
- Create measurement frameworks to evaluate and improve search quality
- Build and enhance vector search capabilities to power next-generation search experiences
- Collaborate with AI, backend, and product teams to integrate search into new features
- Troubleshoot complex search-related issues at scale
Technical Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
- 5+ years of experience as a search engineer or in a directly related role
- Strong expertise in search technologies, particularly OpenSearch / ElasticSearch
- Experience measuring and optimizing search quality
- Experience with high-volume, distributed data processing systems
- Proven ability to optimize query parsing, indexing, and relevance tuning for search systems
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively across teams
Preferred Qualifications
- Hands-on experience with vector embeddings and semantic search implementations
- Experience with TypeScript in backend systems
- Track record of architecting search solutions that maintain performance under heavy load
- Experience applying machine learning and NLP to enhance search relevance
- Knowledge of information retrieval concepts and search evaluation metrics
Join Our Mission
At ClickUp, we're committed to building the future of productivity software. As our Senior Backend Engineer Search, you'll play a crucial role in shaping the core functionality of our platform and driving our AI initiatives forward. Join us in our mission to make the world more productive! Unsure if you meet all the qualifications of this job description but are deeply excited about the role? We hire based on ambition, grit, and a passion for improving the way people work. If you think ClickUp is the company for you, we encourage you to apply! At ClickUp, we assess every candidate based on the potential impact they can have. We hire the best people for the job and support each person’s journey to build their boldest career.Equal Opportunity Employer
ClickUp is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.Privacy Notice
ClickUp collects and processes personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws. You can find further details by viewing our Global Candidate Privacy Notice. If you are a Philippine Job Applicant, please also see our Philippine Data Privacy Notice for further details.Visa Sponsorship
Please note we are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment visa for roles outside of engineering and product at this time. Sponsorship for engineering and product roles is not guaranteed, but is instead based on the business needs for that specific role at that time. Please reach out to the recruiter with any questions.Fraud Alert
ClickUp Talent Acquisition will only initiate contact via an @clickup.com email or through our official careers portal on clickup.com. We will never request fees, payments, or sensitive personal information. Please disregard any offers received outside these channels and report them to support@clickup.com.AI Processing Notice
ClickUp may use artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to help review and screen candidates' employment applications against role-related criteria. These tools support, but do not replace, human decision‑making. If you have questions or need an accommodation in the recruitment process, please contact us at AskPeople@ClickUp.com.Compensation Range
$200K - $250KKey skills/competency
- Search Engineering
- OpenSearch
- Elasticsearch
- Backend Development
- AI Integration
- Vector Search
- Scalability
- Data Processing
- Information Retrieval
- Machine Learning
Skills & topics
- Senior Backend Engineer
- Search Engineer
- OpenSearch
- Elasticsearch
- Backend Development
- AI
- Vector Search
- Data Processing
- Scalability
- Information Retrieval
- Machine Learning
- NLP
- TypeScript
- Distributed Systems
- Relevance Tuning
- Indexing
- Query Optimization
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of search engineering experience, OpenSearch/Elasticsearch expertise, and AI/ML skills.
- Showcase AI fluency: Emphasize your daily use of AI tools and how you integrate AI into problem-solving.
- Quantify achievements: Use metrics to demonstrate improvements in search relevance, speed, and scalability.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss search architecture, query optimization, and real-time indexing.
- Network with the team: Connect with ClickUp engineers on LinkedIn to learn about their experiences.
Technical preparation
Master OpenSearch/Elasticsearch query optimization.,Build scalable real-time indexing pipelines.,Implement and evaluate vector search solutions.,Practice optimizing relevance and parsing.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex search problem you solved.,How do you measure and improve search quality?,Explain your experience with AI integration.,How do you collaborate with cross-functional teams?
Frequently asked questions
- What is the compensation range for the Senior Backend Engineer Search role at ClickUp?
- The compensation range for the Senior Backend Engineer Search position at ClickUp is between $200,000 and $250,000 annually.
- Does ClickUp offer visa sponsorship for the Senior Backend Engineer Search role?
- Visa sponsorship is not guaranteed for engineering and product roles at ClickUp and is based on specific business needs at the time of hiring. Please reach out to the recruiter for the most up-to-date information.
- What are the core technologies used by the Senior Backend Engineer Search at ClickUp?
- The core technologies for this role include OpenSearch and Elasticsearch, with a strong emphasis on designing, optimizing, and scaling search infrastructure and indexing pipelines.
- How does ClickUp assess AI fluency in candidates for the Senior Backend Engineer Search position?
- ClickUp is an AI-native company and expects all team members to leverage AI daily. AI fluency is evaluated as part of the hiring process, so be prepared to discuss your experience and approach to using AI in your work.
- What kind of impact can a Senior Backend Engineer Search have at ClickUp?
- As a Senior Backend Engineer Search, you will directly impact the core search functionality of the platform, enhancing relevance, speed, and scalability, and contributing to the company's AI initiatives and overall productivity mission.
- What is ClickUp's approach to hiring for the Senior Backend Engineer Search role?
- ClickUp hires based on potential impact, ambition, grit, and passion. They encourage candidates to apply even if they don't meet every qualification, as they value a drive for improving how people work.
- What are the preferred qualifications for the Senior Backend Engineer Search at ClickUp?
- Preferred qualifications include hands-on experience with vector embeddings, semantic search, TypeScript in backend systems, architecting high-load search solutions, and applying ML/NLP to enhance search relevance.