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Senior Java Software Engineer - Search Inference - Platform

ElasticUnited KingdomEnterprise Search - Engineering
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Salary
Not listed
Job type
Full-time
Experience
Senior · 5+ yrs
Posted
6 Oct 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Elastic is seeking a Senior Java Software Engineer for the Search Inference platform located in the United Kingdom. This full-time position suits an experienced developer with a strong production background in Java who wants to build integrations for machine learning services and search features.

Role Overview

Elastic seeks a Senior Java Developer to join the Elasticsearch team and focus on the Inference API. The role involves maintaining the plugin framework and REST API while working on protocol design, streaming, asynchronous execution, and billing integration. The engineer collaborates closely with the wider inference team and the Kibana team to power semantic search, reranking, and generative AI features.

Key Responsibilities

Build and maintain integrations with internal systems and external inference providers, covering schema negotiation, server-sent events streaming, and error normalisation.
Contribute to the internal architecture of the inference plugin, including task settings, chunking strategies, rate limiting, and provider-level configuration.
Review open source contributions to the codebase and collaborate with third-party engineers to meet technology standards.
Participate in an on-call rotation for inference-related incidents.
Write thorough tests such as unit tests using ESTestCase, YAML-based REST integration tests, and rolling-upgrade tests.

Requirements

Five or more years of production Java experience, including contributions to large and established Java codebases.
Conversant in core Java, standard data structures, concurrency constructs, and newer language features.
Experience crafting ergonomic APIs and reasoning through architectural tradeoffs.
Practical experience with low-level Java concepts like concurrency, parallelism, and classloaders.
Proven track record of using artificial intelligence to accelerate development, debug complex systems, and optimise code while maintaining ownership of outcomes.
Ability to collaborate across functions and work autonomously in a distributed team using transparent, asynchronous communication.

Nice to Have

Knowledge of JDK internals including modules, garbage collection, the Java memory model, database load, and caching techniques.
Experience working with machine learning systems.
Contributions to and ownership of open source projects.
Familiarity with Java build tools, with a strong preference for Gradle.
Background working in a platform team or developer productivity team.

Skills and Tools

Java
Elasticsearch
Inference API
Gradle
Maven
ESTestCase
REST API
Streaming and Server-Sent Events

Salary and Benefits

Competitive pay based on current work rather than previous salary.
Health coverage for employees and families in many locations.
Flexible locations and schedules for many roles.
Generous annual vacation days.
Charitable donation matching up to $2000 or local currency equivalent.
Up to 40 hours per year for volunteer projects.
Minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.

About the Company

Elastic is the Search AI Company that provides cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability. The organisation operates as a distributed company supporting an inclusive culture and equal opportunity employment.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly on the official company careers page.

Skills and tech stack

JavaElasticsearchInference APIGradleMavenESTestCaseREST APIMachine LearningGenerative AI

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of the Senior Java Software Engineer position?

The position is located in the United Kingdom within a distributed company environment.

How many years of experience are required for this role?

Candidates must have 5+ years of production Java experience.

What core technologies and frameworks will the engineer work with?

The role works heavily with Java, the Elasticsearch Inference API, REST APIs, and testing frameworks like ESTestCase.

What are the primary responsibilities regarding testing?

The engineer must write thorough unit tests using ESTestCase, YAML-based REST integration tests, and rolling-upgrade tests.

Does Elastic offer parental leave for this role?

Yes, Elastic offers a minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Elastic careers page.

Apply on company site