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Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Search & Retrieval Infrastructure

PineconeNew York CityR&D
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Salary
$190K - $270K USD
Job type
Full-time
Work mode
Remote
Posted
5 Aug 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

Pinecone is seeking a Senior or Staff Software Engineer to design and build core components of its next-generation knowledge retrieval system. This full-time position can be performed remotely or from New York City within the R&D department, requiring six or more years of experience.

Key Responsibilities

Design and build scalable platform components using advanced retrieval through query planning, hybrid search, semantic search, metadata-aware search, and LLM generation.
Create optimized indexing pipelines designed for both structured and unstructured data.
Construct backend services focused on semantic and hybrid retrieval, retrieval orchestration, and knowledge graph construction.
Enhance retrieval quality by implementing observability and evaluation frameworks.
Design intuitive APIs catering to both external and internal user and agentic consumers.
Optimize throughput, latency, and cost across large-scale retrieval and inference workloads.
Drive the overall technical direction regarding system reliability and security.

Requirements

Bring a proven track record of typically 6+ years shipping production-grade backends for large-scale systems with a focus on high throughput, low latency, and maintainability.
Demonstrate data engineering savvy by building high-throughput indexing pipelines handling unstructured and structured data.
Possess retrieval intuition with direct experience or deep theoretical knowledge in vector databases, semantic search, hybrid retrieval strategies, or traditional search engines like OpenSearch or Elastic.
Understand Retrieval-Augmented Generation patterns, embedding pipelines, query planning, and metadata filtering.
Exhibit language fluency as an expert in at least one major language such as Python, Rust, C++, Java, or Go.
Maintain familiarity with infrastructure tools like Kubernetes, cloud-native architectures, observability frameworks, and infrastructure-as-code tools such as Terraform or Pulumi.
Display product thinking and the ability to navigate ambiguity by owning problems and designing clean APIs.

Nice to Have

Background in building multi-tenant SaaS platforms.
Experience utilizing retrieval evaluation frameworks to measure search result quality.
Familiarity with query planning or agentic reasoning loops for breaking down complex prompts.

Skills and Tools

Python
Kubernetes
Java
Rust
C++
LLM
RAG
Terraform

Salary and Benefits

Annual salary range of $190,000 to $270,000 USD
Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, vision, and mental health resources
401(k) Plan
Equity award
Flexible time off
Paid parental leave
Annual Company Retreat
WFH Equipment Stipend

About the Company

Pinecone is the trusted AI knowledge company delivering an AI knowledge platform featuring Database, Nexus, and Marketplace products. The platform powers fast, accurate, and cost-effective AI applications for over 10,000 customers and 1 million developers worldwide with the mission to make AI knowledgeable.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official Pinecone careers page to apply for this position.

Skills and tech stack

PythonKubernetesJavaRustC++LLMRAGTerraform

Questions candidates ask

What is the salary range for this position?

The annual salary for this role ranges from $190,000 to $270,000 USD.

Where is this job located?

This position is based in New York City with remote work options available.

How many years of experience are required?

Candidates typically need 6+ years of proven track record in shipping production-grade backends for large-scale systems.

What programming languages are expected?

Applicants must be experts in at least one major language such as Python, Rust, C++, Java, or Go.

What benefits and perks are included?

Perks include comprehensive health coverage, a 401(k) plan, equity awards, flexible time off, paid parental leave, an annual company retreat, and a WFH equipment stipend.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Pinecone careers page.

Apply on company site