Workiva’s Search Team powers how customers find and interact with information across our platform. As a Senior Software Engineer on this team, you’ll design and build backend services in Java on top of OpenSearch, enabling everything from full-text document search to semantic and natural language search to support our Generative AI initiatives.
Requirements
- Proficiency in Java or another JVM language (e.g., Scala, Kotlin)
- Experience with search engines such as OpenSearch, Elasticsearch, or Solr
- Strong understanding of indexing, query optimization, and distributed search performance
- Hands-on experience designing and scaling backend services in a cloud environment (AWS preferred)
- Kafka or other event streaming experience
- Familiarity with semantic search, embeddings, or NLP techniques
- Exposure to AI/ML concepts, particularly around ranking or search relevance
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and scale backend services in Java, integrated with OpenSearch
- Develop indexing strategies, schema mappings, and optimized query patterns for large datasets
- Support Workiva’s GenAI and RAG endpoints, enabling semantic and natural language search features
- Leverage AWS cloud infrastructure and Kafka event streaming for scalable systems
- Monitor, tune, and debug search infrastructure for performance, reliability, and accuracy
- Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver search-driven features that meet customer needs
- Provide mentorship through code reviews, technical guidance, and collaboration
Other
- Lead well-scoped projects, define milestones, and improve team processes
- Strong collaboration and communication skills in a remote-first, video-driven culture
- Minimal (<10%) travel for team jams or engineering wide conferences
- Reliable internet access for remote working opportunities
- Workiva employees are required to undergo comprehensive security and privacy training tailored to their roles, ensuring adherence to company policies and regulatory standards.
