Staff Software Engineer - AI Search

Kadence is building a next-generation search platform that powers AI-driven products at enterprise scale. The Staff Software Engineer will design and build scalable, cloud-native search systems and implement AI/ML-driven search capabilities while collaborating cross-functionally to deliver impactful platform features.

Responsibilities:

• Design and build scalable, cloud-native search systems (ingestion, indexing, query APIs)
• Develop streaming data pipelines (Kafka or similar) for document processing and indexing
• Implement AI/ML-driven search capabilities, including retrieval and ranking systems
• Build and operate microservices using modern cloud infrastructure (AWS, containers, IaC)
• Ensure reliability through testing, observability, and strong operational practices
• Contribute to major platform evolution initiatives (e.g., search engine migrations, performance optimization)
• Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver impactful platform features

Requirements:

• 5+ years building production backend or data infrastructure systems
• Strong Python skills and solid distributed systems fundamentals
• Experience with AWS and modern DevOps practices
• Hands-on experience with streaming systems (Kafka or similar)
• Familiarity with search technologies (Elasticsearch, OpenSearch, Vespa, Solr, etc.)
• Strong ownership mindset — you build it, you run it
• Exposure to AI/ML-powered systems (embeddings, RAG, ranking) is a plus
• Experience with large-scale search or data platforms
• Knowledge of advanced retrieval systems or agent-based workflows
• Track record of technical leadership or mentoring