MongoDB

Database

StaffEngineer,SearchQueryPlatform

Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Market Sentiment
HIGH DEMAND

Neural analysis suggests this role is
optimal for Lead candidates.

The Brief

“Staff Engineer, Search Query Platform at MongoDB. Skills: Distributed systems, Databases, Search infrastructure, Data management systems, Programming languages, Data consistency, Durability guarantees, Concurrency, Failure modes. Build the core infrastructure behind MongoDB Search and Vector Search. Integrate Apache Lucene with MongoDB”

What You'll Achieve.

Make advanced search capabilities feel native to the database; Build powerful, scalable applications without standing up separate systems or compromising transactional performance; Ensure high availability; Ship high performance systems at scale; Carry outcomes that 6-18 months; Increase execution velocity at scale

Industry & Context.

Database
Problems you'll solve

Reason about systems at the physical layer; Identify gaps, proposing solutions; Resolve cross-team ambiguity; Reason about the risks of a dual-write migration strategy; Think in migration paths, failure modes, and second-order architectural consequences

Eligibility Requirements

Based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for our hybrid working model

What They're Looking For.

Must Have

8+ years of experience in data management systems or related distributed infrastructure, Deep proficiency in modern programming languages and techniques, e. g. , Java, Rust, Demonstrable experience designing and operating distributed systems, cloud services, or SaaS products at scale, The ability to reason about systems at the physical layer: data consistency, durability guarantees, concurrency, and failure modes in distributed environments, A track record of operating at Staff or Principal scope: defining technical direction, resolving cross-team ambiguity, and personally championing initiatives from conception to delivery

Nice to Have

Experience designing or maintaining search platforms or distributed databases, Experience building query engines or information retrieval systems, Contributor to Lucene or other similar projects

What You'll Do.

Build the core infrastructure behind MongoDB Search and Vector Search

Integrate Apache Lucene with MongoDB

Build asynchronous change-stream-driven indexing pipelines

Implement advanced resource management

and system safeguards

Build foundational tooling

Own the cross-system data infrastructure layer for MongoDB's next-generation Search and Vector Search capabilities

Define the technical roadmap for Atlas Search

Lead the architecture and evolution of the core mongot and MongoDB infrastructure

Raise the technical ceiling of the team through mentoring

and knowledge-sharing

How You'll Work.

Team & Collaboration

Serve as a force multiplier for the Search and Vector teams; Drive complex, multi-team initiatives by building technical consensus; Serve as a trusted technical partner to leadership on roadmap, architecture, and engineering process; Standardize how engineering teams across the globe contract with one another

Full Job Description

The Search Query team at MongoDB builds the core infrastructure behind MongoDB Search and Vector Search. Our mission is to make advanced search capabilities feel native to the database, so developers can build powerful, scalable applications without standing up separate systems or compromising transactional performance. We are the team behind mongot, the indexing and query execution engine that powers Search and Vector Search across MongoDB Atlas and self-managed deployments. Our work sits at the intersection of distributed systems, databases, and search infrastructure. We integrate Apache Lucene with MongoDB using native query operators like $search and $vectorSearch, build asynchronous change-stream-driven indexing pipelines that scale independently from transactional workloads, and support deployments across cloud, on-prem, and hybrid environments. Engineers on this team own meaningful subsystems, influence architectural decisions, and work on core database technology used by developers globally. We are looking to speak to candidates who are based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for our hybrid working model. What You'll Do: This is a rare opportunity to set the technical direction for one of MongoDB's most strategic investments. You will harden our infrastructure by implementing advanced resource management, admission control, and system safeguards to ensure high availability. You’ll serve as a force multiplier for the Search and Vector teams, building the foundational tooling, observability, and safeguards needed to ship high performance systems at scale. In this role, you will: Own the cross-system data infrastructure layer for MongoDB's next-generation Search and Vector Search capabilities, carrying outcomes that span 6-18 months Define the technical roadmap for Atlas Search, identifying gaps, proposing solutions, and driving alignment across engineering teams globally Lead the architecture and evolution of the core mongot and MongoDB infrastructure, making durabi

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