> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/2971963-senior-search-backend-engineer](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/2971963-senior-search-backend-engineer). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Search Backend Engineer - **Company:** commercetools GmbH - **Location:** München, Germany - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Software as a Service, Shard (Database Architecture), DevOps, Programming Tools, Elasticsearch, Failover, Java Virtual Machine (JVM), MongoDB, Platform as a Service (PAAS), Search Technologies, Load Balancing, Backend, Event Driven Architecture, Kubernetes, Asynchronous Programming, Functional Programming, Restful APIs, Terraform - **Published:** September 18, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.adzuna.de/details/5887921761 ## About the Role * At least 5 years of experience as a Software Engineer, with production experience on the JVM * Solid understanding of parallel and asynchronous programming, as well as non-blocking I/O * Experience developing REST APIs and knowledge of scalable architectures, including sharding, replication, load balancing, and failover * Interest in working with Scala using pragmatic functional programming patterns. If you come from another JVM language, we will support you in picking it up. * Fluent English for work in international teams * Experience operating multi-tenant SaaS where one tenant's load must never affect another's * Knowledge of scalable event-driven architectures, including queues and notification topics * A genuine curiosity for using AI tools to work smarter and more effectively, paired with a drive to learn and put them into practice in your role. Nice to Have: * Hands-on search experience, preferably ElasticSearch or OpenSearch, including a working understanding of how an inverted index scores and ranks documents * Practical exposure to vector retrieval, such as embeddings, approximate nearest neighbor indexes, and hybrid ranking, and a sense of where each approach breaks down. A deep lexical search background plus a clear appetite to go into this territory also works. * Comfort reasoning about relevance with data, including precision and recall tradeoffs, ranking metrics, and behavioral signals * Experience with infrastructure work and other technologies like Helm, Kubernetes, and Rust ## Description * Design and implement search functionalities in a PaaS ecommerce Scala backend * Develop search capabilities that combine lexical, semantic, and hybrid retrieval * Develop search-related libraries based on ElasticSearch and MongoDB * Contribute to search relevance and quality, and to how we measure it * Run and maintain a scalable search "infrastructure as code" on top of Kubernetes using terraform and multi-tenant architecture * Test software components regarding usability, functionality, and performance, and work closely with Product Management and DevOps * Learn Scala and functional programming as your new main development tools * Take part in on-call rotation with a worldwide distributed team for production systems This role is hybrid, with three days a week spent in our Munich, Berlin, London or Valencia office. What Sets You Apart You're a creative problem-solver who is wired to find solutions. You confidently dive into complex challenges and have a talent for making them simple for others. Your curiosity drives you to constantly grow and contribute to an environment of trust and teamwork. Great ideas come from many paths, and your unique perspective matters more than checking every box. What matters most is the mindset you bring to the work. You do not need to be an ML researcher for this role. You need to be a strong backend engineer who is genuinely interested in retrieval quality. ## Related Videos - [Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [40 Minutes to Build a Serverless COVID-19 REST and GraphQL APIs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/208-40-minutes-to-build-a-serverless-covid-19-rest-and-graphql-apis) - [Add Location-based Searching to Site with ElasticSearch](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/77-add-location-based-searching-to-site-with-elasticsearch) - [Tomb rAIder: AI Search with Kotlin](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1989-tomb-raider-ai-search-with-kotlin) - [DevOps Maturity Check – a way to balance autonomy and alignment](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/58-devops-maturity-check-a-way-to-balance-autonomy-and-alignment) ## Related Articles - [Where To Find Software Engineering Jobs](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/396-where-to-find-software-engineering-jobs) - [Find a Developer Job: 12 Best Job Sites For Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/165-find-a-developer-job-12-best-job-sites-for-developers) - [The Biggest German Tech Companies](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/424-the-biggest-german-tech-companies) - [Finding Jobs in Germany](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/375-finding-jobs-in-germany) - [7 Most Popular Web Developer Jobs in Europe](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/163-7-most-popular-web-developer-jobs-in-europe) - [Backend Developer Salary in Germany [2023]](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/196-backend-developer-salary-in-germany-2023)