Remote
Anywhere
$144K–$232K
⚙️Operations
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Elastic, the Search AI Company, enables everyone to find the answers they need in real time, using all their data, at scale — unleashing the potential of businesses and people. The Elastic Search AI Platform, used by more than 50% of the Fortune 500, brings together the precision of search and the intelligence of AI to enable everyone to accelerate the results that matter. By taking advantage of all structured and unstructured data — securing and protecting private information more effectively — Elastic’s complete, cloud-based solutions for search, security, and observability help organizations deliver on the promise of AI.
We are on the lookout for a Principal Software Engineer to join our Elasticsearch - Distributed Systems team and focus on how Elasticsearch provides scale, performance, and resilience, especially in the context of our Serverless offering. You will be tackling deep distributed systems challenges in how nodes in an Elasticsearch cluster communicate, and how data are indexed, allocated, and managed across nodes.
Compensation for this role is in the form of base salary. This role does not have a variable compensation component.
At Elastic, our compensation philosophy aims to provide fair, competitive and transparent remuneration. Salary ranges are established based on a combination of external market benchmarks, internal pay equity considerations, and the responsibilities and complexity associated with each role. This approach helps ensure consistency across comparable roles while remaining competitive within the relevant labour markets.
The final compensation offered within the applicable range will be determined based on several objective factors, including relevant professional experience, level of skills and expertise, alignment with the role requirements, and the overall scope and complexity of the position.
As a distributed company, diversity drives our identity. Whether you’re looking to launch a new career or grow an existing one, Elastic is the type of company where you can balance great work with great life. Your age is only a number. It doesn’t matter if you’re just out of college or your children are; we need you for what you can do.
We strive to have parity of benefits across regions and while regulations differ from place to place, we believe taking care of our people is the right thing to do.
Different people approach problems differently. We need that. Elastic is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to creating an inclusive culture that celebrates different perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local law, ordinance or regulation.
We welcome individuals with disabilities and strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all individuals. To request an accommodation during the application or the recruiting process, please email candidate_accessibility@elastic.co. We will reply to your request within 24 business hours of submission.
Applicants have rights under Federal Employment Laws, view posters linked below: Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) Poster; Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision Poster; Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA) Poster and Know Your Rights (Poster)
Elasticsearch develops and distributes technology and information that is subject to U.S. and other countries’ export controls and licensing requirements for individuals who are located in or are nationals of the following sanctioned countries and regions: Belarus, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Syria, or Russia, including the Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia (The Crimea region of Ukraine, The Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), The Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), Kherson or Zaporizhzhia). If you are located in or are a national of one of the listed countries or regions, an export license may be required as a condition of your employment in this role. Please note that national origin and/or nationality do not affect eligibility for employment with Elastic.
Please see here for our Privacy Statement.
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Mental Health Benefits
Employee Assistance Program
401(k) / Retirement Plan
401(k) Match
Equity / RSUs
Employee Stock Purchase Plan
Pay Transparency
Parental Leave
Adoption Leave
Fertility Benefits
Caregiver Policy
PTO / Vacation
Learning & Development Budget
Yes. Elastic is "distributed by intention" — remote, hybrid, and in-person roles are available so you can work virtually or from one of its global offices. The majority of currently open roles (about 91%) are tagged remote, and Elasticians work across more than 40 countries.
Elastic hires in the countries where it has legal entities rather than "anywhere in the world." Recent openings span the United States (its largest hiring geography), the United Kingdom, Canada, Spain, India, the Netherlands, Japan, and 15+ other countries across EMEA, the Americas, and APJ. Eligibility is set role by role in each job posting.
Benefits include health coverage for you and your family, a minimum of 16 weeks of parental leave, generous paid time off, a 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar matching up to 6% of eligible earnings (US), equity (RSUs) plus an employee stock purchase plan, a reimbursement to set up your remote workspace when you join and again after every five years, 40 hours of paid volunteer time each year, and donation matching up to US$2,000. Specific benefits vary by region.
Financial Planning
Sick Days
Paid Holidays
Bereavement Leave
Military Leave
Flexible Schedule
Volunteer Time Off
Charity Matching
Employee Resource Groups
Home Office Stipend
Company Equipment
US job postings include explicit salary bands (for example, "$106,900–$169,100 USD"), driven by Greenhouse and US pay-transparency laws, with uplifts for select higher-cost metros. Compensation is geo-based rather than global-parity, and roles are also eligible for Elastic's equity program. Elastic states pay is "based on the work you do here and not your previous salary."
The process generally runs: application, a 30-minute recruiter screen, department interviews (45–90 minutes), an optional panel presentation, a technical assessment for some roles (60–90 minutes), then a decision and onboarding. Most interviews are conducted virtually, though some may be held on-site.
Elastic suits people who thrive in a distributed, written-first culture and want to build search, observability, and security products on the Elastic Search AI Platform. Its published "Source Code" values — like "come as you are" and "distributed by intention" — emphasize flexibility, autonomy across time zones, and inclusion across a workforce representing more than 100 nationalities.
