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- Tasks: Own and evolve large-scale search capabilities using advanced AI-driven approaches.
- Company: A growing, product-led business focused on innovative search and discovery.
- Benefits: Remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Join a dynamic team with a focus on cutting-edge technology and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by redefining search architecture and improving information retrieval.
- Qualifications: Experience in building search systems, strong engineering skills, and familiarity with cloud environments.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 £ per year.
I’m working with a growing, product-led business who are investing heavily into how search and discovery works across their platform. This is a genuinely interesting opportunity to own and evolve a large-scale search capability, used by hundreds of internal users to surface high-quality, relevant information from complex datasets. They already have an established search function in place, but are now looking to take it to the next level redesigning architecture, improving relevance, and introducing more advanced semantic and AI-driven retrieval approaches. This role is very much hands-on and individual contributor focused, with full ownership across search architecture and strategy.
What you’ll be doing:
- Defining and designing a scalable, cloud-native search architecture
- Evaluating and implementing keyword, vector, hybrid, and graph-based search approaches
- Designing indexing, ranking, and data modelling strategies
- Improving search quality and relevance, including defining how success is measured
- Building and evolving retrieval pipelines to surface high-quality results from large datasets
- Working closely with internal users to understand search intent and refine outputs
- Designing and implementing knowledge graph structures (entity modelling, relationships, enrichment)
- Integrating LLM-driven enrichment and retrieval workflows
- Architecting and scaling data pipelines in a GCP environment
- Working with tools such as BigQuery (or similar analytical platforms)
What they’re looking for:
- Proven experience building and scaling search or retrieval systems end-to-end
- Strong background in search architecture (not just using existing tools)
- Experience with semantic search, ranking and relevance optimisation
- Experience working with LLMs in retrieval pipelines (RAG, enrichment, etc.)
- Strong engineering capability (ideally Python, but not purely coding-focused)
- Experience in cloud-native environments (GCP preferred)
- Background in data science, search, or information retrieval
- Comfortable working as a senior IC leading technical direction
- Ideally experience in product environments (not purely consultancy/project-based work)
Lead Retrieval Engineer employer: develop
Contact Detail:
develop Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Lead Retrieval Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the industry, attend meetups, and connect on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects related to search architecture and retrieval systems. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on relevant technologies and concepts. Be ready to discuss your experience with semantic search and LLMs, as well as how you've tackled challenges in previous roles.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We’re always on the lookout for talented individuals like you. Make sure to tailor your application to highlight your hands-on experience and passion for search technology.
We think you need these skills to ace Lead Retrieval Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV speaks directly to the role of Lead Retrieval Engineer. Highlight your experience with search architecture and any relevant projects you've worked on. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about search and retrieval systems. Share specific examples of how you've improved search quality or implemented innovative solutions in the past.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t forget to mention your technical expertise, especially in Python and cloud-native environments like GCP. We’re looking for someone who can hit the ground running, so make sure we know what you bring to the table!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for a smoother process. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from us!
How to prepare for a job interview at develop
✨Know Your Search Architecture
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of search architecture. Be ready to discuss your experience with building and scaling search systems, especially focusing on semantic search and ranking optimisation. This will show that you understand the core requirements of the role.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Since this role is very hands-on, prepare examples from your past work where you've taken ownership of search capabilities. Highlight specific projects where you designed indexing strategies or improved search quality, as this will demonstrate your ability to contribute effectively.
✨Familiarise Yourself with GCP Tools
As the company prefers candidates with experience in cloud-native environments, particularly GCP, make sure you know your way around tools like BigQuery. Be prepared to discuss how you've architected data pipelines in similar environments to showcase your technical prowess.
✨Understand User Intent
This role involves working closely with internal users to refine search outputs. Think about how you've previously gathered user feedback to improve search relevance. Being able to articulate your approach to understanding user intent will set you apart as a candidate who can truly enhance the search experience.