Find a job 
Featured Companies 
Featured Universities 
For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and develop AI-powered code search technology that impacts millions of developers worldwide.
- Company: Join GitHub, a leader in software development innovation and collaboration.
- Benefits: Remote work, competitive salary, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with a strong sense of community.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of AI in software development and make a real difference.
- Qualifications: 9+ years in software engineering with experience in multiple programming languages.
The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.
In this role you can work from Remote, United Kingdom.
GitHub is shaping the future of software development in the age of AI agents — and search is at the heart of it. As GitHub's lexical and semantic code search engine, Blackbird powers context retrieval for business‑critical experiences across the platform and our Copilot products, including Cloud Agent, Code Review, Copilot CLI, and VS Code.
We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer to help develop, scale, operate and extend Blackbird, including integrating with AI Agents and developing new AI‑powered software development workflows. You will be part of our Copilot Agents organization, positively impacting millions of software developers and AI agents worldwide who build everything from open source to global enterprises.
As a software engineer at GitHub, you will design, prototype, implement, ship and support highly performant and globally scalable code search technology with your team.
Responsibilities:- Design, develop, test and ship high‑quality technical solutions that scale across multiple GitHub services and become intimately familiar with the systems you build and take pride in writing maintainable code.
- Provide technical leadership, mentorship, pairing opportunities, and code reviews to encourage the growth of others; support teams in producing extensible and maintainable code, ensuring integration with downstream dependencies and adherence to quality standards.
- Help cultivate an environment where team members are empowered and demonstrate a strong sense of ownership and belonging.
- Own and advocate for the health and quality of the systems that the team builds, including participating in on‑call for first responder rotations and live incidents.
- Write architecture briefs and proposals and carry out code experiments.
- Design and implement APIs to facilitate seamless integration between software components.
- Maintain executional and operational excellence within and potentially across teams/organizations.
- Apply debugging tools and telemetry to verify assumptions, proactively resolve issues, and optimize code performance and maintainability.
- Drive and support technical roadmap that aligns with product goals, ensuring that engineering efforts are strategically prioritized and incorporating the adoption of new technologies and methodologies where applicable.
- Work with the team to understand technical constraints, and develop, communicate, and track against realistic plans to consistently ship products, features, and bug fixes.
- 9+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Associate’s Degree in a related field AND 8+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related field AND 7+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Master’s Degree in a related field AND 5+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR Doctorate in a related field AND 3+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
- Experience building or operating web-scale search, information retrieval, or context retrieval systems.
- Expertise with systems programming languages — ideally Rust.
- Experience designing or integrating AI/ML‑powered features into production systems.
GitHub is made up of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and lifestyles. We embrace diversity and invite applications from people of all walks of life. We don't discriminate against employees or applicants based on gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, religion, age, national origin, citizenship, disability, pregnancy status, veteran status, or any other differences. Also, if you have a disability, please let us know if there's any way we can make the interview process better for you; we're happy to accommodate!
Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London employer: GitHub
Contact Detail:
GitHub Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in your industry on LinkedIn or at meetups. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities that aren’t even advertised yet.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repo showcasing your projects. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and sets you apart from the crowd.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those interviews! Research common questions for software engineers and practice your answers. Don’t forget to brush up on coding challenges too; they love to see your problem-solving skills in action.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Staff Software Engineer role. Highlight your experience with the languages mentioned in the job description and any relevant projects that showcase your skills in code search or AI integration.
Showcase Your Technical Skills: Don’t just list your technical skills; demonstrate them! Include specific examples of how you've used languages like C++, Java, or Rust in your previous roles. This will help us see your hands-on experience and problem-solving abilities.
Be Authentic: Let your personality shine through in your application. We value diversity and want to know what makes you unique. Share your passion for software engineering and how you can contribute to our team culture at GitHub.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets into the right hands. Plus, it shows us you’re genuinely interested in joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at GitHub
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the programming languages and technologies mentioned in the job description. Brush up on C, C++, Java, and any other relevant languages. Be ready to discuss your past projects and how you’ve used these technologies to solve real-world problems.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to tackle coding challenges or technical questions during the interview. Practice common algorithms and data structures, and be ready to explain your thought process. GitHub values maintainable code, so demonstrate how you approach debugging and optimising performance.
✨Demonstrate Leadership and Mentorship
As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll be expected to lead and mentor others. Think of examples from your past experiences where you’ve provided guidance or support to team members. Highlight how you foster an environment of ownership and collaboration within your teams.
✨Align with Company Values
Research GitHub’s culture and values, especially their commitment to diversity and inclusion. Be prepared to discuss how you can contribute to a positive team environment and support the growth of your colleagues. Showing that you align with their mission will set you apart.