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- 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 excellent career advancement opportunities.
- 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.
Qualifications:
Required Qualifications:
- 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.
Preferred Qualifications:
- 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.
EEO Statement:
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 employer: GitHub
Contact Detail:
GitHub Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff Software Engineer, Code Search
✨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 coding challenges. The more prepared you are, the more confident you'll feel when it’s showtime.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take that extra step!
We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer, Code Search
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 Leadership: Since this role involves mentoring and providing technical leadership, don’t forget to mention any past experiences where you’ve led a team or contributed to the growth of others. We love seeing how you can empower your teammates!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points for your achievements and responsibilities to make it easy for us to see your qualifications at a glance. We appreciate straightforward communication!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it’s super easy to do!
How to prepare for a job interview at GitHub
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the programming languages mentioned in the job description, especially C, C++, Java, and Python. Brush up on your knowledge of web-scale search systems and AI/ML integration, as these are key areas for the role.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Prepare to discuss specific challenges you've faced in previous projects and how you overcame them. Be ready to demonstrate your debugging skills and how you optimise code performance, as this will show your technical prowess and ability to handle real-world issues.
✨Emphasise Team Collaboration
Since the role involves mentoring and supporting team members, be prepared to share examples of how you've contributed to a positive team environment. Discuss your experience with code reviews and how you’ve helped others grow in their technical abilities.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the team’s current projects, the technical roadmap, and how they integrate new technologies. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you gauge if the company culture aligns with your values.