Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London
Staff Software Engineer, Code Search

Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London

London Full-Time 80000 - 100000 £ / year (est.) Home office possible
Kubelt

At a Glance

  • Tasks: Design and develop innovative code search technology that powers millions of developers worldwide.
  • Company: Join GitHub, the leading platform for collaborative software development.
  • Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, remote work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
  • Other info: Be part of a diverse team that values creativity, collaboration, and ownership.
  • Why this job: Make a real impact in the future of AI-driven software development.
  • Qualifications: 9+ years in software engineering with expertise in various programming languages.

The predicted salary is between 80000 - 100000 £ per year.

About GitHub

GitHub is the world’s leading platform for agentic software development — powered by Copilot to build, scale, and deliver secure software. Over 180 million developers, including more than 90% of the Fortune 100 companies, use GitHub to collaborate, and more than 77,000 organisations have adopted GitHub Copilot.

Locations: Remote, United Kingdom

Overview

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're 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.

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 coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
  • OR Associate’s Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 8+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding 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 coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
  • OR Master's Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 5+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding in languages including, but not limited to, C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python.
  • OR Doctorate in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Math, Physics, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or related field AND 3+ years experience in Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline with proven experience maintaining and delivering production software coding 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.

Equal Employment Opportunity

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.

Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London employer: Kubelt

GitHub is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of collaboration, creativity, and inclusivity, making it an ideal place for Staff Software Engineers to thrive. With a commitment to employee growth through mentorship and technical leadership opportunities, GitHub empowers its team members to take ownership of their work while contributing to innovative projects that impact millions of developers worldwide. The remote work flexibility in the UK allows for a balanced lifestyle, ensuring that employees can excel both personally and professionally.
Kubelt

Contact Detail:

Kubelt 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 repository showcasing your projects. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and how you think.

✨Tip Number 3

Prepare for interviews by practicing common technical questions and coding challenges. Use platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to sharpen your skills before the big day.

✨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 are proactive!

We think you need these skills to ace Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London

Distributed Systems
Search at Scale
Reliability Engineering
Generative AI Application Architectures
Technical Leadership
Mentorship
API Design and Implementation
Debugging Tools
Telemetry
Performance Optimisation
Software Development in C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Go, Ruby, Rust, or Python
Web-Scale Search Systems
AI/ML Integration

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 distributed systems and AI, as these are key areas for us at GitHub.

Showcase Your Projects: Include links to any relevant projects or code samples in your application. We love seeing what you've built and how you approach problem-solving, especially if it relates to search or AI.

Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward. Use clear language to describe your skills and experiences, making it easy for us to see why you're a great fit for the team.

Apply Through Our Website: Don't forget to submit your application through our official website. It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for the role!

How to prepare for a job interview at Kubelt

✨Know Your Tech Stack

Make sure you’re well-versed in the programming languages and technologies mentioned in the job description, like C++, Java, or Rust. Brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems and search at scale, as these are crucial for the role.

✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

Prepare to discuss specific examples where you've tackled complex problems in software engineering. GitHub values creative problem solvers, so think about how you can demonstrate your ability to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions.

✨Understand GitHub's Mission

Familiarise yourself with GitHub’s products, especially Copilot and Blackbird. Being able to articulate how your skills align with their mission to enhance collaboration and improve code search will show that you’re genuinely interested in the company and its goals.

✨Prepare for Technical Leadership Questions

Since the role involves providing mentorship and technical leadership, be ready to discuss your experience in guiding teams and ensuring code quality. Think of examples where you’ve helped others grow or improved team processes, as this will highlight your leadership capabilities.

Staff Software Engineer, Code Search in London
Kubelt
Location: London

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