At a Glance
- Tasks: Design and build next-gen search engine components and tackle complex system challenges.
- Company: Join Perplexity, a leader in innovative search technologies.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, flexible work options, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Dynamic team environment with exciting challenges and career advancement.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on cutting-edge search products that reach billions.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in systems programming with a passion for clean, efficient code.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Perplexity is looking for a highly skilled Senior or Expert Systems Engineer to join our Search Core team.
Responsibilities
- This role is critical to building next-generation search products and technologies.
- You will help drive key decisions around the architecture, design, and implementation of foundational components in our technical stack.
- Design and build core search engine components, including indexing pipelines, retrieval algorithms, and ranking systems that operate at the scale of billions of pages.
- Develop streaming and batch data processing systems for search index construction in a high-load environment.
- Push the limits of hardware performance through low-level optimizations and systems-level tuning.
- Tackle challenges in multithreading, concurrency, and system-level optimization.
Qualifications and Requirements
- 3+ years of hands-on experience in systems programming (Rust, C++, C, or similar).
- Passion for writing clean, efficient, and scalable systems-level code.
- Familiarity with low-level optimization techniques (memory management, cache efficiency, SIMD, profiling).
- Experience building high-load, distributed, and hardware-adjacent services.
- Ownership of full project lifecycle — you don’t just write a fast inner loop, you care about how the system is built, deployed, operated, and scaled in production.
- Deep understanding of multithreading, including various approaches, challenges, and trade-offs.
- Solid understanding of Linux internals (syscalls, networking stack, memory model, kernel tuning).
- Strong knowledge of algorithms and data structures, and the ability to apply them effectively.
- Knowledge of Python or other scripting languages.
- Experience developing core components of search engines, databases, or information retrieval systems.
- Experience with trading systems or other latency-sensitive real-time systems.
- Understanding of search fundamentals: indexing, query parsing, ranking, and relevance.
- Familiarity with cloud services, Kubernetes, and AWS infrastructure.
Member of Technical Staff (Search Engine Developer, Search Core) employer: Perplexity AI
Perplexity is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, making it an ideal place for talented individuals to thrive. With a focus on cutting-edge technology and a commitment to employee growth, team members are encouraged to push the boundaries of their skills while working on impactful projects in a dynamic environment. Located in a vibrant tech hub, employees benefit from a supportive community and access to numerous professional development opportunities.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Member of Technical Staff (Search Engine Developer, Search Core)
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Perplexity AI or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
Show off your coding chops by jumping into open-source projects. Not only does this give you practical experience, but it also gets you noticed in the dev community. You'll create a killer portfolio that speaks volumes about your skills to Perplexity AI.
✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
Don’t underestimate the power of online developer communities like GitHub, Stack Overflow, and even Reddit. Participate in discussions, share your projects, and build your visibility. We can often find opportunities through these channels that can lead to a full-time gig at companies like Perplexity AI.
✨Explore Job Boards Specifically for Tech Roles
Keep your eyes peeled on job boards that focus on tech roles. Sites like TechCareers or Stack Overflow Jobs can often have listings for companies like Perplexity AI that might not show up on broader job sites. Make it a habit to check these regularly, and don’t hesitate to apply directly through our website!
We think you need these skills to ace Member of Technical Staff (Search Engine Developer, Search Core)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Perplexity AI.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Perplexity AI and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Perplexity AI
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Perplexity AI uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
